The City of East Providence held its annual “Remarkable Women” celebration at city hall on Tuesday, April 21, honoring a dozen local women who have stood out through their work, volunteerism, or other endeavors that have contributed to the advancement of those within the community and beyond.

This year’s list of recipients included educators, library supporters, small business owners, nonprofit creators, politicians, and even witches. They serve on boards for various philanthropic groups and serve to make life better for some of our society’s most vulnerable people.

Of the many politicians who attended the ceremony, it was State Senator Pamela Lauria (D-District 32 Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) who summed up the theme of the evening.

“This event is so important,” she said. “We all know that women are remarkable…but what we’re not always remarkable at is touting and celebrating our own.”
“Women rule the world,” she continued. “But we do it quietly.”

The recipients this year, in alphabetical order, are:

Lee Amore
A graduate of the East Providence High School Class of 1984, Amore is Senior Accountant for Bradley Hospital. In addition to providing free tax preparation services for those who cannot afford a professional accountant, Amore is a breast cancer survivor who turned her own plight into a lifetime of supporting other women, and whose advocacy “helped inspire efforts leading to the passage of Rhode Island’s Chemotherapy Parity Law, helping ensure more equitable access to oral chemotherapy medications and reducing the financial burden on our loved ones,” according to her biography at the ceremony.

Additionally, Amore serves as a Vestry Treasurer for Saints Matthew’s & Mark’s Episcopal Church, and is a long-time volunteer and treasurer for the EPHS football concession stand.

Margaret Brassard
Brassard has “built her life around service, compassion, and creating opportunities for others.” As the founder of RI Acts of Kindness, Brassard oversees a statewide initiative that strives to encourage and inspire compassion in others through acts of kindness. Her professional work involves her own event planning business, Brassard Events, LLC, where she often produces events for nonprofits and community festivals, “always with the focus on brining people together.”

Brassard also serves as Liaison Leader for the Papitto Opportunity Connections, which helps connect Hispanic individuals and families with resources and support systems throughout the state, in an effort to elevate the next generation of leaders.

Jenny Chacon
With community-building roots going back to the early 2000s, Jenny Chacon knows that one of the best ways to connect people anywhere, regardless of their differences, is through food. Chacon is the president of Bella’s Italian Deli.

In the early 2000s, Chacon served as vice president of a local laundromat, and became a unifying figure for East Providence’s Portuguese, Cape Verdean and Brazilian immigrant communities. She provided translation services, access to necessities and even housing support, “ensuring that countless families felt seen, supported and empowered.”

Chacon supports local Rhode Island artisans by featuring their wares in her business, and is passionate about mentoring the next generation. She supports a wide range of local organizations, including her home-town Riverside Renaissance Movement.

Dr. Sandra Forand
Dr. Forand began as a special education teacher in 2000 and over the next quarter-century rose to the rank of East Providence Superintendent of Schools. She is a native Townie and has spent her career advocating for students and serving the families who educate their children in the city.

She has previously held the role of House Leader and Assistant Principal at Martin Middle School, then principal of Riverside Middle School, then assistant superintendent in 2023 before moving to the top job.

In her nomination, Forand is described as a “wonderful mother, wife and role model and someone who has successfully balanced the demands of leadership with the responsibilities of raising a family, showing that it is possible to lead with both strength and heart.”

Sandie Gauthier
A 1995 graduate of East Providence High School, Gauthier is the driving (or flying) force behind the New England Witches Guild, which strives to focus the efforts of a collective of dedicated, community-minded women to transform celebration into meaningful community impacts.

As head witch of the Providence area chapter, Gauthier organizes the annual Halloween Parade and Festival at Crescent Park, and has donated multiple times to the Carousel Restoration Fund, Rhode Island Food Bank, Rhode Island SPCA, and many others, including the year-round outreach to maintain the Little Free Food Pantry in Riverside.

She also participates in local parades, as well as spirited story times with children and interactive programming at senior centers, and works as the teen librarian for the East Providence Public Library. She also serves the city as a member of the Juvenile Hearing Board. She is a member of EpiC (East Providence in Community), a grassroots network committed to moving East Providence towards a more sustainable and equitable future, and is a member of the city’s Situation Table.

Senate President Val Lawson
Growing up just a short distance from East Providence City Hall, Lawson has taken a life of public service all the way to one of the most powerful positions in the state, now serving as the Senate President of Rhode Island.

For over three decades, Lawson served as an educator across the city’s public schools. She has been active for decades in the East Providence Education Association union and the statewide National Education Association of Rhode Island, serving to this day as its president. Her work in the Rhode Island Senate, since being elected in 2018, has often involved issues regarding education, access to health care, and protections for senior citizens.

Shannon Massaroco
An East Providence resident for over 30 years, Massaroco has taken a difficult hand dealt in life and turned it into a resounding example of how to find purpose and rise above all challenges.

Growing up in foster care, and then becoming a teen mother, Massaroco has sought to improve that same situation for thousands of others through her work within the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). She also serves on the board of directors for Nowell Academy, a public charter high school dedicated to educating pregnant, parenting, and “off-track” students.

Cathrine 'Cathy' Moniz
A lifelong East Providence resident, Moniz graduated from East Providence High School in 1961, and has been a devoted member of St. Brendan’s Church throughout her life. She volunteers countless hours to the church and to her family’s endeavors, and is has devoted herself as a caregiver for The Society of St. Vincent dePaul as a caseworker, coordinating assistance to those in need throughout the community.

In addition to her training with other community groups as part of the city’s Situation Table, Cathy is described as “a dedicated wife, mother of two daughters and a proud grandmother, who has balanced family life with a strong work ethic throughout the years.”

Amy Moran
A two-time Teacher of the Year, including the current District Teacher of the Year, and recently a recipient of a Crystal Apple Award (a national honor), Amy Moran has dedicated her professional life to educating young minds in East Providence without desiring attention or those aforementioned accolades for doing the job.

Currently leader within Martin Middle School, Moran coaches unified basketball, organizes pep rallies, fundraises for field trips, and always seeks to find ways to build the community up.

“Amy Moran is remarkable not just because of what she has achieved, but because of how she makes people feel,” her nomination states. “She is the kind of leader, educator, and community member who lifts others up, builds lasting connections, and leaves every place better than she found it.”

Louise Paiva
For over 50 years, Louise Paiva has quietly influenced and supported generations of Townies, and has propped up some of the most critical institutions that make the city a better place.

Since 1973, Paiva has been a critical component of the Scholarship Fund of East Providence, helping a fundraising effort that has raised $2.8 million in support for over 5,000 local students to get to experience their higher education dreams. Additionally, Paiva dedicates countless hours of her time volunteering for the Friends of the East Providence Library and the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, providing steady leadership and contributing to fundraising and preservation efforts that enable those institutions to thrive.

She has transformed the library’s book sales into citywide, well-attended events, and helped ensure that generations of Townies to come can experience its unique and historic lighthouse.

Rama Subramanian
An oncology nurse navigator at Brown University Health Cancer Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, Rama Subramanian has delivered compassionate care at the highest standards of excellence for over 25 years.

Beyond her professional life, Subramanian has dedicated her free time to contributing to the Rhode Island Tamil and Indian communities through leadership volunteer efforts with the RI Tamil School and RI Tamil Sangam; work which led her to be bestowed the President’s Volunteer Service Award through AmeriCorps, along with recognition from state and local leaders.

During the pandemic, Subramanian volunteered with the Disaster Medical Assistance Team and the Medical Reserve Corps, supporting critical testing and vaccination initiatives, and has volunteered for fundraising efforts through her job to support cancer patients.

Claudine Taylor
As the Director of Brown Play School in Rumford for the past 24 years, Taylor joked to the audience that she was nervous, as she normally speaks to rooms full of small children. But her humility for public speaking aside, Taylor was celebrated Tuesday night as a community-oriented leader with deep roots going back generations in East Providence.

A graduate of East Providence schools, from Silver Spring Elementary through the high school, Taylor’s mother still resides in her childhood home in the city, and she raises her own children in Rumford. Through her work at the school, which utilizes the Reggio Emilia philosophy and recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, Taylor has created a child-centered environment where generations of East Providence parents have been able to rest easy, knowing their children were in capable, caring hands.