CEO BIOGRAPHY

Jeanne M. Gattegno
Westbay Community Action CEO & President


Jeanne Gattegno's career in social services spans 44 years, first working for Progress for Providence and then as executive director of the Joslin Center in Providence before taking the helm at Westbay Community Action. She was also one of the founders of Rhode Island Food Bank and Rhode Island Donation Exchange.

She joined Westbay as president and CEO in 1982, and is the social service agency's longest serving chief executive, overseeing a ten-million-dollar budget, eight directors, seven departments, 80 employees and hundreds of volunteers. She also works with a supportive board of directors. Her able staff serves 16,000 clients annually and is the largest agency in Kent County.

Such longevity as CEO is unique among agencies and has provided Westbay with stable leadership and long-term relationships with key members of the community. Jeanne enjoys the rare opportunity of seeing her entrepreneurial visions evolve into viable holistic programs and creative initiatives, guided by  clear institutional memory and a seasoned view of the industry's landscape.

Under her leadership, Westbay was able to react quickly to assist the hundreds of residents displaced by the 2010 historic floods with food, clothing, supplies, services and housing. As a result, the agency has been in the lead working with other organizations implementing best practices in preparation for similar events in the future.

Westbay Community Action has also gained status as a model for a new probation program that is receiving rave endorsements among the state's corrections and law enforcement communities.

In addition to her non-stop activities at Westbay, Jeanne is active with Warwick 13 and Rotary Club of Warwick, where she served as president 2008-2009 and in 2010 traveled to Dominican Republic to build a health clinic with Rotary.

Jeanne grew up in Providence as the oldest of 11 children and now resides in West Warwick.