Photo: Pictured, from left to right: Bryan Dunphy, Treasurer; Kerri Bruneau, Secretary; Mary Johnstone, Vice President; Nicole Benjamin, President

The Women’s Resource Center serving Newport and Bristol Counties (WRC), a nonprofit domestic violence intervention and prevention services agency, held its Annual Meeting at Roberto’s Restaurant in Bristol on Thursday, October 25, 2018. New officers and directors were named to the Board of Directors and the organization awarded community partners with special awards.

The following individuals were appointed to serve one-year terms on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors:  Nicole J. Benjamin, Esq., president (she is an attorney with Adler Pollock and Sheehan P.C. in Providence, RI and resides in Bristol, RI); Mary C. Johnstone, vice president (a resident of Portsmouth, RI, she was a lead volunteer at Child & Family in Middletown, R.I., with the Pennfield School in Portsmouth, R.I and an advisor on the Rhode Island Foundation Newport County Fund.); Bryan H. Dunphy, treasurer (he is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Bristol, R.I. and resides in Barrington, RI); and Kerri Bruneau, secretary (she is a certified medical coder for the U.S. Navy and resides in Portsmouth, RI).

Four individuals were newly elected to the Board of Directors to serve three-year terms:  Daniel Baker, teacher at St. Philomena School in Portsmouth, R.I. (resident of Portsmouth, RI); Trudy Coleman, CPA, and a resident of Saunderstown, R.I.; Amy Parks, vice president of strategy at Merkle Response Management Group based in Hagerstown, Maryland and resident of Newport, R.I.; and Nathan Tillman, DDS, owner of Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Newport, R.I. (resident of Newport, RI).

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...