WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.
OSHEAN is motivated by its commitment to members to deliver premium,
affordable, broadband telecommunications, IP networking, and Above
the Net services. It is the mission of OSHEAN to seek out innovative
technology solutions that best align with its members’ objectives.
Working collaboratively, OSHEAN continuously drives economic
advantage and operational efficiency to improve the agility and
responsiveness of member organizations.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OUR STAFF
David Porter, Chair of the Board
Director, Media and Technology Services
University of Rhode Island — EXECUTIVE TEAM
Ray Mathieu, Treasurer of the Board,
CFO (Retired)
Providence Equity Partners
Tom Thibodeau, Secretary of the Board
Assistant Provost, New England Institute
of Technology
Paul Fontaine, Vice Chair of the Board
Associate Vice President/CIO
Providence College
Chris LaRoux
Director
Warwick Public Library
David Marble
President and CEO
[email protected] Brandon Migliore
Network Engineer
[email protected]
Chip Tolbert
Chief Operating Officer
[email protected] Brian Schaefer
Network Engineer
[email protected]
Tim Rue
Chief Technology Officer
[email protected] Allan Zawadowicz Jr.
Network Engineer
[email protected]
Mark Montalto
VP, Business Development
[email protected] — BUSINESS TEAM
Tim Wells
Director, Telecommunications and
Network Technology
Brown University — TECHNICAL TEAM Michael Kramer
Chief Technology Officer
Lifespan Corporation Kim Cournoyer
Systems Administrator
[email protected] Rob Gay
Director, Technical Programs
and Services
[email protected]
Roy Galang
Director of Information Security
Framingham State University Brian Coutu
Solutions Engineer
[email protected] Jody Gill
Manager, Accounting
[email protected]
Doug Alexander
Director of Technology
Warwick Public Schools Jon Domen
Senior Network Architect
[email protected] Pam McCarthy
Executive Assistant
[email protected]
Ventsi Gotov
Senior Network Engineer
[email protected] Melanie Turcotte
Manager, Business Operations
[email protected]
Jeff Bain
Solutions Engineer
[email protected]
Jackie Knight-Barber
Support Engineer
[email protected]
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Ralph Fasano
Director, Member Services
[email protected]
2019 eCURRENT
Nimota Garcia
Communications Administrator
[email protected]
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
As we celebrate two decades of collaborating with community anchor institutions (CAIs) across
Rhode Island and Massachusetts, we have an opportunity to pause and reflect upon our early
roots and just how far we’ve come since OSHEAN’s founding in 1999.
What began as a germ of an idea during discussions among the University of Rhode Island (URI),
Brown University and the state of Rhode Island about internet access has developed into an
advanced fiber optic network extending more than 600 miles, serving a community of 160-plus
member organizations with innovative, layered services.
In 2009, the effort accelerated and expanded as the group explored ways to utilize a National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) administered grant program called
BTOP, or Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. The OSHEAN-led grant proposal called
for building a communications fabric that would bring CAIs together to benefit further from
advanced network connectivity. This included the merging of the local K-12 and library networks
(RINET) into OSHEAN, extending services to these communities.
In the early days of the Internet, there was much energy and excitement around what a research
and education network could do for Rhode Island and beyond. OSHEAN started with a single
router in Providence that connected to a router in Boston belonging to the Northern Crossroads,
a consortium of higher education institutions including Harvard and MIT. A cross-institutional
collaboration among an impressive group of organizations including URI, Brown, the Rhode
Island School of Design, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island College, Bryant University
and more, helped propel our network forward.
It’s this spirit of collaboration that still guides us today. Our progress can, in the simplest terms,
be measured by our membership growth. In 2009, OSHEAN’s membership numbered 28.
Today, OSHEAN provides connections that drive innovation for more than 160 organizations
across the region. OSHEAN is dedicated to continuing to expand access to global networks and
content providers, and to deliver innovative services such as cost-saving programs for members,
embedded security applications, shared research platforms, virtual private cloud services and
much more.
It’s evident now more than ever that we truly are stronger together. As we forge into the future,
OSHEAN will continue to foster collaboration among and with its members to help manage the
rapid pace of change in technology.
We hope you enjoy this special 20th anniversary issue of the eCurrent, which reflects back on
the success of our members and provides a look at how far internet connectivity has expanded
since our early days. On behalf of the entire OSHEAN team, I extend our deepest gratitude to all
of those who have helped us to achieve such significant milestones. We’ll never stop working to
ensure you’re succeeding in your mission to serve your communities.
Cheers,
David Marble
David Marble
President and CEO
Stronger Together
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