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Keynote SpeakerGeneral Treasurer Paul J. Tavares
During his first year and a half in office, Paul has taken on many challenges. His most notable achievement was revamping the Crime Victim Compensation Program. The new Treasurer made this program his top priority when he discovered it had been failing to provide victims of violent crime with much needed financial assistance. His tireless efforts, together with the assistance of policymakers, state officials and victim advocates, have put the program on the path to recovery. To modernize the office, the Treasurer is leading the Retirement System into the 21 ' Century with the implementation of a state of the art, $16.8 million computer system to replace the antiquated paper filing system currently in operation. In addition, as chair of the State Investment Commission and spokesperson for the state sponsored CollegeBoundfund, the Treasurer has encouraged numerous families to save for their children's education. To work on his priorities on the national level, Paul has been appointed by the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) to serve as vice chair of the Unclaimed Property Committee and as a member of the College Savings Plans Committee. Paul Tavares has an outstanding record of public service. He was first elected to the East Providence School Committee in 1979 and later to the East Providence City Council, where he served from 19861992. In 1992, Paul was elected as a state senator from East Providence (D 42). During his tenure, he served as the first deputy majority leader, the vice chairman of the Committee on Corporations and as a member of the Committee on Special Legislation. As a senator, Paul also used his expertise in banking, serving on both the Rhode Island State Investment Commission (SIC) and the Rhode Island Public Finance Management Board (PMFB). Paul has often been recognized for his dedicated service to the community. In June of this year, the Ambassador of Portugal Joao da Rocha Paris conferred the honor of Comendador of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator on Paul. In 1997, Paul received the "John E. Fogarty Memorial Award" which recognizes the efforts of state legislators on behalf of Rhode Islanders with disabilities. Paul was also chosen as the recipient of the Shawmut National Corporation "Community Minded Banker Award" in 1992. Paul presently serves on the Catholic Diocese of Providence Finance Council, the Portuguese American Scholarship Foundation and was a founder of the East Providence Children's Portuguese School. In addition, he is a trustee of the Portuguese Cultural Foundation. Educated in the East Providence public school system, Paul graduated from East Providence High School in 1970. To further his studies, Paul has also taken additional courses at various area colleges. Paul Tavares was born in Providence on January 19, 1952. He is the son of the late Anibal and Laurentina Tavares who migrated to the United States from the Azores, Portugal in the 1930s. Paul and his wife, Lee (Maciel) Tavares, are the parents of five children and reside in East Providence, Rhode Island. |
In 1998, the voters of Rhode Island elected Paul J. Tavares to serve as their general treasurer. The treasurer, employed in banking for 27 years, most recently as a vice president at Bank Rhode Island, brings a thorough knowledge of the banking industry and a record of dedication to Rhode Island to the office. His top priorities include modernizing the office's technology, reuniting unclaimed property with its rightful owners and ensuring tax incentives for families saving for higher education through the CollegeBoundfund.