Who We Are

Mission

Our mission is to actively support and finance investments in the State’s infrastructure. The Infrastructure Bank does so through a variety of means, including the issuance of bonds, originating loans and making grants, and the engagement with and mobilization of sources of public and private capital. Through its activities, the Bank fosters infrastructure improvements that create jobs, promote economic development and enhance the environment.

Overview

Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is Rhode Island’s central hub for financing infrastructure improvements for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners. We leverage limited capital in a revolving fund to offer innovative financing for an array of infrastructure-based projects including

  • water and wastewater
  • road and bridge
  • energy efficiency and renewable energy
  • brownfield remediation

These quality of life projects improve the State’s infrastructure, create jobs, promote economic development and enhance the environment.

Established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1989 as the Clean Water Finance Agency, the Infrastructure Bank’s mandate was significantly expanded in 2015 to include energy and brownfield remediation initiatives. The Infrastructure Bank’s expanded mandate has significantly enhanced its ability to provide competitive financing to a broad variety of infrastructure-based projects. In conjunction with the expansion of its charter, the Infrastructure Bank was rebranded to better reflect its mission and service capabilities.

Our Team

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William Fazioli

Executive Director
William J. Fazioli was appointed as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank in August 2023. Bill has over 35 years of public administration experience in municipal finance, economic development, and infrastructure investment. Most recently, Bill was the Director of Planning & Economic Development for the City of East Providence where he oversaw the city's largest ever residential, industrial and commercial developments which were shepherded through the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. His background includes senior financial advisory roles with the nation's largest public finance firms where he implemented successful municipal debt financings for notable regional clients including Boston, MA, Manchester, NH, New Haven, CT, Burlington, VT and Providence, RI. He previously also served as the Executive Director of the New England States Government Finance Officers Association for over 20 years. Bill continues to serve as Chair of the East Providence Waterfront District Redevelopment Commission that is charged with the revitalization of Brownfield properties into vibrant mixed use development projects. Bill earned an MPA degree in public finance from SUNY-Albany and a BA in public administration & sociology from Rhode Island College.
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Joanna L'Heureux

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Joanna L’Heureux has over 30 years of municipal finance experience in both the private and public sectors. Joanna previously served as the Finance Director for the City of Pawtucket for 10 years and most recently as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust. Her experience includes working as an independent auditor with two CPA firms specializing in auditing municipalities and school districts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Joanna earned a BS degree in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Bryant University.

Anna M. Coelho Cortes

Managing Director

Ken C. Viera Jr.

Deputy CFO

James Braz

Director, Commercial Clean Energy Services

Suh Walker

Office Manager

Marcelina C. Jackson

Sr. Program Operations Associate

Lilit Rose

Director and Head of Operations, Compliance and Transaction Management

Greg Miller

Business Development Officer

Aaron Qureshi

Business Development Analyst

Anthony Hebert

Business Development Officer

Jacqueline Gonzalez

Administrative Assistant

Maria Santos

Financial Accountant

Scott Mountain

Staff Accountant

Board of Directors

Vahid Ownjazayeri

Chair

Scott D. Lajoie

Vice Chair

Joshua Celeste

Secretary

James Diossa

Treasurer | Rhode Island General Treasurer

ROBERT DONOVAN

Assistant Secretary