Panel discussion focusing on police and community relations

Several academic departments and campus offices are coming together to sponsor a panel discussion on current national issues of police and community relations. “Uniting not Dividing: Finding Our Inner Voice of Reason as a Nation” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 in the DiStefano Lecture Hall.

Pizza and dessert will be provided.

The panel will identify the issues facing police and communities today, focus on developing positive police and community relationships and develop action steps. The goal is to heighten awareness among Salve Regina students.

Moderated by Dr. Arthur Frankel, professor in the Department of Psychology, the panel will include:

Kobi Dennis, consultant with the Partnership to Address Violence Through Education. He has extensive expertise in advocating and addressing issues pertaining to the urban community. Dennis founded Project Night Vision, a free after-school program for kids ages 12-18, and recently re-launched the Providence Midnight Basketball Leagues to provide an athletic outlet to inner-city adult men.

Abdelnasser Hussein, principal of the Islamic School of Rhode Island. Born and raised in Egypt, he worked in Dubai for 10 years and has lived in Indiana, Kansas and Rhode Island. Hussein is a Ph.D. student at the University of Rhode Island and a member of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, which represents the leadership council of the Muslim community of Rhode Island.

Steven O’Donnell ’93 (M), former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police. For 23 years he served in several capacities with the state police, including trooper, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and major. In 2009, O’Donnell received a presidential appointment as the U.S. Marshal for the district of Rhode Island. A lecturer on various topics around the world, he is an adjunct faculty member at Salve Regina.

Nathan Rose ’13, Baltimore police officer. He entered the Baltimore City Police Academy in December 2013 and has been a Baltimore police officer since the spring of 2014. While at Salve Regina, Rose interned with the Newport Police Department, tutored at the Rhode Island Training School and was involved with the Rugby Club and WSRU Radio.

Jim Vincent, president of the Providence branch of the NAACP. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, he is also president of the East Bay Community Action Program and the Rhode Island Affirmative Action Professionals, as well as a past president of the Rhode Island Urban League. Vincent is currently the civil rights compliance officer for RIPTA.