WaterFire Providence announces the addition of Kate Bramson to the WaterFire Providence Board of Directors, effective February of 2023.

Bramson is the associate director in the Office of Deputy Dean Megan L. Ranney at Brown University’s School of Public Health, where she has worked since June 2022 to advance the school’s academic priorities. She has lived and worked in Rhode Island for two decades and has transitioned into public policy after an award-winning journalism career that included stints in France, Hungary, and Duluth, Minnesota.

“We are excited about the depth and breadth of experience Kate brings to our organization” said Peter A. Mello, managing director and coCEO, WaterFire Providence. “With her leadership and support, WaterFire Providence is well positioned to enter the next exciting phase of our organization’s development.”

Bramson covered economic development and workforce issues for 7 of her 16 years as a reporter for The Providence Journal, where she also wrote about education, government, socioeconomic issues, a teen rape case in Burrillville, the state’s lax drunken-driving laws, and breaking news. On the economic beat, she wrote about a range of hot button issues in the state of Rhode Island, including the complex financing required for WaterFire to transform the long-vacant former U.S. Rubber factory into the WaterFire Arts Center.

After leaving journalism, Bramson worked for three years as the Policy Director for the Rhode Island State Senate, where she supported the creation of the Senate’s economic-development legislative package, “Building a More Vibrant Rhode Island,” and in the nonprofit housing sector before joining Deputy Dean Ranney’s team at Brown.

Bramson lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, Andrew Bramson, and their two teenagers. 

To learn more about WaterFire’s current board of directors please visit waterfire.org/about/board-of-directors/