Rhode Island Historical Society Welcomes New Trustees
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Rhode Island Historical Society is excited to welcome four new trustees, who were elected by members of the Society at the 200th Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 18.
Alletta Morris Cooper grew up in Virginia and Newport where she developed her lifetime love of history and architecture. She is a retired retail business owner from Newport.
Among her volunteer activities, she served on the Board of The Preservation Society of Newport County and as House Chair of Kingscote and Chepstow properties. She also served at the Swinburne School of Household Arts.
Alletta remains a Lifetime member of the Newport Historical Society and of the Redwood Library.
Mike Gerhardt has lived in Rhode Island for over 50 years. After a 35 year career in health care, including serving as the founder and COO of HMO Rhode Island (now Blue CHiP), he launched a second career serving as the interim executive director at a wide range of RI nonprofit organizations which were in transition, a role he played 18 times in 17 organizations.
In this capacity, he served as the interim executive director of the Rhode Island Historical Society twice – in 2001 and in 2011. He currently serves on the Warren Planning Board, and has previously served on the board of the Providence Singers and as president of the Warren Land Conservation Trust for six years.
He and his wife, Doree Goodman, reside in Warren where he spends as much time as possible on his sailboat Pandion.
Cindy E. Salazar is an Immigration Attorney at the Law Office of Cindy Salazar in Attleboro, MA.
She is also the primary Asylum of Counsel at Alami Law in Los Angeles, CA. Her focus in law is asylum, refugee, and family reunification.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Roger Williams University, as well as both her Masters in Criminal Justice and Juris Doctorate.
During her time off she enjoys traveling and this year she and her husband Joseph welcomed their baby girl Jaime.
Theodore W. Smalletz is the retired Chief Financial Officer of Gloria Duchin, Inc., based in East Providence, RI.
He has also served as the Former Vice President of Finance for Macmillan Educational Publishing in New York City, and Assistant Treasurer of Prentice Hall, Inc.
He is currently a member of the Rhode Island Hospital Board of Governors. Smalletz had previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Rhode Island Historical Society and as Chairman of the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Heart Association.
He is also the recipient of the 2000 Volunteer of the Year award from the New England Affiliate of the American Heart Association.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state’s oldest and only state-wide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting, and sharing Rhode Island’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future. Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st-century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, and the Aldrich House.