At the April 2021 meeting of the Narragansett Bay Commission, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to reaffirm its current slate of officers: Chairman Vincent Mesolella, Vice Chairman Angelo Rotella, and Treasurer Robert Andrade. 2021 marks Mesolella’s thirtieth year at the helm of the internationally-recognized clean water agency.
“The accomplishments of the Narragansett Bay Commission and this Board is an extreme source of pride for me, as I know it is for all of us,” Mesolella said upon the vote. “I thank you, for the thirtieth time, for the confidence you have bestowed upon me. Together, this Board and this Commission has made Rhode Island a better place and we will continue on that mission.”
Under Mesolella’s leadership, the NBC has been named twice a Utility of the Future and received numerous national and regional awards for operational, managerial, and fiscal excellence as well as for community engagement and environmental education. The NBC has established itself as a leader in renewable energy, with approximately 80% of its annual energy needs met by NBC-owned renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and biogas. In the 1990s, as Mesolella assumed the Chairmanship, the NBC embarked on a comprehensive three-phase plan to deal with Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), which has resulted in significant improvements in water quality in Narragansett Bay and great enhancements in both bathing beaches and the shellfishing industry. The final phase of the CSO project starts construction in 2021.