Providence Haiti Outreach Board

President/Director

Sue Whipple is the CEO and Administrator of the Cedars in Cranston, RI which includes Cedar Crest Nursing Center and Cedar Home Health.  A family business which she has owned for 30 years,  Sue works alongside her husband Thom, her sons Rick and Robert, and her daughter Katie.   A resident of Lincoln, Sue is a parishoner of St. Augustine's Church in Providence.   Her father, Pat Pezzelli, was the co-founder of Providence Haiti Outreach of which she took over the helm last year. 

Vice President/Treasurer

 A lifelong resident of Cranston, RI, Kyle graduated from LaSalle Academy in 2013 and University of Rhode Island in 2017.  He works at both Golden Crest Nursing Centre in North Providence and The Cedars in Cranston. 

Development Director/Secretary

Lynda Sprague has worked as a marketing professional in the healthcare and senior living sectors for over 20 years, including for The Cedars.   Currently, she is a marketing communications consultant.  A graduate of Providence College, Lynda resides in Rumford, RI, with her husband, Joe, and their daughter, Sarah.  She is a parishoner of St. Sebastian Church in Providence. 

 Susan is the CFO of The Cedars, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, located in Cranston, RI.  Susan has been assisting in fundraising for Providence Haiti Outreach for over 30 years, especially with the annual Pat Pezzelli Memorial Golf Tournament, and now serves on the board.  She is a parishioner of Holy Apostles Church and enjoys volunteering with their many community activities.

Katie (Whipple) Loignan is the daugther of Sue and Thom Whipple and the granddaughter of Pat Pezzelli, co-founder of Providence Haiti Outreach. Katie, husband Mike, and their son, Cameron reside in Scituate. A graduate of LaSalle Academy, Katie received her undergraduate degree from University of Connecticut and M.S. in Dietetics from URI.  She is employed at The Cedars as a Dietitian Supervisor. 

John Souto is CEO WasteXxpress, a leading provider of waste disposal and recycling services in Rhode Island. 

John is a lifetime Communicant of St. Mary’s Church Cranston, RI, and a member of the Knights and Ladies of : The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Kristen O'Grady is the founder and principal of Inkwell Communications, a Providence-based advertising agency and design firm that focuses on work related to education: colleges and universities, secondary schools, and healthcare. The agency was founded in 1994 and has worked with both local and regional clients including Women and Infants' Hospital, Roger Williams University, Saint Peter's University, and Notre Dame of Maryland University. An artist and entrepreneur, Kristen is a graduate of Rhode Island College and an attendee of the Rhode Island School of Design. Married to Bruce Ciummo, they have two children: James Grady (age 16) and Ruby Catherine (age 14).

Kristen is the daughter of Ken O'Grady, a founding board member of Providence Haiti Outreach.