People on the Move: Nicole Pollock Named DRK Chief of Staff, Residential Property Adds Parella
GoLocalProv Business Team
People on the Move: Nicole Pollock Named DRK Chief of Staff, Residential Property Adds Parella
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Nicole Pollock, Former Chief of Staff and Chief of Policy and Innovation for the City of Providence, Rhode Island Appointed as DRK Chief of Staff
This week, the California-based Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (DRK), one of the largest global venture philanthropy firms supporting social enterprise, announced the hire of former Chief of Staff and Chief of Policy and Innovation to the City of Providence, Rhode Island Nicole Pollock, as DRK’s new Chief of Staff.
As the Chief of Staff to Providence, Rhode Island Mayor Jorge Elorza since 2016, Pollock ensured the advancement of key Mayoral initiatives, managed union and large stakeholder negotiation processes and oversaw the day-to-day operations of City departments. In this capacity she has led significant shifts in the programming and focus of the City's neighborhood development programs, strategic partnership development to reduce long-term deficits within the City budget and the creation of outcomes-based routines within City Departments.
Pollock previously served as Chief of Policy and Innovation for the City of Providence in 2015. Here she evaluated key Mayoral priorities and programs, developed and facilitated improvement modules and organized regular public events with community partners.
Prior to joining the City of Providence, Pollock oversaw policy and bond initiatives, communications, and new program development for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. She served as Policy Director for Rhode Island Clean Water Action and as a consultant for numerous organizations including the Department of Health, Providence Plan and the Newport Housing Authority.
She is a founding board member of the Providence Downtown Park Network, Board President of the Providence Business Loan Fund and is a Board member of the Downtown Improvement District. She is active in her neighborhood, formerly serving as Vice-President of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association Board and as a member of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island Board.
Pollock received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Brown University and earned a certificate from Harvard University’s Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in Public Administration.
Pollock assumes her role as Chief of Staff at DRK on Monday, January 23 from the Boston office.
About DRK Foundation
Since 2002, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation has supported more than 200 organizations, collectively impacting 300 million lives through a novel funding and support strategy. DRK supports early-stage, high-impact social enterprises solving the world's biggest and most pressing social and environmental problems. To date, DRK has raised over $200 million of capital and deployed more than $110 million to find, fund and support more than 200 social enterprises around the globe.
Residential Properties Ltd. announces that Kristin Parella has joined the superb roster of sales professionals at our Newport office. Kristin comes to RPL from Lila Delman Real Estate, where, for the past decade, she established her brand of distinguished, bespoke service in Rhode Island’s luxury real estate markets. She primarily serves, but is not limited to, Newport, Bristol, and Washington Counties and maintains a vast network that allows her to assist buyers and sellers throughout the world.
Coastal connections
She grew up in Bristol and attended The Wheeler School on the East Side of Providence. Inspired by Rhode Island’s history, architecture, and natural beauty, she went on to study art history at Manhattanville College. She started her career as an art gallery director on Madison Avenue in New York and attracted an extensive international clientele. A few years later, she was called back to raise her family in her beloved Rhode Island, where her career evolved into landscape and interior design. Eventually, her love of people led her into real estate, allowing her to combine her creative and strategic energies.
Her dedication to her clients has been key to her consistent success. “Every client is unique and requires sensitivity and commitment,” Parella said. “It is an honor to guide my clients through such an important transition in their lives.”
When the opportunity arose to join RPL’s Newport office, it was a natural choice. “RPL has consistently held the stature of the premier independent real estate firm in the state and has become part of the fabric of Rhode Island,” Parella said. “Through its affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, I am able to serve the wide needs of my clients on a global scale. The unique combination of the area’s cultural history, natural beauty, and world-renowned educational institutions makes Rhode Island a perennially desirable place to live, drawing interesting people from all over the world. As RI continues to be in the world spotlight, RPL’s services remain unmatched.”
RI beginnings
As an avid sailor and tennis player, Kristin has spent the majority of her life enjoying summers in Newport. Her love and knowledge of the area resonate with every client she meets. From her memorable experiences of America’s Cup Races in Newport to the many International Tennis Hall of Fame Tournaments she has seen over the years, she knows how to convey the special qualities of our state. Parella added, “My passion is drawing people to beauty and inspiring them to experience the daily joys of living in Coastal Rhode Island.”
For more information about Kristin, please visit her agent web page at ResidentialProperties.com.