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Rhode Island’s first Chief Innovation Officer Richard Culatta has worked in government for more than a decade, and he knows all too well how bureaucratic inertia can bog down the process of getting things done.

He’s been called an “innovative leader,” a “serial entrepreneur,” a supporter of pioneers with new ideas and new approaches. If you’ve got a great idea – or even a semi-great idea – he can help you develop a plan to help get it off the ground.

In 2016 Culatta was hired to lead the Rhode Island Office of Innovation at ����Ԫ��B, in partnership with the ����Ԫ��B Foundation and the Office of the Rhode Island Governor to help put Rhode Island on the map as a nationally recognized hub for technological innovation.

Initially supported by funds from the Foundation, this month the Office of Innovation fully reimbursed those funds and is now entirely self-funded, continuing its mission to accelerate innovation across the state. 

“We are pleased that the Office of Innovation has followed through on its goal of becoming financially self-sustaining,” said ����Ԫ��B President Frank D. Sánchez. “All parties involved were hopeful for this outcome. The Office of Innovation will continue to be a critical partner to the college and a benefit to all Rhode Islanders.”

As former senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Culatta’s role is not unlike other chief innovation officers in cities throughout the country; however, his end goal is unique. Culatta and his team have been working steadily to build Rhode Island into a “lab state,” where the latest innovations can be piloted. The goal is to make Rhode Island the most innovative state in the country.

The team consists of Octavia Abell, director of strategy; Daniela Fairchild, education lead; Kevin Parker, government lead; and project managers Billy Watterson and Andrea Russo, all of whom have been involved in the planning processes of a variety of statewide initiatives.

All projects are done in collaboration with Rhode Island colleges and universities, state agencies or Rhode Island-based business partners. Despite the great demand on their time, Culatta said the team gives the “home court” advantage to ����Ԫ��B students and faculty when it comes to prioritizing requests.

At ����Ԫ��B, the Office of Innovation has already collaborated with the School of Management’s computer information systems program, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development and Adams Library. The office is also on the lookout for talented ����Ԫ��B student interns.

A typical day at the office involves ensuring initiatives are on track, meeting with people and listening to ideas, connecting people with those who can help them with their ideas and sharing innovations with the public.

Because the office is run in partnership with the Office of the Governor, many of the projects are closely aligned with Gov. Gina Raimondo’s goals, including job creation, reducing college costs and designing government that is more responsive to citizens’ needs.  

Recently Culatta presented a TED Talk on the eight tools he uses to accelerate innovations. To listen, click below.

Doing Government Differently to Accelerate Innovation | Richard Culatta | TEDxProvidence

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Innovations in partnership with ����Ԫ��B all began with a problem that needed to be solved:

The governor set a goal to institute computer science classes in every public school – from elementary to high school – by the end of 2017. In response, the Office of Innovation partnered with ����Ԫ��B; the RI STEAM Center, led by Director Carol Giuriceo; other state higher ed institutions; and private corporations like Microsoft, on an initiative called Computer Science for Rhode Island (CS4RI). 

By the start of 2017, more than half of Rhode Island’s 300 public schools were offering computer science courses, including more than 75 percent of the state’s high schools. If Rhode Island reaches its goal, it will be the first state in the country to offer computer science in every public school.

In response to Raimondo’s goal to make college more affordable, the Office of Innovation partnered with ����Ԫ��B’s Adams Library, with Librarian Dragon Gill as lead, to launch the Rhode Island Open Textbook Initiative, designed to replace commercial college textbooks with open-licensed textbooks.  

Biology 108 professor Eric Roberts was among the first to switch to open-licensed textbooks during the Fall 2016 pilot of this initiative, saving his students $100,000. In the Spring of 2017 his course recorded an additional $27,500 in savings. Of all ����Ԫ��B courses adopting open textbooks this Spring Semester, the savings has totaled $40,700.

“We’re working with Adams Library to coordinate the shift from commercial to open-licensed textbooks for the entire college and across all universities and colleges in the state,” Culatta said. He estimates that the overall savings for students over five years will be over $5 million.

Looking ahead to 2017, Culatta is excited about the potential to collaborate with ����Ԫ��B’s Feinstein School of Education and Human Development to make Rhode Island the test-bed for personalized learning throughout the K-12 school system.

These and many other initiatives, taken as a whole, are designed to position Rhode Island as a leader in innovation. Culatta invites members of the ����Ԫ��B campus community to bring their brainchild and he will help bring others to a convergence around it.

“We don’t knock on anyone’s door and say, ‘Carry out our ideas,’” said Culatta. “Rather we offer an open invitation to come in and talk about your ideas. We’ll figure out how we can help and provide strategies for you to get your ideas off the ground.”

For more information, visit the Office of Innovation’s website. Again, internship opportunities for ����Ԫ��B students are available. To apply, click on Destinations and enter position number 18747.