Meet Gina

Gina Raimondo is answering a call to service. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Gina is a successful businesswoman and community leader. She has decided to “get off the sidelines” to help our state through these difficult economic times. Her intimate understanding of what families across Rhode Island are facing and feeling, coupled with her deep experiences in investing, creating jobs and working with nonprofit agencies make her uniquely qualified to serve as our next General Treasurer.

A Stake in Rhode Island

Gina’s Rhode Island roots run deep. Gina’s grandparents arrived to Providence in the early 1900s from Italy. One grandfather learned to cook on the boat from Italy and thereafter began a career as a cook, eventually becoming the executive chef at the Turk’s Head club in Providence. Her other grandfather was a butcher who at one point owned the White Meat Market on Atwells Avenue.

Gina grew up in Smithfield, Rhode Island in a traditional Italian-American family. Her parents, Joseph and Josephine, taught Gina, her brother Thomas and her sister Marianne the values that their parents instilled in them: family, faith, education, and hard work. Gina’s grandfather lived in the house with her family, which showed Gina and her siblings the importance of caring for our elders. These are the same values that Gina and her husband Andy Moffit are passing on to their two young children, Cecilia and Tommy.

In high school, Gina took the RIPTA bus to LaSalle Academy, where she graduated first in her class. She attended Harvard University where she was recognized as the top economics student, and awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to earn her doctorate at Oxford University. In 1998, Gina graduated from Yale Law School.

After law school, Gina worked in New York, first to clerk for Judge Kimba Wood in federal district court, and then to begin her career in the venture capital business. After a few years in finance, Gina decided to return home to build a business here and contribute to the Rhode Island economy and community. She co-founded an investment business, Point Judith Capital, in Providence, where she and her family live.

Gina is committed to ensuring the Ocean State is a vibrant place to work, raise families and build businesses; a place where people can enjoy the natural beauty, and where families have the opportunity to grow and to thrive.

Investing in Job Creation

In these difficult economic times, Gina understands exactly what Rhode Island families are going through and what they are experiencing. As a girl, Gina’s father was forced into early retirement from the Bulova Watch factory after 28 years of service, when the plant closed and jobs were moved overseas. The uncertainty and struggles her family faced during that period left a profound impact on Gina. She knows that the creation of new jobs in Rhode Island is the most important challenge facing our state today.

Over the last 10 years, Gina and her partners have built Point Judith Capital into a thriving firm, investing millions of dollars in over 20 start-up companies. At Point Judith Capital, she has rolled up her sleeves and worked with entrepreneurs to translate their innovative ideas, products and services into thriving healthcare and technology businesses, creating hundreds of new jobs in the process. She has helped build companies as diverse as NABsys, a company that specializes in DNA sequencing, to Narragansett Brewing, both located here in Rhode Island.

Gina understands the risks and rewards of investing and would be prepared from day one to effectively manage the state’s retirement system, which is the primary task of our Treasurer.

Committed to Service

Gina has always felt a strong pull to give back to her community. That is part of the reason she retuned home to Rhode Island, to make a difference here.

This commitment to service has been a family value for the last two generations. Gina’s grandfather, an Italian immigrant, served proudly in World War I, and her father volunteered and served honorably in the Navy in World War II.

At Yale Law School, Gina co-led the Housing and Community Development Program, which organized in New Haven for economic development in low-income neighborhoods. Today, she serves as vice chair on the board of Crossroads RI, the state’s largest homeless organization, where she played a key role in launching the new women’s shelter, giving women a safe place to stay, and allowing them to get back on their feet.

Gina is an active member on the board of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, where she leads the board committee on quality of care. In the past, she has served on the boards of Family Service RI, the Business Innovation Factory, and LaSalle Academy.

Gina understands first-hand the important role that government plays for our communities and families, and particularly our most disadvantaged neighbors. She is committed to giving families the same opportunities she had growing up – the chance to reach their full potential. She knows that hard work and high hopes can be rewarded if you are given the chance.

Gina’s connection to Rhode Island, her experience investing money, growing businesses, creating jobs, and her dedication to give back to the community are exactly what Rhode Island needs in these difficult economic times.