Rhode Island Department of State
Gregg M. Amore

Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore Presents National Association of Secretaries of State Awards to Local Honorees

PROVIDENCE, RI – This afternoon, Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore presented National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Medallion Awards, as well as the NASS John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, to honorees at a State House ceremony.

NASS Medallion Awards are presented by Secretaries of State to individuals or organizations for excellence in categories closely related to the goals of NASS, including elections, civic education, state government services, and philanthropy.

"Throughout my career in public service, I've had the privilege of meeting many civically-minded community members, business leaders, and advocates," said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore. "Today, it was an honor to celebrate some of those individuals and recognize their commitment and contributions to Rhode Island."

This year, Secretary Amore presented NASS Medallion Awards to the following individuals and organizations:
- George H. Nee, former President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, for more than 40 years of service with the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, including 15 as President. George has advocated for working people in Rhode Island, including the 80,000 members of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, through legislation, organizing, and elections, and has made a lasting impact on the entire state.
- Chief George Farrell, former Chief of the Providence Fire Department and founder of Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, for his work to create and sustain the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Honor Flight Hub, through which veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam can travel to Washington, DC to visit Arlington National Cemetery and their service-related monuments. Chief Farrell also served the City of Providence honorably for over 30 years.
- Doris De Los Santos, Director of Supplier Diversity & Sustainability, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, who is dedicated to supporting minority- and women-owned businesses and serves as a member of the Lt. Governor's Small Business Advocacy Council, and who supports countless other community initiatives through her work with Family Service of Rhode Island, RI Parent Information Network, Community Music Works, and Roger Williams University. Each year, De Los Santos helps to organize the Back to School Celebration of Rhode Island, which distributes 15,000 backpacks to children in need.
- Lorén Spears, Executive Director, Tomaquag Museum, for her work to preserve and promote Indigenous history and culture, including authoring and editing several publications. Under her leadership, the Tomaquag Museum received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2016.
- SCORE Rhode Island, which provides small businesses with free mentoring and educational support to fulfill its mission "to foster vibrant small business communities," and whose more than 50 volunteers have supported the creation of 155 new businesses in our community. SCORE Rhode Island is a strong partner of the RI Department of State in efforts to support entrepreneurs and small business owners.

In addition, Secretary Amore presented the NASS John Lewis Youth Leadership Award to Ryan Lukowicz.

Lukowicz is a freshman at Roger Williams University, studying political science in the Three-Plus-Three Law program. He is a graduate of North Kingstown High School and was selected as a 2024 United States Presidential Scholar by U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona. Ryan has emerged as a foremost advocate for individuals with disabilities in Rhode Island. He was the first blind State House Page.

As a high school freshman, Ryan began his advocacy at the State House when he learned funding for vision specialists and mobility specialists was in jeopardy, and he successfully advocated to preserve these services for himself and other blind or visually impaired students. For his senior project, he wrote and successfully advocated for the passage of legislation to allow "partner" students to also receive physical education credits for participating in Adaptive Physical Education with their peers who have an individualized education plan. His interest in government also extends to politics. He has hosted over 125 episodes of his "Behind the Candidates" podcast.

Ryan has participated in multiple initiatives for the Rhode Island Department of State, from providing expert feedback on voting systems to helping to select Civic Education Teacher of the Year awardees. He assisted in testing Rhode Island's online mail ballot application system prior to its launch to ensure it was accessible for individuals with vision impairments and continues to be a resource for the Elections Division. He displays an extraordinary interest in and enthusiasm for civic education.

"Ryan is incredibly deserving of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award," said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore. "I am confident that Ryan will continue to improve the state and inspire others to action through his commitment to serving individuals with disabilities and his work to demystify the political and legislative processes."

Honorees received their awards at a ceremony in the State Library.

To learn more about NASS and NASS awards, visit https://www.nass.org/about-nass/awards.

###