Club Senior Staff

As the Executive Director, Ms. Gilliatt has general oversight for all Club functions, including working with the board to plan and implement the budget; supervision of the full and part-time staff; oversight over Club facilities; compliance with state, local and BGCA regulations; and fundraising.

Ms. Gilliatt has been with the EPBGC since Sept. 2000, when she joined the staff as Director of Development. She assumed the role of Executive Director in January 2004. Since becoming Executive Director, she has been responsible for funding and completing a $1 million capital improvement project (the Williams Avenue Expansion), restructuring the Club Board of Directors, and ensuring that current Club programs are based on industry best practices, with a focus on measuring program outcomes.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the Club, she was a Program Assistant at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, Center for Civil Society Studies’ Third Sector Project, a training of trainers program which worked with nonprofit executives in Central and Eastern Europe in the post-Communist period. She assisted in writing handbooks on Marketing, Fundraising, and Board Development that were translated into seven languages.

As the Associate Director, Mr. DeCosta is responsible for maintaining Club facilities, overseeing day-to-day program operations, supervising part-time program staff, and assisting with the measurement of Club programs.

Mr. DeCosta has been with the EPBGC since June 1999 as a full-time employee; he was employed as a part-time lifeguard beginning in June 1996. During his tenure as a full-time employee, he has served as teen director, unit director, and director of operations, leaving him uniquely qualified to provide oversight for these positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Babson College, where he concentrated in Nonprofit Management.

Mr. Lavendier joined the Club team in September 2014 as the Director of the Hennessey School site. He also oversees the Club’s summer camp program.

Mr. Lavendier came to the Club after several years at a similar school-based site in Cranston. Mr. Lavendier holds a Master’s Degree in History from Northeast University and Bachelors degree in History and minor in music from RI College. He has taught private music lessons for 20 years.

In July 2019, the East Providence Mohawks Youth Organization joined with the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence. Mr. Ramos was the founder and executive director of the Mohawks and now serves as Community Outreach Director for the Club overseeing the Teen Program and the EP Mohawks.

Mr. Ramos is a native of East Providence, graduating from East Providence High School. He attended Northern Michigan University where he focused on Social Studies and Political Science. Upon returning to East Providence in 2013, he created the East Providence Mohawks Youth Organization as way to offer low cost, quality programming to the youth of East Providence. The EP Mohawks quickly developed into one of East Providence’s largest youth organizations before becoming part of the Boys & Girls Club. Mr. Ramos has worked for the East Providence School District and remains a coach at both the middle school and high school levels.