Steven H. Kitchin '24

Vice President and SPecial Assistant to the president
New England Institute of Technology

Award Profile

Courageous Thinking & Action
At a young age, Steve’s parents instilled in him the importance of giving back to the community by helping others to achieve their goals. From the time he was a freshman at Rhode Island College in 1975 to today his mission has always been to give individuals the opportunity to be successful. Throughout his college education and early career, he was employed by the Governor’s Office of Manpower Affairs, the present-day Department of Labor and Training, where he was responsible for many training and workforce development projects. When Steve completed college, he was asked to continue his work with the agency. He departed in 1986 and joined New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) to continue supporting workforce development efforts.

Vision & Innovation
Steve’s career at NEIT began as the Director of Community Relations, where he was responsible for developing training programs for a wide range of companies and organizations of varying sizes and industry types. Because of the growth and success of these training programs, the Center for Technology and Industry (CTI) was established in 1989. Serving as the first and only director of CTI, Steve expanded the client list to include EMC, Autodesk, New England Fuel Institute, and many others. In 2000, he was named Vice President, Corporate Education and Training, a position he still proudly holds. Seeing the need to create a pipeline of skilled workers, the Shipbuilding and Advanced Manufacturing Institute, (SAMI) was developed in 2013. Since its inception, SAMI has trained welders, pipefitters, and machinists for General Dynamics/Electric Boat as well as providing hundreds of workers for area manufacturers.

Inspiring Leadership
Steve has always strived not to be a micro-manager. He is a true believer in giving his staff the opportunity to complete their job responsibilities independently. He listens closely to their challenges before setting a course of action and provides guidance as required. By utilizing this strategy, his team has produced exemplary work while building their self-confidence and leadership skills. Steve has served in leadership for numerous organizations and has been honored to receive the American Boat Builders and Repairers Association Dennis Snow President’s Award in 2006 and the Al Andrews Community Achievement Award by the Central RI Chamber of Commerce in 2009.

Community Mindedness
NEIT has been very supportive of Steve’s involvement in the community for nearly 38 years. He has served as a member of the Governor’s Workforce Board, as Chairman of the Local Area Advisory Committee, and member of the Executive Committee. For 15 years, he served as a member of the Central RI Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, including Board Chairman for three one-year terms. Currently, Steve serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Workforce Partnership of Greater RI.

Currently, Steve is a member of the ABYC Marine Trades Accreditation Commission, the Energy Marketers Association of RI Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees of the RI Truckers Association Education Foundation, and a member of the Board of Trustees for St. Elizabeth Community where he currently serves as Treasurer. Steve has held positions as Chairman of the Autodesk Training Center Executive Committee, the Marine Industry Training and Education Council, and member of the Board of Directors of the American Boat and Yacht Council. He has had the privilege to present at many workforce development conferences and workshops across the country for many of these organizations.

As a resident of Swansea, MA, Steve had the honor of serving on the Town of Swansea Advisory and Finance Committee for nearly fifteen years with five years as Chairman. He relinquished that responsibility to be elected as a member of the Swansea Board of Selectmen for the last seven years, with his current term to expire in 2026. He also served as the Chairman of the Town of Swansea Police Building Committee.

JA Mission Moment
“It has been a true honor and privilege to be a part of the Junior Achievement (JA) community for more than 30 years. Providing students the opportunity to explore career options that will help shape their future success in the workplace is so rewarding. I am proud to serve as a member of the Board of Directors as Immediate Past Chairman. I previously served as Chairman from 2020-2022 and as Past Chairman of both the Education and Development Committees.

During my tenure at JA, my most rewarding opportunity was to serve as a classroom volunteer. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching JA classes at Aldrich Junior High School, St. Kevin’s School, and George J. West Elementary School. Spending time with these students gave me a true appreciation for the dedicated teachers who inspire our young people every day. The students were excited to see the Governor, elected officials, and other civic-minded individuals visit their classrooms demonstrating to the students that they were interested and committed to their success as well.

While serving as Chairman of the Education Committee, JA of Rhode Island developed the JA Inspire program which was only the second program of its kind JA nationally. After visiting the first program established in Louisville, Kentucky, the RI team developed the single largest program in our area serving more than 5,000 middle school students each year. It is extremely rewarding to bring the business community and students together working towards a common goal of establishing a pathway for students to achieve future success both in school and in the workplace.”