Cicilline resigns from Congress to be head of Rhode Island Foundation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — U.S. Rep. David Cicilline is resigning from Congress this summer to serve as the new president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Cicilline, D-R.I., will step down from his seat effective June 1, succeeding Neil Steinberg who will continue to head the foundation until Cicilline starts.

“As President and CEO of one of the largest and oldest community foundations in the nation, I look forward to expanding on the work I have led for nearly thirty years in helping to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders,” Cicilline said in a statement Tuesday.

Chris Barnett, a spokesperson for the foundation, said the congressman was selected by the foundation’s board of directors after a national search.

The Democrat said this opportunity to lead the Rhode Island Foundation was “unexpected,” but allows him to “have an even more direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents of our state.”

“David’s skills and values fit perfectly with those of the Rhode Island Foundation — he is committed to meeting the needs of all Rhode Islanders and has been throughout his public-service career,” said Dr. G. Alan Kurose, chair of the foundation’s board of directors, said in a statement.

Cicilline is currently serving his seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s also a member of the House Democratic Leadership, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Prior to Congress, Cicilline served as Providence’s mayor for eight years — the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital.

He was also part of the Rhode Island General Assembly from 1995 to 2003.

Now, residents in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District will have to vote in a special election to fill the Democrat’s seat.