All In for URI

After a successful career in finance, Deb Imondi ’82, M.B.A. ’86, is a volunteer and mentor who makes sure students know how to play their cards right.

By Lauren Rebecca Thacker

Where would Deb Imondi ’82, M.B.A. ’86, be without URI?

It’s where she completed her bachelor’s degree in economics, part-time over 11 years. It’s where she earned her M.B.A. Her URI education prepared her for a successful career in finance: serving a 14-year tenure at the Rhode Island Hospital Trust National Bank, where she held a variety of jobs from research assistant to economist; cofounding a wealth management firm in the 1980s; and, ultimately, working for 25 years at Textron, Inc., where she invested the company’s $8 billion global retirement and employee benefit funds.

“I graduated from high school at 17 and had no idea what I wanted to do,” she remembers. “My parents were concerned about sending me to college and paying tuition when I didn’t know what I wanted, so I ended up working in downtown Providence at Hospital Trust. I started as a messenger and after about six weeks I was moved to the investment trading department as a receptionist. They paid for me to go back to school.”

Perhaps a better question is, where would URI be without Deb Imondi?

For nine years, she has served on the executive board and as chair of the investment committee for the University of Rhode Island Foundation & Alumni Engagement (URIFAE). She recently stepped down as chair but remains on the board. At URI’s College of Business, she’s the executive-in-residence, a position that allows her to mentor female students interested in careers in finance. She’s also a part-time instructor, faculty advisor for the Women in Finance Club, and coaches the student-managed investment fund, the Ram Fund. She is also the executive director of the Rhode Island 4-H Club Foundation, Inc., supporting URI’s Cooperative Extension.

Simply put, says Michael Ice, associate teaching professor of finance, Deb Imondi is “a gift to URI.”

Ice is not the only one to sing her praises. Kathleen Jackson, a College of Business career advisor, says, “Any college would consider themselves lucky to have an alum so dedicated and willing to give their time and talent.”

Victoria Wrage ’24, a finance major who was the student speaker at the 2024 College of Business Commencement, echoes this sentiment. “Some of my favorite College of Business experiences were thanks to Ms. Imondi. She is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve met at URI, and her career is an inspiration to us as women in finance.”

Imondi first taught accounting at URI after she finished her M.B.A. As a graduate student, she had developed close relationships with faculty—she was part of the first cohort of the executive M.B.A. program, which met on Fridays and Saturdays at URI’s W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich. Students and faculty would spend Friday nights there, often staying up late to study and debate with each other.

So, when the chair of the accounting department, Spencer Martin (who taught accounting at URI for 45 years before he passed away in 2021), asked her to consider teaching accounting at the Providence Campus, Imondi said yes.

“Because of him, I fell in love with both accounting and teaching,” she says. “I thought he was very special and a great role model.”

Imondi taught for a few semesters, but eventually, the demands of her career turned her attention away from teaching. She remained engaged with URI over the years, frequently speaking to students and providing career guidance. When she retired from Textron in 2012, she wanted to get more involved. She began teaching BUS 390, the junior career passport program.

Jackson explains, “The College of Business had recently implemented this as a required course to teach students how to identify their strengths and develop professionally. Deb stepped up to teach and has been doing so every semester for almost 13 years. The amount of time, care, and individualization she gives each student is amazing. She truly meets students where they are and helps them develop the skills they need to be competitive in the job market.”

Imondi also co-teaches BUS 422/423, an in-demand course for which 15 students per semester are selected to manage the Ram Fund, an equity portfolio that started in 2001 with a $100,000 investment from the URI Alumni Association. It is fully managed by students. Imondi and co-teacher Ice provide coaching and advice, but students run the show.

“It is the most rewarding class to teach,” says Ice. “Deb was already coaching the Ram Fund when I was asked to come on board. I said yes because I wanted to work with her. She works hard and never complains. And in the classroom, she’s right there with me.”

Ice has said yes to other things because of Imondi’s keen investment mind and calm, steady presence. He initially joined the URIFAE Investment Committee because Imondi was the chair. Now her term has ended, and he is stepping up to chair the committee. He can’t say enough good things about Imondi. “She is one of my favorite people on the planet,” he says. “She is thoughtful, and people can count on her to make good decisions—that’s powerful in the business world, in the classroom, and on the investment committee. More than most, Deb has the professional background, skills, talent, and love for URI to make a real difference.”

The College of Business executive-in-residence program was established in 2019 with a gift from Margo Cook ’86, chair of URI’s Board of Trustees, and her wife, Renee Cohen, to give students opportunities to learn directly from highly accomplished women in finance. Imondi was appointed to the role in 2023.

“Margo Cook was a very successful investor,” says Imondi. “She was often the only woman at the table, and she wants that to change. As executive-in-residence, I help recruit women to study finance and provide mentorship and opportunities for growth.”

Wrage, who was mentored by Imondi, is grateful for the experience.

“Being able to start the Women in Finance Club with her was such a pleasure,” Wrage says. “We hosted fun and useful events, like Personal Finance and Investing 101, a young alumni panel, and Poker Power, where we taught women to play poker. Thanks to her, the club is going to flourish.”

“I help recruit women to study finance and provide mentorship and opportunities for growth.”

–­Deb Imondi ’82, M.B.A. ’86, College of Business Executive-in-Residence

Commenting on Imondi’s creativity and knack for connecting with students, Jackson says, “Teaching members of the Women in Finance Club how to play poker and demonstrating how poker skills—the need for quick thinking, calculating risk, the ability to read people and be responsive to those around you—can come into play in the finance world is an empowering and engaging way to learn.”

Wrage, who also participated in the Ram Fund, adds “She genuinely wants to see us succeed and has helped open doors for me through her connections and encouragement.”

When it comes to URI and her motivation for being involved, Imondi has no problem showing her hand. It’s all about the students.

“URI is a fantastic resource for intelligent young people from Rhode Island, as well as for out-of-state students who may stay when they graduate,” she says. “We have great relationships with Rhode Island businesses—we ask their employees to be guest speakers and mentor students. They’re more than willing. When we succeed in keeping talent in Rhode Island, that’s wonderful.”

In poker terms, you might say that Deb Imondi is an ace. And URI knows it—she’s received several alumni awards recognizing her contributions, including a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2015 and the Ram Award, recognizing long-standing dedication to the University, in 2022. Most recently, she received the 2023–24 Bravo Zulu Award for service to the College of Business.

Imondi looks forward to continuing to serve URI as a trusted colleague and dedicated volunteer and, of course, as a mentor to students. She’s all in for URI.

PHOTOS: SETH JACOBSON