As the first chief executive of the Social Enterprise Greenhouse, Kelly Ramirez was on board when the organization opened in 2009 in Rhode Island and as it expanded to include a mentor and sponsorship program with 200 volunteer experts. Ramirez was also at the helm as SEG helped launch the Rhode Island Business Empowerment Network (RIBEN) earlier this year and partnered with the United Way of Rhode Island to establish the Nonprofit Innovation Lab.
But now, after watching startups like Hope’s Harvest, GoPeer, and the Steel Yard blossom into major companies, Ramirez is stepping down for a new opportunity at Providence College. There, Ramirez will serve as the inaugural director of the Donald Ryan Incubator for Entrepreneurship in the Arts & Sciences.
To honor Ramirez, the Social Enterprise Greenhouse created The Kelly Fund, a milestone $120,000 for the fund, and has named Eugenio Fernandez as the first ever recipient of the $20,000 Kelly Fund Impact Prize. Last week, both Ramirez and Fernandez, the founder of Asthenis, were honored at a reception at Farm Fresh RI.
Ramierez said the SEG staff wanted to pick a business with high impact that could utilize the funds to grow their outreach.
"One of the things we realized at SEG over the years is that there are lots of great ideas and passionate people, but sometimes the resources aren't there to take their business to the next level," she said. "So, the board on my behalf, built up this fund to provide those financial resources and there's a real need for more."
Ramirez said Asthenis fit the criteria perfectly when the board was considering who would be awarded the inaugural prize.
"$20,000 is a lot of money for some of these earlier stage companies and with Asthenis we knew it could make a difference, where that money could be transformational for the company," she said.
Asthenis made headlines a few years ago for its work to help community members in Rhode Island, especially those who have been traditionally underrepresented, get vaccinated against COVID-19. Since then, Fernandez launched a nonprofit organization - Melior - to help operationalize and scale public health initiatives in communities of color and recently joined up with SEG and the United Way to participate as a 2022 Nonprofit Innovation Lab cohort.
A public health hub complete with pharmacy, Asthenis is equipped to serve patients who speak either English or Spanish.
"Eugenio's work with Asthenis and in the Rhode Island community is timely and stands out," Ramirez said.
As for SEG, Ramirez said she made the decision to depart at the end of last year and said she felt that it was time for a new leader to take over.
"I've been teaching at Providence College as an adjunct for about 10 years now and I love the school, the atmosphere and the college campus," she said. "I'm much more of a startup person and I'm excited to build something new."
