Brendan O'Keefe of North Kingstown recognized for student leadership excellence at URI's Rainville Awards

2016 May 11

The University of Rhode Island honored four undergraduate student leaders at the 28th annual A. Robert Rainville Leadership Awards ceremony held recently on the Kingston Campus.

URI student Brendan O'Keefe of North Kingstown, R.I., a senior majoring in finance, received the A. Robert Rainville Student Employee Award in recognition of his work as a building manager at the Memorial Union..

Though he started without strong leadership skills, through many hands-on experiences he was able to advance his communication skills and work outside of his comfort zone. O'Keefe is now the senior building manager of the Memorial Union. "Today I practice a leadership style built through the strategy of cultivating strong bonds with others through one-on-one conversations and interactions," said O'Keefe. In addition, O'Keefe has maintained a 3.24 grade point average.

The Division of Student Affairs' Office of Student Involvement and the Center for Student Leadership Development presents the awards each year to students who have shown outstanding leadership and teamwork skills, while maintaining strong academic performance.