The Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association (RISSA) Presents Crowley Award to Veteran Legislator and Education Leader Gregg M. Amore

Providence, R.I. - The Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association (RISSA)
14th annual Paul W. Crowley Award is awarded to Representative Gregg M. Amore who represents East Providence District 65.


Gregg M. Amore (D) has served the residents of East Providence since first being elected in November 2012. Representative Amore serves as Deputy Majority leader and is the Chairman of House Finance Subcommittee on Education. He also sits on the full House Committee on Finance and Education. He served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business from 2018-2020.

During the 2020 legislative session, Representative Amore sponsored legislation which creates a new income tax bracket of 6.99% on taxable income over $500,000. Any tax collected on this income would be deposited into restricted receipt account and expended on education for grades kindergarten through twelfth grade.

In 2019, Chairman Amore was the sponsor of major public education reform law that increased building-level management of schools. He also was a cosponsor of a new law that will protect student loan borrowers and establish oversight of student loan servicers operating in Rhode Island.

He played a key role in the passage of the FY 2019 budget article containing historic school construction bond assistance. He sponsored the bill placing the East Providence High School construction project on the ballot, and following voter approval, the state is now providing up to 70% reimbursement for the state-of-the-art facility.
Representative Amore also played a pivotal role in the budget article that created the Rhode Island Promise Program, ensuring the opportunity for two tuition free years at the Community College of RI for every Rhode Island high school graduate.

Representative Amore has twice been named Mothers Against Drunk Driving Rhode Island Legislator of the Year for his efforts regarding legislation aimed at curbing drunk driving in Rhode Island.

Born on Oct. 28, 1966, Representative Amore graduated from East Providence High School in 1984 before continuing his education at Providence College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1988. In 2010, he earned a master’s degree in public policy from New England College.

In addition to his duties as a legislator, Representative Amore is the athletic director for the East Providence School Department after a long teaching career at East Providence High School. In 2008, Representative Amore was recognized as the Rhode Island History Teacher of the Year by the Daughters of the American Revolution. He had a long collegiate and high school coaching career in both hockey and baseball. He served as the head baseball coach at the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, RI, LaSalle Academy and East Providence High School. He also served as the hitting coach for the Providence College Friars baseball team in the early 1990s.

He was honored by the Rhode Island Athletic Trainers’ Association with the group’s 2019 Frank Murgo Service Award for his educational efforts and dedicated service to the athletes and athletic trainers of Rhode Island.

He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the East Providence Education Association and is a current board member of the Friends of Townie Athletics and East Providence High School Hall of Fame Committee. He is also a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society and a member of the Board of Directors for the East Providence Mohawks Youth Organization in association with the Boys and Girls Club of East Providence. He also serves on the East Providence Democratic City Committee and is a volunteer, under the direction of his wife Lee, in the Saints Matthew & Mark (Barrington/Riverside) Meals on Wheels Program.

Representative Amore resides in East Providence with his wife, Lee (Smith), and their two daughters, Tess, a senior studying Political Science at American University in Washington DC, and Megan, a freshman studying Communications at Manhattan College in NYC.

The award presentation will take place on-line on Monday March 15, 2021, at 3 p.m.


The PAUL CROWLEY AWARD is given each year by the Rhode Island School
Superintendents’ Association to a Rhode Island citizen or organization who, in his or her professional and personal capacity, has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving the quality of education for the children of Rhode Island, as did the Honorable Paul Crowley throughout his career as a state representative from Newport. A $1,000 scholarship in Rep. Crowley’s name will also be awarded to a deserving senior planning a career in education and graduating from a Rhode Island public high school.


“Representative Crowley’s tireless commitment to public education is well known in
Rhode Island, and it is an incredible honor to receive this award in his name,” said
Representative Amore. “It has been my distinct privilege to serve Rhode Island schools, and especially our educators and students. RISSA has been and continues to be a valuable partner in this work, and I’m grateful to the RI Superintendents for this recognition.”


The Paul W. Crowley Award will be presented by RISSA President Karen Tarasevich, Superintendent of the West Warwick Public Schools, and Thomas DiPaola, Ph.D., RISSA Executive Director.