“AMERICA’S NICEST JUDGE,” FRANK CAPRIO, SR. ’58 ’08HON, TO DELIVER COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
Seven Others to Receive Honorary Degrees
Sunday, May 18 – 11:00 a.m.
Amica Mutual Pavilion, Downtown Providence
March 26, 2025 – Providence, RI – Providence College (PC) announced today that Judge Frank Caprio, Sr. ’58 ‘08Hon., a humanitarian who has become a global Internet sensation, will present the Commencement Address at the College’s 107th Commencement exercises. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Downtown Providence.
A well-known judge and attorney, Judge Frank Caprio is from humble beginnings. His parents, Antonio and Filomena Caprio, were immigrants, who instilled their sense of responsibility, commitment to service, and education with their 3 sons.
With these values, Judge Caprio graduated from Central High School where he was an all-state champion wrestler and was later inducted into the Rhode Island Wrestling Hall of Fame. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from PC, working 3 jobs to finance his education, and began his career teaching American government at Hope High School in Providence.
Judge Caprio served as a Providence Municipal Court Judge for thirty-eight years. His court is known world-wide due to the four-time Emmy nominated show “Caught in Providence,” which was syndicated nationally over 200 stations across America. Judge Caprio also is an international internet sensation who has amassed over 26 million followers across his social media platform. His videos have accrued over 10 billion views globally. Due to his unique compassionate temperament, he is known world-wide as “The nicest judge in the world.”
In February 2025 at 88 years old, Judge Caprio published the best seller Compassion in the Court, a memoir of “life changing stories from America’s nicest judge.”
Judge Caprio served for 10 years as chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education, the governing board which controlled major decisions for the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island.
Judge Caprio was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law by his two alma maters (Suffolk University School of Law in 1991 and Providence College in 2008). He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Rhode Island in 2016.
A separate ceremony for graduate students and graduates of the School of Continuing Education will take place on Friday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Peterson Center on the PC campus. Commissioner Cox will be the featured speaker at that ceremony.
Further information about this year’s honorees:
Michael Cox, ‘97SCE, a 30-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, was appointed the 44th Boston Police Commissioner and Chief of the Boston Police Department (BPD) in August 2022. Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Cox served as the Chief of Police of the Ann Arbor Police Department in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Commissioner Cox joined the BPD in 1989. During his tenure, he rose through the ranks, serving in various roles including as a member of the Anti-Gang Violence Unit, Internal Affairs Division, the Intelligence Unit, as the Commander of the Operations Division and the Bureau of Investigative Services, and as the superintendent in charge of the Boston Police Academy and training.
Commissioner Cox’s leadership is characterized by a strong emphasis on community policing and transparency. He has also been a vocal advocate for police reform, emphasizing the importance of accountability, opportunity and equity within the department.
Commissioner Cox is a Boston Police Medal of Honor recipient who has received numerous other commendations and awards. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Police Executive Research Forum, and Senior Management Institute for Police, and holds degrees from Providence College in Business Management (SCE), Curry College where he obtained a master’s degree in criminal justice, and Boston University’s Questrom School of Business where he obtained an MBA.
His Excellency Richard G. Henning, D.D., S.T.D. was appointed Archbishop of Boston by Pope Francis on August 5, 2024, and was formerly installed as the tenth bishop and seventh archbishop of that diocese on October 31st. Previously, Pope Francis had appointed him as the Coadjutor Bishop of Providence on May 1, 2023, and he became the ninth Bishop of Providence several months later when the Pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, D.D.
Then-Rev. Msgr. Henning was appointed by Pope Francis to be an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, NY on June 8, 2018. He was consecrated a bishop on July 24, 2018 in St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, NY.
Archbishop Henning received both a BA and MA in History from St. John’s University in NY, and received his training for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY. He was ordained in 1992 and served for five years as an associate pastor at the Church of St. Peter of Alcantara, Port Washington, NY. He earned a Licentiate in Biblical Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Doctorate in the same from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy.
For the last decade, Kerri Murray ‘95 has served as President of the global humanitarian organization ShelterBox USA. She is based in Santa Barbara, CA. Kerri has worked in disaster relief since 2009, often deploying to the frontlines of disaster and war zones including Ukraine, Haiti, and the recent LA wildfires. ShelterBox USA is 25 years old and has assisted more than three million people left homeless by natural disasters and wars. The non-profit makes customized survival kits which contain essentials such as relief tents, stainless steel cooking sets, solar lanterns, water purification, blankets, bedding, tools, and hygiene packages. Under her leadership ShelterBox has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work building peace in the world’s worst conflict zones.
Prior to joining ShelterBox USA, Ms. Murray spent 14 years with the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. In 2009, that company piloted its Pulse Program, placing executives with nonprofit organizations to help transfer skills within humanitarian service organizations. Kerri lent her business skills to a 60-year-old medical relief organization, and quickly became involved in relief from the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It changed her life, leading her to leave the corporate world to engage passionately in humanitarian work.
Kerri is a member of the Montecito Rotary and served for six years as Board President for GIRLS ROCK. She speaks frequently on female empowerment. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College.
Through her nearly 45-year career at PC, Ann Manchester-Molak ‘75 always championed the College’s mission, vision, and commitment to its Catholic and Dominican identity. She was the first woman and the first lay person in college history to hold the position of executive vice president. Ann was a member of the College’s first four-year graduating class to include women. She earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities at PC, then was awarded a master’s degree in communications and journalism from Purdue University.
After working in television news, she became director of public information at PC in 1980. She was the founding director of the college’s Publications Center, then was named executive director of College Events, overseeing all major events and conferences. In 2006, she was appointed assistant vice president for college relations and planning, a position she held until 2010, when she joined the President’s Office as special assistant to Father Brian Shanley and Fr. Ken Sicard. In January 2019, Ann was named vice president for external affairs, marketing, and board relations and became a member of the President’s Cabinet. In July 2020, she accepted the appointment to executive vice president. Her leadership abilities and dedication to the health and safety of PC students and colleagues helped the college navigate and successfully manage the COVID pandemic crisis.
During her four years as executive vice president, Ann co-chaired the college’s refreshed PC200 strategic plan, stepped into her new role as a trustee, oversaw multiple divisions across campus, and kept her pulse on the daily operations of the President’s Office. She was elected a Foundation Member of the College’s Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 2022.
A leader in nursing education for more than sixty years, Brother Ignatius Perkins O.P., Ph.D., RN has served as Chair of the schools of nursing at Spalding University, the College of Mount St. Joseph, Aquinas College, and as Dean of the College of Health and Natural Sciences at Spalding University. He also served as Executive Vice President of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston, MA. In his religious community, he served as Director of Health Services and founded the Center for Assisted Living in Washington DC. He has also served as Director of Administration and Executive Director of the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York, in many Dominican leadership positions, as adjunct faculty, and as a member of several professional nursing organizations. Prior to Providence College, Brother Perkins was Professor Emeritus in the School of Nursing, Spalding University, in Louisville, KY and a consultant in nursing education and health care ethics.
At Providence College, Brother Perkins served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Nursing and was largely responsible for writing the curriculum for PC’s new Nursing major. In addition, he provided valuable advice and counsel to the College in navigating the approval process of the RI Board of Nursing Registration and Nurse Education, a necessary step for PC to begin offering a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
In 2024, Brother Perkins was honored with the National League for Nursing’s President’s Lifetime Achievement for Transformative Excellence Award which recognized his career in nursing and health care, one marked by leadership, education, and ethical advocacy. In March 2024, he was appointed as the Founding Director of the St. Martin de Porres, O.P. Center for Health and Human Dignity in PC’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Christopher K. Reilly ‘84 has served as chair of the Providence College Board of Trustees since 2018andwill conclude sixteen years of board service in June 2025. One of the most consequential leaders in the college’s history, Reilly became chair after five years as vice chair. The co-founder of KarpReilly LLC, a private equity investment firm in Greenwich, Connecticut, Reilly has led the board through a period of significant change that included the 2020 presidential transition from Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. to Father Ken Sicard, O.P.
Prior to KarpReilly, Chris was a Partner at Apax Partners, L.P., a global private equity firm. He led Apax’s U.S. Retail and Consumer Group and was a member of their U.S. Operating and Investment Committees. Earlier, Chris was a Partner at Saunders Karp & Megrue, a middle market private equity firm with $1.5 billion in capital under management. While at SKM, Chris was a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and its three-person Management Committee. He began his career at Bankers Trust and later joined Morgan Stanley’s Merchant Banking Department. Chris holds a B.S. from Providence College and an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Ronald Stride ’62 – retired SVP/ & Managing Partner-Asia, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Inc. Mr. Stride is the retired SVP and Managing Partner-Asia of Booz Allen & Hamilton, a management consulting firm. He had a 22-year career there based mostly in Singapore, specializing in financial services. After retiring from Booz Allen, he served in several senior advisory positions at major financial institutions in Southeast Asia. Mr. Stride serves on the board of several commercial and non-profit organizations and just completed a term as chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Afghanistan International Bank. He also serves as chairman of Food from the Heart, a Singapore-based grassroots organization that provides bread and non-perishable food items – which would have otherwise been discarded – to low-income people. Despite having spent many years abroad, Mr. Stride remained engaged with Providence College, consistently and generously providing philanthropic support, and traveling great distances to participate in class reunions.
Ron and his wife Janet established the Ronald and Janet Stride Family Scholarship Fund at PC on March 2, 2017. That fund provides support for a PC student with financial need and academic merit with preference for students from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, NY. Ron is a member of the College’s 1917 Society as a Platinum Torchbearer, the Harkins Society, the St. Dominic Society, and the Loyal Friar Society.
He was awarded the Personal Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association in 2017 in recognition of his career and charitable accomplishments.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,500 students, 450 graduate students and offers degrees in over 60 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
