Class of 2005
Paul J. Choquette, Jr. is chairman of Gilbane Inc. He was previously the chairman and chief executive officer of Gilbane Building Company, a position to which he was elected in 1997 after having been president from 1981. He is the sixth consecutive family member to lead the company since its founding in 1873. Mr. Choquette also serves as chairman of the board of Gilbane Properties, Inc., a real estate development sister company of Gilbane Building Company.
Mr. Choquette joined the company in 1969, serving as general counsel. He was elected vice president in 1971 and served in that office until his appointment as executive vice president in 1975.
Prior to joining Gilbane, Mr. Choquette was associated with the law firm of Edwards & Angell in Providence, Rhode Island, and served as legal counsel to Rhode Island Governor John H. Chafee for two years. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1960 and an LL.B. degree from Harvard Law School in 1963.
He is co-chairman with the Governor of Rhode Island of the Economic Policy Council. He is a governor of Lifespan, Inc., a holding company for the four main hospitals in Rhode Island.
Mr. Choquette serves as a member of the board of directors of Carlisle Companies, Inc. He also served on the Fleet Financial board of directors from 1982 until its acquisition by Bank of America this year. During his tenure on the board, it grew from $3 billion in assets to more than $200 billion.
He is a trustee emeritus of Brown University and serves on numerous Brown committees.
He is past president and current director of The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and past chairman of the New England Council. He is a Distinguished Eagle Scout and past president of the Northeast Region, Boy Scouts of America. He continues to serve on the board of the Narragansett Council in Rhode Island.
Mr. Choquette, a football and track star at Brown, is a member of the Brown University Hall of Fame and the Providence Gridiron Club Hall of Fame. He is also an inductee in the Rhode Island Class, International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. In 1985, he received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award and in 1991 he received the Distinguished American Award from the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He is a director of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, active in its “Play it Smart” program geared to serve inner-city youth.
