2024 RISD Serves Award: Gail Ahlers 85 JM
The RISD Alumni Association honors award-winning designer, artist, and educator Gail Ahlers 85 JM for her many years of service to her community with the 2024 RISD Serves Award.
Gail Ahlers 85 JM is an award-winning designer who maintains a fine arts practice, a successful business since 1989, and a vibrant nonprofit, The Empowerment Factory in Pawtucket which she founded in 2014.
A sculptor and metalsmith with expertise in precious metals, Ahlers incorporates her craft into various forms including wall and garden art, custom commemorative gifts, and awards through her company, Ahlers Designs. Gail leads The Empowerment Factory, a nonprofit that offers programs and events of her own design for K-5 students in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls.
Through after-school, in-school, and summer programs focusing on art, literacy, and social-emotional learning (SEL), Ahlers’ nonprofit helps students develop creativity, self-esteem, and civic pride. The organization is funded by grants and donations and attracts support from families, volunteers, and civic and educational leaders. The recipient of many awards and accolades, The Empowerment Factory has served over 7000 youngsters with a focus on under-resourced and often marginalized communities and works to address the specific needs of communities and multi-language learners.
In addition to sustaining her personal, professional, and nonprofit work, Ahlers is an advocate for Rhode Island’s small business community and is active with Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, the RI Small Business Hub, Social Enterprise Greenhouse, the RI Afterschool Network, the Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone, and the RISD Alumni Association. Through her activities and service to her community over many years, she exemplifies the qualities for which the RISD Serves Award was created.
About the RISD Serves Award
The RISD Serves Award recognizes alumni who have achieved distinction through significant contributions and voluntary service to improving the lives of others over a sustained period of time. The award recognizes the values of service and civic responsibility that reflect RISD’s core values.
Image courtesy of The Empowerment Factory
