Governor Dan McKee's Special Guests for the 2026 State of the State Address
Published on Tuesday, January 13, 2026
PROVIDENCE, RI – The following individuals will be special guests of Governor Dan McKee for tonight's State of the State address:
Nelson Mills, Co-founder and CEO, Vatn Systems, and Freddie Mills, Co-founder and COO, Vatn Systems: Founded by brothers Nelson and Freddie, Vatn Systems designs and builds advanced autonomous underwater vehicles. After recognizing Rhode Island’s strong sense of community and growing innovation ecosystem, Nelson and Freddie chose to expand their operations here, relocating to a larger facility in Bristol last year. The move established Rhode Island as home to one of the nation’s highest-capacity production sites for this technology. Vatn’s new headquarters is expected to generate 228 jobs, reinforcing the Ocean State’s role as a hub for cutting-edge maritime innovation.
John Galvin, President and CEO, AAA Northeast: John Galvin joined Rhode Island-based AAA Northeast in 2015 and was appointed President and CEO in 2018. Since then, he’s guided the organization’s growth and strengthened its impact across the region. Today, AAA Northeast employs more than 1,350 people in Rhode Island alone. Most recently, John and AAA Northeast announced that Motor Club Insurance Company selected Rhode Island over Massachusetts for a major expansion—an investment expected to bring 370 new jobs to the state.
Melissa Cherney, CEO, Rhode Island Community Food Bank: After more than 20 years working on hunger relief, Melissa moved to Rhode Island last year to lead the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Melissa and her team worked hand-in-hand with the McKee administration to feed families amidst the Trump administration’s SNAP freeze last fall. As someone who once relied on SNAP and free school meals, Melissa understands hunger not as an abstract issue, but as a lived experience. In a country with ample food, she knows that inequitable access persists, motivating her work to drive meaningful progress toward ending hunger.
George Ortiz, Co-Founder and Chief Servant Officer, the ELISHA project: Since 2011, George and the ELISHA project team have worked tirelessly to provide food, furniture, hygiene products, and essential household supplies to Rhode Islanders in need. When the Trump Administration froze SNAP benefits last fall, George and the ELISHA project team led a rapid statewide response, mobilizing eight pop-up distribution sites to deliver food to families across Rhode Island. George is a Marine veteran who was trained to never leave anyone behind and understands that we should always lift up our neighbors with empathy, love, and respect. George and the ELISHA project epitomize their motto: Give all. Love all. Live for service.
Tony Vaz, Journeyworker, Carpenters Local 330: Tony is a dedicated, skilled rope access technician working on the Revolution Wind project. Vaz graduated from the Building Futures’ pre-apprenticeship program in 2009, joined the Carpenters Local 330 apprenticeship program, and has since achieved journeyworker status. Through the Real Jobs RI program, Tony earned the necessary certifications to work on offshore wind projects in November 2023 and was a key voice when the Trump Administration issued the first stop-work order against the project in August 2025.
Sonya Cheteyan, Student, Rhode Island College: Sonya is a graduating senior at Rhode Island College and a Hope Scholarship recipient. She’s set to become one of the college’s first students to earn a degree in artificial intelligence. As part of her independent study project, Sonya utilized AI to help identify pneumonia in lung X-rays. In her software engineering class, led a team to create an AI chatbot for document querying. She has already secured a machine learning internship in Rhode Island. By saving money through the Hope Scholarship, Sonya can start her master’s degree earlier to become an expert in AI and machine learning, which are becoming central to all technology.
Benjamin Walsworth, 7th Grader, Nathan Bishop Middle School, Providence: Benjamin is one of only six students districtwide who recorded both perfect attendance and perfect RICAS scores this past school year. Outside of school, he is part of the Bishop Cross Country and Track teams and loves to read. Benjamin is grateful to his family, friends, and teachers for supporting him.
Janell Lopez Sobalvarro, 6th Grader, Harry Kizirian Elementary School, Providence: Janell knows the importance of showing up to school and had perfect attendance last school year. As part of her achievement, she joined Governor McKee last fall to kick off the Attendance Matters campaign for the 2025-26 school year. Janell is also in her first year on her school’s student council.
Chris Richard, CTE Educator, Cranston East Career and Tech: Chris is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Cranston East Career and Technical School, specializing in plumbing and pipefitting. Through Cranston East’s CTE program, many of Chris’s students can intern at Electric Boat to get further hands-on experience and take the first step toward a career in shipbuilding. Chris is passionate about teaching students the skills that they will not only use in future careers, but also in daily life.
Nashaly Salazar Martinez: Nashaly is a hard-working mother, working as a store manager, who is raising two children with her husband, Austin. As a middle-class family, Nashaly and her family use most of the money that they receive from tax season to get ahead on some bills or buy their children basic necessities like clothes. When they couldn’t afford childcare for their youngest, she and her husband worked split shifts to try to take care of their child. Governor McKee and his administration are committed to supporting hardworking families and individuals, such as Nashaly and Austin.