Ethics panel rules Patrice Milos must leave R.I. Life Science Hub board to be its interim president

Patrice Milos, interim director of the new Rhode Island Life Science Hub board, center, looks to its board chairman Neil Steinberg, left, during the Rhode Island Ethics Commission meeting Tuesday morning, June 25, 2024. Milos asked the commission for an opinion after the fact on whether she can take on a temporary leadership role given she was also on the hub's board. The commission's executive director, Jason Gramitt, stands at the podium at right. (Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)

An appointed member of the new Rhode Island Life Science Hub board can take on a temporary role as the agency’s interim president as long as she gives up the board seat, according to the state ethics panel.

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission’s unanimous vote on Tuesday affirms the already-awarded contract to Patrice Milos, who will start her $25,000 monthly contract job as the interim president of the life science agency on July 1. An early leader in Rhode Island’s life science industry and a driving force behind the nascent agency’s creation, Milos was one of seven people appointed by Gov. Dan McKee to the hub’s 15-member volunteer board of directors.

The state ethics code prohibits elected or appointed officials from taking paid positions offered by the group to which they already belong. However, exceptions can be granted — with several instances over the last 30 years named in the seven-page advisory opinion — when the ethics panel deems there would otherwise be a “substantial hardship.”

Which is exactly the case for the fledgling agency, which faces a ticking clock and monumental challenge to shape Rhode Island into an industry leader like Cambridge or Worcester, Massachusetts, Milos said.

“We are operating with an absolute sense of urgency,” she said. “This is truly a unique opportunity to bring this industry to our state.”

Part of the opportunity hinges on a paid administrative leader to oversee the agency’s $45 million in funding (allotted in the state’s fiscal 2024 budget) and set up the structural and operational foundation. The board is still looking for a permanent president, but the national search has taken longer than expected , and the final selection will also require Rhode Island Senate approval — which can’t happen until January at the earliest when the legislature reconvenes. (An interim hire skirts the need for a Senate green light).

Neil Steinberg, chairman of the board, touted Milos’ unique qualifications and immediate availability, noting that finding an outside temporary leader would take another four to six months.

As part of its approved opinion on Milos’ hiring, the Ethics Commission requires that she step down from her seat on the hub’s board of directors. After her time as interim president ends — expected in the next six months — she can be reappointed to a seat on the board.

There are no plans to replace Milos on the board temporarily, Steinberg said after the meeting.

“We have 14 other board members, which is plenty,” he said.

Asked why the hub did not seek the ethics OK before awarding Milos a contract, Steinberg said they needed to confirm a viable candidate first.

John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island, thought differently.

“You should always seek advice before taking action,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

Commission Chairwoman Marisa Quinn was absent from the meeting.

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