Who Are We?

Little City Thrifty is brought to you by Robin Dionne and BJ Mansuetti, two native Rhode Islanders who can’t get enough of community event planning. Recently, we removed 30 vintage chairs from our own attic. If you see us trying to buy furniture at this event, tackle us.

Robin has worked as a communications/public affairs professional in Rhode Island, and with clients nationwide, for over fifteen years. She is currently the Chief Public Affairs officer at HealthSource RI, where she works to connect RI residents to affordable health coverage. She previously worked as the Director of Outreach and Client Relations at the Arcade Providence, an award-winning adaptive reuse National Historic Landmark property, where she developed a small business community, created a “neighborhood within a neighborhood”, and secured over 500 media opportunities, including The Today Show, The Rachel Ray Show, and NBC Nightly News. While there, she created and hosted the Arcade Farmers & Artisans market, which ran for five years and hosted hundreds of small business vendors each year. Robin also served as Communications Coordinator for TEDxProvidence, the Communications Director/Legislative Chair for the RI NOW, as well as holding a position on the national NOW board, and as a board member of Higher Ground International. She owns and operates R. Dionne Consulting, is a partner in Tabs & Robin, a communications group specializing in digital communications and community engagement, and is the founder of RI VegFest.

BJ has been building building brands through strategic and authentic content development, design, outreach, events, and innovative grassroots marketing programs for nearly fifteen years. His true passion is to help brands engage with the communities they serve in deeply personalized and meaningful ways. BJ served as Narragansett Beer’s Brand Director for seven years, where he created an Emmy-award winning event and video series. He is also a partner in RI VegFest, Rhode Island’s first vegan festival.