Helena Foulkes
Helena Buonanno Foulkes
U.S.A.
Personal Background
Helena Foulkes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard College. She began her career in high-finance and luxury retail before spending nearly two decades in various leadership roles at CVS, culminating in her appointment as Chief Health Care Strategy and Marketing Officer. Foulkes has also served as CEO of a major retail company and has been recognized as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women. Additionally, she has held significant leadership roles on the Harvard Board of Overseers.
Political Ideas
Helena Foulkes champions a blend of progressive economic policies with an emphasis on local accountability and transparency. She advocates for a robust clean energy plan that includes both renewable energy investments and ensuring heavy energy users bear their costs, eschewing short-term political gains for a durable energy strategy. Foulkes’s approach to housing affordability is equally distinctive, combining a millionaire’s tax with innovative financing mechanisms and construction reforms to tackle the housing crisis head-on. Her proposal to create an Office of Safety and Accountability within RIDOT signals a commitment to rigorous oversight and public transparency in infrastructure projects. Foulkes's broader political rhetoric emphasizes accountability and ethical governance, as seen in her calls for banning lobbyist gifts and real-time lobbying disclosures.