Our Founder
The Founder of The Robert F. Stoico/FIRSTFED Charitable Foundation is Robert F. Stoico who also serves as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation.
Prior to his retirement Mr. Stoico served for nearly 30 years as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of FIRSTFED AMERICA BANCORP, INC. (FIRSTFED). FIRSTFED was a publicly traded company until it was merged in 2004. During his tenure as CEO, the company grew from a small federal savings and loan serving just the Greater Fall River, Massachusetts area, to a multi-billion dollar financial services company with over 40 locations and nearly 1000 employees, operating in all of the New England and Mid-Atlantic states.
Throughout his career, Mr. Stoico was a frequent speaker at financial services forums and served in many roles within the industry: Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Community Bank League of New England, Vice Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, President of the Massachusetts Federal Savings Council, and Chairman of the Massachusetts Mortgage Review Board. He served on the Board of Directors of the America Community Bankers and the New England Automated Clearing House. In addition, Mr. Stoico served in Washington as a member of the Federal Reserve Thrift Institutions Advisory Council, as District One Representative to the Federal Savings and Loan Advisory Council, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Advisory Council and the Savings Association Insurance Funds Advisory Committee. He served as a board member and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pentegra, an industry retirement fund.
Active in many civic and community affairs, Mr. Stoico is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the following organizations: the Rhode Island Zoological Society, the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Thomas Chew Memorial Boys and Girls Club, and the UMASS Dartmouth Foundation. For a number of years, Mr. Stoico was a member of the Board of Directors of Roger Williams University and as Lay Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Anne’s Hospital. During his business career, Mr. Stoico has participated as Chair, and Co-chair for many fundraising events in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Mr. Stoico has received numerous awards during his career, including the 2008 Benefactor of the Year Award from the Council for Resource Development, at its 42nd Annual Conference held in Washington DC, for his commitment to making quality education accessible to all populations in his community. Also, in 2010 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI.
A graduate of Boston College, Mr. Stoico is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the following professional societies: the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. Prior to joining FIRSTFED, he worked with the firm of KPMG Peat Marwick in its Boston office. He was born the oldest of seven children and raised in the Boston area by his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Italy.
He makes his permanent home in Marco Island, Florida, but still enjoys a little time at his Rhode Island home. He remains a respected and well-known business leader and benefactor in the New England area.