SMITHFIELD – Town resident and State Sen. David Tikoian, a Bryant University Class of 1990 alum, was among several alumni honored with the “Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award” at an April 17 ceremony hosted in the Quinlan/Brown Innovation Center on the Bryant University Campus in Smithfield.
Others honored were Denise (LaPointe) Millard (’96), Gerald Cooper (’96), Jennifer (Sa) Martin (‘05MBA), and Noel Watson (’97).
The award is presented to alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and communities while demonstrating a deep commitment to Bryant University, according to a news release.
Tikoian is a 1990 graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Upon graduation from Bryant, he served more than two decades with the Rhode Island State Police, rising to the rank of major/chief administrative officer and a member of the department’s command staff.
After retiring from the State Police, he was appointed chief of the North Providence Police Department. During his tenure, he was credited with transforming the agency, stated the release, earning the department state accreditation status. He also served as chairperson of the North Providence Public Safety Building Committee, overseeing the $28 million capital project which was completed on time and under budget.
Tikoian has a lengthy professional record of public service, both in public safety and politics. He began his law enforcement career becoming a state trooper in 1992 and continued to serve in the public safety sector as a municipal police chief from 2017 to 2020. Prior to his election to the Senate in November 2022, he served on the Smithfield Town Council from 2020-2022. As senator, he represents Senate District 22, including the towns of Smithfield, North Providence and Lincoln.
Last January, he was appointed by the Senate president as majority whip, the third-highest ranking position on the leadership team and an ex-officio member of all committees. As a result of his legislative work in the public safety arena, he has been recognized by AAA Northeast with the Traffic Safety Hero Award, as Legislator of the Year by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and with the Legislative Champion Award by the Rhode Island Alliance of YMCAs.
Tikoian is a 1986 graduate of Smithfield High School, a 1988 graduate of the Community College of Rhode Island and 2014 Graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
In 2013, he received CCRI’s “Outstanding Alumni Award” for his contributions to the community and in 2016 was inducted into the Smithfield High School Hall of Fame.
He also volunteers his time by serving on the Rhode Island State Police Museum Foundation, Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council.
