Senator James A. Seveney
Deputy Senate Majority Leader
Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics & Oversight
Member, Senate Committee on Finance
Member, Senate Committee on Special Legislation & Veterans' Affairs
Senator James A. Seveney (D-Dist. 11, Bristol, Portsmouth, Tiverton) was born
on July 15, 1954. He is married to Valerie and has two children: Sarah and
Matthew.
A 1972 graduate of Portsmouth High School, Seveney went on
to earn a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in 1976. In 1990 he earned
a master’s degree in computer science from Naval Postgraduate School in
California. In 1991 he earned a DoD Program Management Certificate from Defense
Acquisition University in Virginia, and in 2005, earned an MBA from Salve Regina
University.
Seveney spent his career as a naval officer, retiring after over 21 years in
naval aviation, aerospace engineering, and defense systems acquisition.
He is a member of the Military Officers Association of America; American
Legion; Portsmouth Free Public Library; Friends of Glen Manor House; Portsmouth
Police Association; National Contract Management Association; and the Portsmouth
Democratic Town Committee.
Seveney served on the Portsmouth School Committee from 2000-2004 and the
Portsmouth Town Council from 2004-2016. He was elected to the Rhode Island
Senate on November 8, 2016.