Robert Barge has been executive director of Rhode Island Legal Services since 1990. Before his appointment as executive director, he held several positions at RILS, including staff attorney, managing attorney, and acting airector. Mr. Barge is a graduate of Tuskegee Institute and the UCLA School of Law. Roger Williams University School of Law awarded him an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Law in 2014. Mr. Barge has been involved in various community organizations and civic panels, including the Rhode Island Supreme Court Permanent Advisory Committee on Women and Minorities, the Thurgood Marshall Law Society, and the African American Project Directors Association. Mr. Barge is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association and is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Judicial District of Rhode Island and United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.