Scott Avedisian (born January 16, 1965) is an American politician and the former Republican mayor of

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

, the third largest city in the state after Providence and Cranston. Avedisian represented Ward 1 in the Warwick City Council from 1990 to 2000, being reelected four times. He was first elected mayor in 2000, and served until 2018. He is the youngest person ever elected as Mayor of Warwick and was the youngest person ever elected to the Warwick City Council. In April 2018, Avedisian announced that he was stepping down from office to become the head of the

Rhode Island Public Transit Authority The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. ...

, better known as RIPTA. Avedisian holds an undergraduate degree from

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

degree from

Roger Williams University Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams. The school enrolled approximately 4,400 undergraduate and ...

. He also received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the

New England Institute of Technology New England Institute of Technology (New England Tech or NEIT) is a private university with its main campus in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. It was established in 1940 and Richard I. Gouse has been the president since 1971. Campuses New Engl ...

. He is of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent. In 2024, Avedisian pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of an accident with damage. Witnesses said Avedisian got out of his car after the accident and he seemed “a little intoxicated.” In 2022, Avedisian allegedly lost control of his vehicle and swerved off the road in a one-car accident, hitting a telephone pole in Warwick. He was not charged or cited in that incident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avedisian, Scott 1965 births Living people American people of Armenian descent Providence College alumni Roger Williams University alumni Rhode Island Republicans Mayors of Warwick, Rhode Island Rhode Island city council members 21st-century mayors of places in Rhode Island Ethnic Armenian politicians

See also

References