Above: EG resident Sanjiv Dhar, who owns Rasa, has been named to the R.I. Hospitality Association board.

Matthew R. Plain has been named co-managing partner of Barton Gilman LLP. Alongside fellow co-managing partners, Francis A. Connor, III, and Edward D. Shoulkin, he will oversee the firm’s day-to-day management and operation.

In addition to his executive role with the firm, Plain has served as the firm’s marketing partner for six years and maintains a practice in labor and employment, public agency, regulatory compliance, workplace and school investigations, professional liability, general liability, contract drafting and disputes, education law, and administrative law. He devotes a considerable portion of his practice to advising governing bodies of schools and administrators on a myriad of education law issues, including special education, employment, student/staff discipline, government relations, open government, contract law and constitutional law. 

Plain also serves as outside general counsel to the Massachusetts Charter Public Schools Association and the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools. He is active with the Alliance for Public Charter School Attorneys and served on the National Litigation Council for the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools. Prior to law school, Plain taught 7th and 8th grade in the North Carolina public schools for four years and has an Advanced Competencies Teaching License for Social Studies Education (Grades 6–12). 

Plain has been named a Best Lawyer in America in Education Law from 2018-2022, a Lawyer of Professional Excellence in the Law in Education Law by Rhode Island Monthly from 2019-2021, a Rhode Island Super Lawyer Rising Star from 2011-2015 and Super Lawyer from 2018-2020, and 40 Under Forty by Providence Business News in 2011. He received his J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, an M.Ed. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Plain is admitted to practice in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.

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The Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) is proud to announce the appointment of Sanjiv Dhar to its 2022 Board of Directors.

Dhar, a native of Calcutta, India, lives in East Greenwich. He opened Kabob & Curry in Providence in 1990 under the umbrella of India House Inc., where he is the president and CEO. In 2006, Dhar started Swades Inc., also operating as its president and CEO, and opened Rasoi, a restaurant specializing in the regional cuisines of India, in Providence. From there, he opened East Greenwich’s Rasa in 2013 via India House Inc., and Cranston’s Chaska through his own Spice Kraft Inc. in December 2019, just before the start of the pandemic.

“Sanjiv’s longtime familiarity with hospitality on the local level and demonstrated dedication to our industry make him a valuable addition to our Board of Directors in 2022,” said Dale J. Venturini, President/CEO, R.I. Hospitality Association (RIHA)/RI Hospitality Education Foundation (RIHEF). “As RIHA and RIHEF continue to navigate the pandemic and the challenges facing our industry, we look forward to collaborating with our new board members to achieve our common goals, restore consumer confidence, and support and strengthen our businesses and workforce.” 

Dhar’s initial experience working in hospitality came during his time in India, where he managed various outlets of a five-star property in New Delhi. He received a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration/management from Fachhochschule Salzburg in 1985, and a master’s degree in hospitality administration/management from Johnson & Wales University in 1990.