H 8615

2026 -- H 8615
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LC003540
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  HOUSE RESOLUTION
 CONGRATULATING J. L. "LYNN" SINGLETON ON HIS RETIREMENT AS PRESIDENT
  AND CEO OF THE PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (PPAC) AND
   THANKING HIM FOR THE SUCCESS THAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED UNDER HIS
  LEADERSHIP
  Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Carson, Chippendale, Kazarian,
  Kennedy, Ajello, Shallcross Smith, Tanzi, and Bennett
  Date Introduced: June 04, 2026
  Referred To: House read and passed
1WHEREAS, J. L. "Lynn" Singleton joined the Providence Performing Arts Center as
2 Executive Director in May of 1983, and under his renowned leadership, transformed it from near
3 bankruptcy into one of the foremost not-for-profit theatres in North America, and currently the
4 second largest theatre of its kind in New England, with a seating capacity of 3,100; and
5WHEREAS, Over the course of Mr. Singleton’s forty-three tenure with PPAC, the
6 number of events at the venue have more than tripled and attendance has increased to over
7 350,000 patrons annually; and
8WHEREAS, Through Mr. Singleton’s vision and thriving fundraising, PPAC has
9 regained its historic splendor, and through a nearly $8 million stagehouse expansion project,
10 amazing shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Disney’s The
11 Lion King, Wicked, Les Misérables, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, A Beautiful Noise: The
12 Neil Diamond Musical, and Jersey Boys, to name but a few, have been performed to the delight
13 of audiences from Rhode Island and throughout New England, with a total of 24 national tours
14 launched or opened at PPAC since 2008; and
15WHEREAS, PPAC is located in the heart of Providence’s arts and entertainment district,
16 and has consistently delivered an economic boost to the City of Providence and the State of
17 Rhode Island; and
18WHEREAS, Upon his retirement from PPAC, Mr. Singleton will remain in his current
1 position as President and CEO of Professional Facilities Management (PFM), Inc., which has
2 contracts with 10 venues in 6 states; and
3WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Singleton has earned a plethora of awards and
4 recognitions including Providence Business News “Driving Force” designation in the Rhode
5 Island business community in 2011, 2016, and 2021. He has also received Trinity Repertory
6 Company’s Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts in 2012, the John Hazen White,
7 Sr. Leadership in the Arts Award in 2018, the inaugural Providence Renaissance Award for
8 Highest Achievement in the Arts, was inducted into The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in
9 2023, and was a WaterFire Providence Fireball Honoree for Civic Impact in 2025. He is also a
10 voting member of the Tony Awards, and received an Emmy Award for Best Art Direction for a
11 Variety or Music Program for the play Peter Pan; and
12WHEREAS, Lynn Singleton has been acknowledged for his “outstanding vision and
13 leadership, which paved the way for PPAC to build on its previous foundation to become the
14 highly respected world-class venue that it is today” and while certainly well-deserved, his
15 retirement is an immeasurable loss to the Arts in Rhode Island; now, therefore be it
16RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
17 congratulates Lynn Singleton on the occasion of his retirement as President and CEO of PPAC.
18 We moreover wholeheartedly thank him for his years of dedication and for the success he has
19 brought to the arts, and the acclaim he has brought to our State; and be it further
20RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
21 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. J. L. "Lynn" Singleton.
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