[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 107 (Monday, June 23, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING RICHARD STEIN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO ORANGE COUNTY'S ARTS AND ARTS 
                               EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. LUIS CORREA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 2025

  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions 
of Richard Stein, a leading advocate and partner for the arts and arts 
education across Orange County, California.
  Richard, who recently stepped down as the President and CEO of Arts 
Orange County, led the organization for more than 14 years. Under his 
leadership, Arts Orange County addressed the needs of the arts and 
culture community in Orange County as a trailblazer among nonprofit 
arts councils worldwide--augmenting traditional arts agency programs 
and services with its unique role as the community's go-to arts 
consultant to government, education, and nonprofit organizations. This 
has helped enable Arts Orange County, which is celebrating its 30th 
anniversary, to become a leading advocate for the arts and arts 
education on the local, state, and national level. Richard's 
stewardship also led Arts Orange County to become a strong supporter of 
the Congressional Arts Competition, providing funds for winning artists 
to travel to Washington, D.C. to see their artwork displayed in the 
U.S. Capitol.
  Prior to his appointment at Arts Orange County in August 2008, Rick 
transformed the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach into a major resident 
professional theatre over the course of more than 17 years as its 
Executive Director, growing its annual budget of $700,000 to $7 million 
and producing more than 100 plays, including two national touring 
productions. He also directed many notable productions at this venue, 
including several premieres.
  Rick first came to Orange County in 1987, to serve as Managing 
Director of the Grove Shakespeare Festival in Garden Grove following a 
five-year stint as Director of Lincoln Theater at Connecticut's 
University of Hartford. Before that, he held management positions with 
two major symphony orchestras.
  Rick holds degrees in English from Columbia and Syracuse Universities 
and returned to Columbia for postgraduate study in drama on a National 
Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship. He was sent to Korea on 
a cultural exchange by the International Theatre Institute-US, served 
on the executive committee of the League of Resident Theatres, and was 
a contributing writer to AMERICAN THEATRE magazine.
  Rick is a former Chair of the John Wayne Airport Arts Commission, 
past President of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals-Orange 
County Chapter, and twice former Co-Chair of National Philanthropy Day-
Orange County. From 2009 to 2022, he served on the board of 
Californians for the Arts/California Arts Advocates, a statewide 
organization promoting the interests of the arts community, including 
three years as its President.
  Demonstrating his commitment to fostering an appreciation of the arts 
in the next generation, Richard has been a guest lecturer at University 
of California, Irvine and California State University, Fullerton, and 
was a commencement keynote speaker for the Laguna College of Art and 
Design. He has served as a panelist or site visitor for the National 
Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Western States Arts 
Federation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, City of Los Angeles 
Department of Cultural Affairs, City of San Diego Commission for Arts 
and Culture, Riverside Arts Council, New England Foundation for the 
Arts, Louisville Fund for the Arts, City of Pasadena, and the 
Connecticut Commission on the Arts, for which he also produced its 
State Arts Awards.
  Although his career has largely been in the theatre, Rick's first 
post after finishing graduate school was as Executive Director of a 
local arts agency, Oswego County Council on the Arts, located in 
Fulton, New York. In fact, the theatre company Richard co-founded in 
1977, Contemporary Theatre of Syracuse, continues operation today as 
The Red House, a highly successful producer of multi-disciplinary arts. 
He is a 33-year resident of San Juan Capistrano with his wife, Alison, 
an artist.
  I call on my colleagues to join me in celebrating Richard Stein's 
leadership and stewardship of the arts in Orange County and thank him 
for helping bring arts and culture to our community and country.

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