Who Holds the Most Power in Rhode Island?

Our April cover story highlights the forty-five most powerful Rhode Islanders in business, politics, education, development, philanthropy and more.

April 20, 2023

Lauren Clem, Jamie Coelho, Bob Curley,

INDEX:

People to Watch

We’re keeping our eye on these Rhode Islanders with rising stock in the state’s future.

Brett Johnson

While the rest of Rhode Island was busy mourning the loss of the PawSox, Brett Johnson was dreaming up a new professional sports empire on the banks of the Blackstone River. The principal of Fortuitous Partners and founding chairman of Rhode Island FC broke ground last August on an estimated $344 million stadium project — including $27 million in state buy-in — with an expected opening in 2024. Despite taxpayer grumbling, the franchise has already broken season ticket deposit records with deposits on more than 3,700 seats. Can Rhode Island FC deliver on the promised economic boost of a new stadium with associated retail and housing? Only time will tell if Johnson can pull off the biggest comeback story in Pawtucket sports history.

Joe Wilson Jr.

How lucky are we to have one of the most prolific artists in the state — actor, educator and activist Joe Wilson Jr. — at the helm of Providence’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism as the recently appointed director? He also serves on the board of both WaterFire and the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. Wilson has spent eighteen seasons at Trinity Repertory Company and is a resident associate at the theater, in addition to serving as professor of the practice of theatre at Wheaton College. Some of his most memorable performances include August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, The Prince of Providence, black odyssey and The Mountaintop, as well as directing roles in black odyssey and An Octoroon. And who can forget his performance in the 2018 Tony-nominated The Iceman Cometh starring Denzel Washington? Step aside, D, Wilson is a real-life hero.

Rosanna Ortiz

Rosanna Ortiz is known as the founder and CEO of StyleWeek Northeast, which has endured as a tourism attraction and draw for the fashion industry for twenty-four seasons. As the chief executive officer of RMO Public Relations, her mastery of publicity in the hospitality and arts sectors and project management skills led her to pivot into construction management and development in 2018 with the founding of RMO Project Resources. As a one-third partner of a large housing project with 450-plus units on the way to be built in Providence later this year, she plans to help add more attainable housing to the city’s urban landscape while bringing StyleWeek to new heights.

Sharon Steele

In 2016, state leaders were dragging their feet on the still-theoretical Providence pedestrian bridge, and a developer named Jason Fane was sending rumblings through Providence with his proposal for a record-breaking new high-rise in the Jewelry District. Enter Sharon Steele, a real estate broker and consultant who’s been a vocal advocate — and opponent — of some of the city’s biggest projects in recent years. Whether it’s pushing state officials to get the bridge over the finish line, or filing suit against the Fane Tower, thereby delaying the project several years, her actions have ensured the district’s stakeholders have a say in its future. The neighborhood continues to be a hotbed of new construction, so you can be sure in the years ahead she’ll make her voice heard.