Venturini owns seven pairs of eyeglasses , including red , black and white striped , military green , bright green , brown , black , mustard and more .
“ The thing that always amazes me with Dale is the way she carries herself . She is authoritative and strong , but she ’ s also glamorous , stylish and fun ,” say Adamo . “ Those things don ’ t always go together , and sometimes women are penalized for that , but she ’ s found a way to blend those traits into her leadership style .”
Growing up , Venturini didn ’ t have enough money to buy clothes , so she sewed her own . Designer labels are not important to her when it comes to clothing or shoes . “ I ’ d rather have more than one ,” she says with a laugh . She doesn ’ t usually get manicures , opting to paint her own nails at home . But she does hire a closet organizer once or twice a year to keep track of seasonal wardrobe changes stored in a bedroom-turned-closet , organized by color .
Even when working from home during the pandemic , Venturini got dressed and coiffed every day , which she says only takes twenty minutes . “ It ’ s about feeling confident ,” she says . “ I love looking and feeling good . It ’ s that artsy side of me , and it helps me be ready to work .”
Adamo says Venturini is a mentor for her , especially as she ’ s fighting for the rebound of Providence tourism . She met her in her early twenties when she was working for an ad agency and RIHA was a client . “ I was an up-andcoming woman in a field that was largely male-dominated at the top levels and she always looked out for me ,” Adamo says . And now that her own involvement has become more political , Adamo looks up to Venturini even more . “ There ’ s now a nice representation of male and female leaders up there , but I think about how Dale did this twenty years ago and was one of two women in a room full of men . And if she could do that , I can do this ,” Adamo says .
Bratko says that as fierce an advocate as Venturini is for the industry , she ’ s an even fiercer advocate for the people who work for her . “ It ’ s such a wonderful opportunity to work for an all-women run organization because there ’ s a sense of empowerment and support that I think is an integral part of why we were able to do what we were able to do ,” she says .
Singleton and Bratko agree that Venturini treats the five women that work with her as family . While Venturini has nieces and nephews she loves , she and DeFusco never had any children of their own .
“ It ’ s like her child . She built it from nothing . I think that ’ s why she ’ s not retiring ,” DeFusco says . “ I don ’ t know if she ’ s going to retire . She has to make that decision . It would be like putting a baby up for adoption .”
Singleton also says Venturini shields the staff from negativity , often bearing the brunt of feedback and criticism alone . Others have said she ’ s been the target of misogynistic comments in the past , but she just brushes it off and gets back to work . Sometimes DeFusco will hear his wife on the phone and wonder how she deals with it while remaining calm .
“ He doesn ’ t like it sometimes . It ’ s very hard for a man not to want to protect ,” Venturini says . “ I say to him , ‘ You don ’ t rescue me . If I need it , I ’ ll let you know , but don ’ t rescue me .’ ”
Adamo says she models Venturini when she faces similar pitfalls . “ Your first instinct is to fight back but that ’ s not always the best course of action ,” Adamo says . “ As women , we always run that risk that if you snap back , then you ’ re crazy or difficult , so you have to take that extra breath and handle things professionally and rationally , and that ’ s exactly what she does .”
Venturini ’ s upbringing amongst so many brothers helped her learn to hold her ground in what was , until recently , a predominantly male political environment . But she still hesitates to take credit for RIHA ’ s successes . When executive orders passed to allow takeout alcoholic beverages and more lenient outdoor dining restrictions , some never knew RIHA was behind them . Amid indoor dining restrictions , some restaurant owners and groups disagreed with capacity rules and formed an alternative restaurant association to advocate for the lifting of caps on indoor dining . But during that time , RIHA was already working with the state to reopen Rhode Island by Memorial Day . Once that happened , the group quickly fizzled .
“ People don ’ t realize it ’ s just a small staff ,” Adamo says . “ I would watch people take credit for what the Rhode Island Hospitality Association had accomplished and it was so disheartening because I knew how hard they had worked on those achievements and goals .”
Venturini also watches out for her and her employees ’ safety . No one leaves work alone at night , and as a staff Christmas gift one year , Venturini purchased mace for her staff members . She has her own canister attached to her keys in her Andrea Valentini bubble handbag .
“ It ’ s bright pink so I can find it in my purse ,” she says . “ I never had to use it , but lately I am thinking about it after all these incidents are happening ,” she says about the summer ’ s rash of violence in Providence . As the pandemic ebbs and flows , now she worries that crime is also affecting the city ’ s hospitality industry and tourism .
“ This whole thing in Providence is troublesome ,” she says .
FOR SOMEONE WITH A HIGH-STRESS JOB , THERE NEEDS TO be a release . For Venturini , it ’ s golf . She loves it not as much for the game but because it gets her out in nature , away from it all .
“ I look at the beautiful trees , the grass , the birds , the turkeys , all the critters I can find ,” she says .
Several years ago , she was ready to give up the game . She was competing in a couple ’ s league at Ledgemont Country Club with her husband , but things were busy at work . “ I was in the driveway , thinking it was so hard for me to leave work and I just thought I ’ d take some time off and quit ,” Venturini says . “ But I met Tony on the golf course , and he helped me along . Golf is the thing we do together .”
That night , Venturini whacked a ball hard with her club from the teeing area and they watched it soar . They couldn ’ t see where it landed , but they heard the group ahead of them screaming . As they approached the hole , Venturini searched for her ball while the other group shouted and pointed . She walked over , looked in the hole and found it . “ It was like someone was sending me a message ,” she says . Tony just looked at her with a sly smile . “ He says , ‘ I guess you ’ re not giving up golf .’ ”
Similarly , she ’ s showing no signs of stopping at RIHA . Venturini works day and night , especially now that supply chain issues are exacerbated and hospitality staff have been exiting the industry and recruiting a new workforce is necessary . “ There ’ s no slowing down , because it ’ s not over ,” Venturini says . When she needs a break , her clubs will be there , ready to take the heat . �
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l DECEMBER 2021 45