Veletta Forsythe Lill, the former Dallas City Council Member who since 2009 has been the executive director of the Downtown Arts District, spearheading development there since the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, is stepping down, effective Nov. 1.
The move was timed in part because the City Performance Hall, which has spent the last week celebrating a week-long opening gala, was the last piece in the puzzle for the Arts District.
“I have spent 15 years on the frontlines of change. With the final opening celebrations this fall and a blueprint for the future of commercial development I believe the time is right to pass the torch to a new generation.”
Among her accomplishments was lobbying for rules that would allow food trucks in the Arts District, making it a more desirable location not just during evening performances but during the day and weekends.
Lill, a long-time friend of the gay community (she’s pictured here posing for the NOH8 campaign opposing Prop 8’s anti-gay movement in California), Lill served on City Council for eight years.