By STEVEN VIERA
Staff Writer
RED BANK — The curtain is rising on a new era at the historic Count Basie Theatre.
The theater has merged its Board of Directors and Board of Trustees and has added four new vice president positions to its leadership team in order to guide the organization as it undertakes both an expansion project and capital campaign.
“This is an auspicious, exciting moment for us at the Count Basie Theatre,” Board Chairman Tom Widener said in a press release. “Merging the boards creates cohesion, clarity and focus at an important time in our history.”
Under the previous system, two separate boards — one for theater operations and another for fundraising efforts — oversaw Count Basie Theatre. Now, both operations and fundraising for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization will be managed by one unified board.
“It’s one unit-wide governing body that will oversee all aspects of the theater,” President and CEO Adam Philipson explained.
Rather than having two boards that meet at different times and frequencies try to coordinate with each other, the new board will streamline communication by having six meetings twice a year.
“For an organization, it allows us to be more functional,” Philipson said.
Count Basie has also created a new position — vice president of development — and hired Maria D. Sorensen of Freehold to fill that role. According to a press release, Sorensen, who previously served as the director of foundation relations for the Rutgers University Foundation, will be responsible for the theater’s “efforts to develop and execute a robust multi-faceted, multi-year development strategy to meet the current and future resource challenges.”
Additionally, three existing employees have been promoted into new vice president positions: Karen Franklin as vice president of finance, Yvonne Lamb-Scudiery as vice president of education and Jonathan Vena as vice president of marketing and public relations.
Along with Vice President of Operations Izzy Sakowitz, these men and women will work with Philipson as part of Count Basie’s executive leadership team.
The announcement of the merged boards and new vice presidents comes at a moment of growth for the theater. In June, Red Bank’s Zoning Board approved a proposal for the theater to add 42,000 square feet onto its existing building, which would include a second performance venue, “back of house” spaces like dressing rooms, classrooms for community outreach programs and more.
Count Basie is also undertaking a capital campaign to generate finances for the expansion project, so the unified board and new vice presidents will help to provide leadership as these efforts continue.
“For me, it’s very rewarding,” Philipson said. “It feels like it’s the next logical step in our growth as an organization. I’ve been here for almost four years, and we’ve worked very hard to professionalize all the areas. This makes us feel as though we’re much less of a grassroots organization and much more of a professional, polished outfit.”
Contact Steven Viera at sviera@gmnews.com.
