Linda Bowden and David Huber to assume leadership of NJSO Board of Trustees | July 1
- Duo succeeds 8-year tenure of Ruth Lipper and Stephen Sichak Jr. as Board Co-Chairs
- Lipper and Sichak to remain on NJSO Board;
- Spring into Music Gala to honor their extraordinary leadership
- NJSO board membership has reached an all-time high
NEWARK, NJ (February 2, 2016)—Effective July 1, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Trustees Linda Bowden and David Huber will assume leadership as Co-Chairs of the NJSO Board of Trustees, succeeding current Co-Chairs Ruth Lipper and Stephen Sichak Jr. Lipper and Sichak have led the Board for the past eight years; their tenure encompassed the hiring of two acclaimed music directors, the completion of a successful Comprehensive Campaign and the launch of a Centennial Legacy Challenge that will shepherd the Orchestra through its 100th anniversary in the 2022–23 season, as well as the expansion of the NJSO’s education and community engagement programs and the development of a series of audience-engagement events (NJSO Accents) to bring audiences closer to the music and music makers.
Bowden—New Jersey Regional President of PNC Bank—and Huber—Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey—bring years of experience on the NJSO Board, as well as strong business acumen and statewide profiles, to their new roles as co-chairs. Bowden was chair of the NJSO’s 2015 Opening Night Celebration and represented PNC as an honoree at the Orchestra’s 2013 Spring into Music Gala. Huber is currently Board Vice Chair and Treasurer and chairs the finance and audit committee. Both are members of the Board’s executive committee.
Lipper and Sichak will remain on the Board of Trustees; the NJSO will celebrate their extraordinary leadership, naming them honorees for the Orchestra’s annual Spring into Music Gala, to be held on Saturday, April 16, at NJPAC in Newark. (The gala also honors PSEG Chairman, President and CEO Ralph Izzo.)
Lipper says: “It has been an honor to serve as co-chair of a board whose circle of leadership includes dedicated individuals of such diverse talents and expertise. Steve and I are thrilled to remain involved as board members and look forward to watching the Orchestra continue to flourish with Linda and Dave at the helm. After six years of collaboration with the creative and charismatic Music Director Jacques Lacombe, we know Linda and Dave will relish the opportunity to welcome new Music Director Xian Zhang.”
Sichak says: “Ruth and I have been pleased to work closely with our devoted trustees, musicians and staff on meaningful initiatives that will help secure the long-term future of the NJSO. The development of a strong strategic plan, fostering our unique collaboration with musicians in every aspect of the organization (continuing Victor Parsonnet’s legacy of involving our musicians as Trustees), the expansion in Board membership and the financial progress the Orchestra has made are achievements about which Ruth and I are exceedingly proud.”
Huber says: “In my current role as Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, I have worked closely with Ruth and Steve. I’ve seen firsthand their passion and dedication to ensuring the NJSO’s role as a vibrant, essential part of the cultural fabric of our state. Linda and I share their vision. Opportunities and challenges exist, and we know our Board colleagues are up to the task. We assume leadership of the Board at an exciting time in the Orchestra’s history and are proud to continue the culture of collaboration embodied so beautifully by Ruth and Steve.”
Bowden says: “From the moment I joined the NJSO family, I was inspired by the breadth of programs the Orchestra offers. Our audiences regularly experience high-quality artistry in our concert halls; beyond that, our musicians meaningfully reach thousands of students and families through our suite of education and community engagement programs. Dave and I thank Ruth and Steve for their incredible leadership. We look forward to working closely with new Music Director Xian Zhang, who has a strong artistic vision and a commitment to ensuring that the NJSO embodies its legacy as an orchestra serving every corner of our state.”
Stability and continuity have been hallmarks of the NJSO Board of Trustees. Part of the Board’s legacy is the continued involvement of former Chairs. Chairman Emeritus Victor Parsonnet, who established the Orchestra’s unique tradition of having musicians sit on the board and its committees as full voting members, has remained a member of the Executive Committee and continues to make meaningful contributions to the organization.
The Orchestra recently welcomed 12 new members to the Board of Trustees, bringing the number of NJSO trustees to 55—the largest Board in the Orchestra’s history. Charged with establishing policies that assist in the successful implementation of the NJSO’s mission and vision, the board comprises members who are among the most in-demand institutional leaders across the state. Individual members are among the Garden State’s most significant philanthropists, and corporate members hold key leadership positions in industries such as financial services, healthcare, communications, technology and utilities.
The NJSO has thrived on stage during Lipper and Sichak’s tenure. The Orchestra raised its artistic profile through its participation in the 2012 Spring For Music Festival at Carnegie Hall, an affirmation of the NJSO’s creative programming and artistic excellence; The New York Times wrote that “it was an honor to be in the hall” for the Orchestra’s performance. Lipper and Sichak oversaw the appointment of Music Director Jacques Lacombe, whose critically acclaimed tenure included artistic initiatives like the New Jersey Roots Project, which celebrated composers whose artistic identity was shaped by their time spent in the Garden State. A major outgrowth of the New Jersey Roots Project is the NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute—an immersive, multifaceted experience for young and emerging composers presented in collaboration with Princeton University. Led by Institute Director and composer Steven Mackey, the Institute welcomes conductor David Robertson for the program’s third season this July.
The Orchestra’s education and community engagement programs have expanded during Lipper and Sichak’s leadership. The NJSO launched the El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project) in 2013; the NJSO Youth Orchestras family, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, has grown to comprise four student ensembles. The NJSO’s REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs—designed and performed by NJSO musicians—to a variety of settings, reaching more than 22,000 people in nearly all of New Jersey’s 21 counties. The Orchestra also presents school-time Concerts for Young People performances.
LINDA BOWDEN
Linda Bowden is the New Jersey regional president of PNC Bank. She is responsible for providing executive leadership and supporting client relationship and business development initiatives across the firm’s lines of business in the region, including corporate and institutional banking, commercial banking and wealth management, as well as supporting the firm’s community-based activities.
Bowden adds extensive industry experience to PNC that spans every aspect of wealth management, having served as portfolio manager, trust and investment officer and as a manager overseeing private banking officers. She has been named among the “25 Women to Watch” by U.S. Banker magazine and was recognized as one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” and “Power 100” by the New Jersey business news publication NJBiz.
Prior to joining PNC in 2009, Bowden was the managing director of Wachovia Wealth Management. She began her career as a teacher for seven years in Wyckoff, NJ, and authored two children’s math books.
Bowden is active in a range of community programs. She serves on the board of the Drumthwacket Foundation, as well as the executive committees of the Adler Aphasia Center in Maywood and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she is an executive committee member of the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce and Secretary of the Board for Choose New Jersey. She is also a member of the board of trustees of Newark Celebration 350, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the William Paterson University Foundation. Bowden is a Fairleigh Dickinson University PINNACLE recipient, the highest honor awarded to alumni.
Bowden earned an M.S.W. from Columbia University, an M.A in institutional counseling from William Paterson University, an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a B.A in education from Rowan University. Additionally, she completed the National Trust School at Northwestern University, earned her Certified Trust Financial Advisor designation and has completed numerous sales management and leadership programs.
DAVE HUBER
Dave Huber is a Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Horizon is the largest health insurer in the New Jersey, with market share of close to 50% and revenues of more than $11 billion. Huber runs the finance division and manages a team of 200 employees in the areas of financial reporting, actuarial, financial planning and analysis, treasury, internal audit, strategic sourcing and tax. He joined Horizon BCBSNJ in 2002 and served as a Vice President of Finance before being promoted to CFO in 2012.
Prior to joining Horizon BCBSNJ, Huber was a Partner at Arthur Andersen and Head of the Insurance Practice in the Metro New York Region.
Huber is a leader in community affairs. He serves on the boards of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Somerset County YMCA and the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
Huber is also a leader in the financial executive community. He served as President of the New Jersey Chapter of Financial Executives International from 2013 to 2015 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2005. Huber was recognized by NJBIZ as CFO of the Year in 2014 and served as a judge of that competition in 2015.
Huber is a graduate of Lehigh University and holds a CPA.
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.
Under the bold leadership of Music Director Jacques Lacombe, the NJSO presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events. Embracing its legacy as a statewide orchestra, the NJSO is the resident orchestra of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and regularly performs at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood. Partnerships with New Jersey arts organizations, universities and civic organizations remain a key element of the Orchestra’s statewide identity.
In addition to its lauded artistic programming, the NJSO presents a suite of education and community engagement programs that promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music. Programs include school-time Concerts for Young People performances, NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project. The NJSO’s REACH (Resources for Education and Community Harmony) chamber music program annually brings original programs—designed and performed by NJSO musicians—to a variety of settings, reaching as more than 22,000 people in nearly all of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
For more information about the NJSO, visit www.njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.
PRESS CONTACT
National & NYC Press Representative:
Dan Dutcher, Dan Dutcher Public Relations | 917.566.8413 | dan@dandutcherpr.com
Regional Press Representative:
Victoria McCabe, NJSO Communications and External Affairs | 973.735.1715 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org
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