RED BANK – The Count Basie Center for the Arts, the not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “Inspire, Educate and Entertain,” has announced that Jeremy Grunin has accepted the role of chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Grunin, of Toms River, joined the Basie board in 2015, served as the organization’s vice chairman of development and been instrumental in the success of the Basie during that time, according to a press release.
He has previously served as chairman at Fulfill of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and also served the boards of Monmouth University, YMCA of Greater Monmouth, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Meridian Healthcare Foundation, according to the press release.
He is the vice president of commercial investment company Grunin Holdings, and presides as president of his family’s Grunin Foundation, which advocates for businesses and nonprofit organizations to work together to provide communities with arts, culture, education, healthcare and economic opportunities, according to the press release.
Adam Philipson, president and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts, said, “I have had the privilege of working closely with Jeremy and his father, Jay, for four years and their family’s devotion to the arts and our communities is palpable.
“As the Basie finds itself in a time of recovery and resilience there could not be a better and more committed person at the helm of our ship to make sure we are on the right course for our future.”
Grunin also serves as co-chair of the New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund, which to date has raised more than $2.3 million to aid the arts and culture sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the press release.
“I am honored to head a Board of Trustees for an organization that has achieved so much over the last five years,” Grunin said.
“The Basie’s trajectory has been upward, to say the least; a major capital campaign and expansion, a significant growth of the Basie’s work in arts education and community outreach, and, recently, the various pivots made by the nonprofit to keep its mission intact, despite the financial realities of the pandemic.
“Those realities will be a focus for our board moving forward, so that the Basie may continue its work and remain operational while we plan and strategize for survival in a post-COVID world,” he said.
Earlier this year the Basie completed a $28 million expansion that more than doubled the size of the Count Basie Center for the Arts campus, including a new grand lobby, donor lounge and the William J. Basie Arts Plaza. The project created a completely barrier-free environment and added elevators to the 94-year old building, according to the press release.
The Basie Center also announced the appointment of Claudia Dulac and Maria Maher to its Board of Trustees.
Maher, who co-chairs the Basie’s Education Committee, and Dulac, senior vice president, New Jersey market executive at Bank of America, were approved unanimously to continue their advocacy for the Basie Center and its community.
The Basie Board of Trustees is composed of 39 members who are each elected to three-year terms, according to the press release.