George Street Playhouse To Honor Christopher J. Paladino And George R. Zoffinger,

April 23, 2009 - PRLog -- New Brunswick, NJ – To celebrate the successful end of George Street Playhouse’s 35th season, the New Brunswick arts organization is throwing itself a party. The Playhouse’s Annual Spring Gala takes place on Sunday, April 26 beginning at 5 pm at the New Brunswick Hyatt Regency.  Former Governor Thomas H. Kean will be on hand to personally present the Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award to Christopher J. Paladino and George R. Zoffinger.  Messrs. Paladino and Zoffinger have both played an integral part of the current revitalization of downtown New Brunswick, and have been cognizant and supportive of the contribution of the performing arts’ role in that process.   In addition, the Playhouse’s 35th season will be celebrated with anecdotes and performances as part of the evening’s entertainment.  William R. Hagaman, Jr., a partner in the accounting firm of Withum, Smith + Brown, serves as Benefit Chairperson.  Janice P. Haggerty of Bedminster and Matthew Keefe, Company Manager of the American Repertory Ballet, serve as Auction Co-Chairpersons.  The silent auction is one of the highlights of the Playhouse’s Annual Gala, and offers luxury vacation trips, home furnishings, tickets to hard-to-get Broadway shows and top sports venues and much more.

Patrons attending GSP’s Gala have come to expect stellar performances during the evening’s Cabaret and this year should prove no exception.  Past performers have included Rita Moreno, Bernadette Peters, Tyne Daly, Sandy Duncan, Kelly Bishop, Brian D’Arcy-James, Alison Fraser, Penny Fuller, Anne Jackson, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiiller, Lauren Bacall and Chita Rivera, among others.  This year’s performers will be announced at a later date.

The Black Tie affair at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick begins at 5 pm with a cocktail reception and silent auction, during which patrons may vie for prizes ranging from handcrafted pottery and theatre memorabilia to furs, jewelry and Caribbean vacations.  Dinner follows at 6:30 pm with the Cabaret performance commencing at 7:30.  Individual tickets as well as tables of ten are available.  For further information contact Justine McCarthy, GSP Development Associate, at (732) 846-2895, extension 144.

Christopher J. Paladino has served as President of New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) for over fourteen years, during which time he has initiated and managed more than $500 million worth of residential, commercial and institutional development activity in New Brunswick, much of which was completed using successful public/private joint venture partnerships.

Most recently, he oversaw the successful development of Heldrich Plaza, a $105 million, 365,000 square foot mixed use hotel and conference center in the heart of the City’s Cultural Center.  This project partnered Devco, the City, Rutgers University, private developers and various New Jersey state agencies, and has been hailed as an exceptional model of public-private partnerships, financing and redevelopment.   Another major project recently completed is the $73 million Child Health Institute of New Jersey, a comprehensive biomedical research center for the research, treatment and cure of childhood diseases.  Also under Mr. Paladino’s direction, Devco partnered with Rutgers University in the development of Rockoff Hall, a facility which provides 186 new student housing apartments in downtown New Brunswick.  The $55 million project is privately owned and operated on behalf of the University under a unique financing and development structure.  This led to Devco’s role in the successful development of the first University housing project for UMDNJ in Newark.  The $90 million project houses approximately 400 students from the various health professional schools at UMDNJ.

Mr. Paladino is presently directing the predevelopment and construction work on a number of projects, including a new high school for the City of New Brunswick which is being constructed as one of six demonstration projects selected by the New Jersey School Development Authority, and the development of the $180 million Transit Village redevelopment project, which will combine new residential development with a University bookstore, parking and major transportation enhancements connecting the project to NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor.  He is also directing the development of a new continuing long term care facility in Old Bridge on behalf of Middlesex County.

Prior to his appointment at Devco, Mr. Paladino served as Deputy Director for New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) where he oversaw several innovative real estate development transactions around the state, and as Assistant Counsel to the Governor under Governor James J. Florio.  Earlier in his career, he practiced with the law firm Connell Foley & Geiser, and served as a Law Clerk to The Honorable Eugene D. Serptentelli, A.J.S.C.  

Mr. Paladino is a member of The Mason Gross School of the Arts Leadership Council, the Greater New Brunswick Innovation Zone Advisory Board, New Brunswick Cultural Center, and is a member of the Regional Plan Association New Jersey Committee. He previously served on the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Board of Trustees and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Board of Directors.

He earned degrees from Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, and is a graduate of Rutgers College. He lives in Skillman, New Jersey with his wife Erin Dolan and their three children: Connor, Fiona, and Faelen.

George R. Zoffinger was President and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority from 2002 through 2007.  Prior to his appointment to the NJSEA, he served as President and CEO of several noted financial and Real Estate companies including Constellation Capital Corp, and Value Property Trust, a publicly owned REIT trading on the New York Stock Exchange from October 1995 through February 1998.  He was Chairman of CoreStates New Jersey National Bank in the mid 90’s until the bank’s merger into CoreStates Bank, N.A.  Mr. Zoffinger was President and CEO of Constellation Bancorp and its principal subsidiary, Constellation Bank, N.A., from 1991 through 1994, when Constellation merged into CoreStates Financial Corp.

In 1990, New Jersey Governor Jim Florio appointed Mr. Zoffinger the Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development.  As Commissioner, he was responsible for the State’s economic development.  He was also the architect of plans that improved international trade, small business development, urban revitalization, and travel and tourism.  Mr. Zoffinger served as Chairman of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Chairman of the New Jersey Council on Job Opportunities.  During his tenure, he spearheaded the effort to bring the World Cup 1994 games to New Jersey.   He also served as Chairman of the New York and New Jersey Host Committee.

Mr. Zoffinger is a member of the Rutgers University Board of Governors, he is on the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Development Corporation, the New Jersey Resources Corporation, Anchor Commercial Bank, and Virgin Media Inc.  He is also a member of the New Jersey Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), a council that serves to advise the Governor on the course of New Jersey’s economy.  Mr. Zoffinger has also served on a number of other corporate boards over the past 10 years.

Mr. Zoffinger has a Master’s degree in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.  His alma mater is Pennsylvania State University from which he graduated with a Bachelors degree in business in 1970.  Penn State has honored Mr. Zoffinger with an Alumni Fellowship in 2004, and in 2006 named him a Distinguished Alumni.  He and his wife, Judith, have three children and two grandchildren.

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About George Street Playhouse: Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally-recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. During his tenure, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions in New York – recent productions include The Toxic Avenger opening off-Broadway in April, 2009, The Spitfire Grill and the Broadway hit and Tony®-and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, the Playhouse’s Educational Touring Theatre features four issue-oriented productions that tour to more than 250 schools in the tri-state area and are seen by more than 60,000 students annually.