NYY Pitching Great, Former Gubernatorial Candidate Among 'Great Conversations' Guests

The will be holding its benefit, "Great Conversations," starting at 6 p.m. March 31 at the Madison Hotel, Convent Station.

The conversation begins with a reception followed by a 7:30 p.m. dinner. But, beyond food and beverages are the "conversationalists" that will be on-hand, including former New York Yankees pitcher Al Leiter, author Carol Higgins Clark and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation President and former independent gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett.

Guests to the benefit, which costs $175 to attend, will be able to meet and talk face-to-face with leaders from the worlds of the arts, education, politics, entertainment, nonprofits, business, medicine, sports, journalism, the environment and law. Chat with a hospital president, prizewinning chef, the author of mystery novels, a leading choreographer, a pioneering medical researcher, a fabled baseball pitcher, a top music industry promoter/producer/manager, a former gubernatorial candidate, an art gallery director, a jazz pianist/composer or any one of the 30 similarly distinguished host conversationalists. Then, enjoy dinner and the delights of more in-depth conversation.

Great Conversations also benefits the many programs and services provided by the Arts Council of the Morris Area. The Arts Council’s work serves hundreds of thousands of people each year, with arts education, arts programming, grants, scholarships, advocacy, innovative community-building events and support for artists and arts organizations. These efforts are critical to enriching and improving the quality of life in the broader community.   

For more information and for tickets, contact the Gina Moran, development director of the Arts Council at 973-285-5115, ext. 13 or gmoran@morrisarts.org.  More information about the event, including profiles and photos of some of the host conversationalists, is on the Arts Council website, www.morrisarts.org.

Participating "conversationalists:"

Kenneth R. Adler, MD
Attending Physician, Morristown Memorial Hospital; Vice Chair NJ Commission on Cancer Research

Virginia Fabbri Butera, PhD
Director,Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery; Chairperson, Art & Music Departments, College of St. Elizabeth

E. LaBrent Chrite
Dean, School of Business and Professor of Management, Montclair State University

Carol Higgins Clark
Mystery author; Actor

Christopher J. Daggett
President & CEO, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Independent candidate for NJ Governor (2009)

Carolyn Dorfman
Choreographer/Dancer and Founder of Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company

Gabriel Esteban, PhD
President, Seton Hall University

John J.  Farmer, Jr.
Dean, Rutgers School of Law; Former Senior Counsel & Team Leader to 9/11 Commission

Peter Genovese
Mr. “Munchmobile,” The Star Ledger

John F. Hollway
Author of  Killing Time: An 18-Year Odyssey from Death Row to Freedom; Winner of the Innocence Project’s 2011 Media Award.

Bunny Johnson
Vice President & General Manager,  Neiman Marcus (Short Hills)

Peter Keller
Owner, The Madison Hotel

Roger Knowles, PhD
Associate Professor and Director, Neuroscience Program, Drew University

James Laird
Chef/Partner, Restaurant Serenade (Chatham)

Al Leiter
National League All-Star & 19 year Major League Baseball veteran;  MLB analyst

William R. Lovett
Director, National Football League Officials Training; NFL Official (retired) (Field Judge Super Bowl XXXV)

Brig. Gen. Jonathan A. Maddux
Senior Military Commander  & Program Executive Officer for Ammunition, Picatinny Arsenal
and Lt. Col.  Charles H.  Koehler, Commander – US Army Garrison, Picatinny Arsenal

Kent Manahan
Chair, NJ Public Broadcasting Authority;  Former anchor and reporter, New Jersey Network News

Peter D. Manahan
Partner,  Connell Foley; Former Morris County Prosecutor

John McEwen
Executive Director, New Jersey Theatre Alliance

Dennis R. Robinson
President & CEO, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority

John Scher
CEO, Metropolitan Entertainment Inc., Music industry producer, promoter & manager

Judith A. Spires
CEO & President, Kings Super Markets, Inc.

David Shulkin, MD
President, Morristown Memorial Hospital; Vice President, Atlantic Health

John D. Turpin
President & Broker of Record, Turpin Real Estate

Jerry Vezza
Jazz pianist, composer and concert piano technician

Brian Voynick, DVM
Host, The Pet Stop on News 12 New Jersey

Helen Wronski
President & CEO, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey

David B. Wyshner
CFO, Avis Budget Group, Inc.

Meryl Zausner
CFO, Novartis Corporation, Healthcare Businesswomen Association’s (HBA) Woman of the Year