East End Arts has elected several new officers to the Board of Directors. They will serve their terms in the 2016-17 fiscal year.
They include John McLane, president, Lisa Azzato, vice president, and Robert Ward, secretary.
“All three of these relatively new board members have demonstrated their commitment to East End Arts,” said Pat Snyder, executive director. “I am pleased to have a dedicated executive committee to continue East End Arts’ rich history of supporting the arts on the East End.”
John McLane of Peconic has served on the board since 2015 and participated on several committees focusing on development and fundraising. He retired in 2014 as president of GCube Insurance Services, a Lloyds of London affiliated insurer. He spent 34 years in the insurance business primarily as a broker working with clients in the business of power generation. The last 10 years of his insurance career were spent working in and with small businesses and entrepreneurs. McLane graduated from the University of Notre Dame and spent seven years in the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine program.
McLane said, he views his new position as “an opportunity to use past professional experience in small business management, business development, leadership and entrepreneurship and work in the community in the broadest sense and contribute to balancing sustainability and preservation with development and evolution so that the community remains vital and dynamic.”
Lisa Azzato joined East End Arts’ board of directors in 2014 and is a graduate of Vassar College and Emory Law School and has been practicing law for nearly 25 years. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Emory Law School and Stony Brook University. Azzato is admitted to practice law in New York, Florida, Georgia, and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association. She recently received the 2014 Women’s Recognition Award from the Town of Brookhaven in the category of law for her accomplishments in the field of law and her contributions to the community. At East End Arts, she has volunteered on special projects committees.
Robert C. Ward joined East End Arts’ board of directors in 2015 and is a financial advisor who focuses on serving the unique wealth management needs of business owners, entrepreneurs, and affluent individuals. He works closely with nonprofit organizations helping them to establish and manage foundation and endowment assets. Prior to becoming a financial advisor, as a leader in the community, in addition to serving on East End Arts board, Ward is the assistant scoutmaster for Manorville Troop 221, and is a PAL Youth Lacrosse coach. He is a supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, and the United Way. He received the Presidential Volunteer Award from the White House in 2005 and 2006 and was selected by the Long Island Business News in 2005 as one of Long Island’s top 40 business executives under the age of 40. At East End Arts, Ward has served on many committees including the ARTworks Gala Committee which he chaired in 2016, and the Development Special Projects Committee.
The board of directors of East End Arts is composed of 13 active members with backgrounds ranging from business to education, from media to finance, from creative to legal, some with tenures over 15 years. Click here to see or the complete list of East End Arts Board of Directors.
For more information contact East End Arts at 631-727-0900.
Source: Press release issued by East End Arts dated October 5, 2016.
