Two River Theater Appoints Seven New Board Members

Two River Theater has appointed seven new members to its Board of Trustees.

 

“Artistic Director Justin Waldman and I are overjoyed to welcome seven new people to our Board of Trustees in 2023: Crystal A. Dickinson, Delisha Grant, Kenny D. King, Tony Meneses, Cathy Pugliese-Sivo, Joanne Spears and Susan Whyman,” says Managing Director Nora DeVeau-Rosen. “As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary Season, we also applaud these individuals' distinct and invaluable contributions to Two River and the greater New Jersey community. This cohort represents a wealth of dynamic experiences, impressive expertise, unwavering community-centered engagement, compassion, and enthusiasm for the theater that will help propel our organization into the next three decades.” 

 

“We at Two River Theater are thrilled to expand our Board of Directors,” says Board President Edward J. McKenna, Jr. “We are extremely grateful to these extraordinary individuals for the dedication of their time and expertise in furtherance of the success of Two River's mission to bring people together through the wonder of theater. Their commitment is truly a testament to the value of the arts in Red Bank and greater Monmouth County.”

 

Crystal A. Dickinson

Crystal is an actor, educator and a New Jersey native. Her Broadway credits include the Tony Award-winning play, Clybourne Park, for which she received a Theater World Award, and Tony-nominated play You Can't Take It With You. Two River Theater credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Wine in the Wilderness andAugust Wilson's Seven Guitars. Crystal is an alumnus of the University of Illinois and Seton Hall University, and an elite member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.

 

Delisha Grant

Delisha is an attorney, philanthropist and speaker. She obtained her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and her Juris Doctorate from The George Washington University Law School. She currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel at Addepar, Inc. In addition to her work as an attorney, Delisha is the Co-Founder and President of The House on Steven Avenue Fund Inc. (The HOSA Fund) and has served as a volunteer attorney for New York City Business Solutions and the New York City Bar Association's Foreclosure Defense Project, as well as a lawyer mentor for 3 Day StartUp.

 

Kenny D. King 

Kenny is the Managing Director at BNY Mellon, responsible for the Product Team for Alternatives, in which he establishes the business strategy and is responsible for profitability. He has spent his career working in alternatives, from when he started as an analyst for Merrill Lynch Investment Managers Alternative Strategies to then joining Bear Stearns as the Head of Due Diligence for its Structured Funds business. He holds a B.S. in Management from Tulane University and is a CFA charter holder. Kenny serves as a Trustee for the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group in New Jersey and George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He is a Board Observer for iCapital and a Member of the Strategic Advisory Council for Deep Pool Financial Solutions. Kenny enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and son and enjoys golfing and reading non-fiction books.

 

Tony Meneses

Tony is a playwright and the Interim Head of Playwriting at Fordham University. His plays produced at Two River include Guadalupe in the Guest Room, The Women of Padilla, The Hombres and the upcoming A Thousand Maids. He is a two-time recipient of The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Latinx Playwriting Award and is published by Dramatists Play Service and Theatrical Rights Worldwide. He is an alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, Iowa Playwrights Workshop and The Juilliard School. Tony and his husband Mark reside in Maplewood, New Jersey.

 

Cathy Pugliese-Sivo

Cathy is a retired Research Scientist in the field of Immunology at the Schering-Plough Research Institute, now part of Merck & Co. She has a passion for community services that support affordable permanent housing, address food insecurity and advocate for young-adult education and development in the performing arts. She is notable in the greater Monmouth County community for her support of HABcore, Count Basie Center for the Arts, Monmouth Arts, Special Strides, Impact100 Jersey Coast and Monmouth Film Festival.

 

Joanne Spears, AIF, CRPC , CSRIC

Joanne is a Senior Vice President, Financial Planning at Newport Capital Group. She and the Newport Capital Group team assist individuals, families and businesses achieve their financial goals through detailed wealth planning and customized strategies. Joanne also serves as a Foundation Trustee for the YMCA of Greater Monmouth County and Board Advisor for EDSnaps. She regularly volunteers at Fulfill Monmouth & Ocean and Covenant House. Joanne supports professional and entrepreneurial women from a wide variety of business sectors and is a member of Executive Women of New Jersey and NJBIA. Joanne graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Japanese.

 

Susan Whyman

Susan (Susie) Whyman is a historian, formerly of Princeton University where she received both M.A. and

Ph.D degrees in British History, and has published four books on British culture with Oxford University Press. Susie serves as the Vice Chair of the Brookdale Community College Foundation. Susie is involved with the Greater Red Bank Women's Initiative and is a passionate advocate for the rights of immigrants. Susie and her late husband Frank have two children and four grandchildren.

 

Two River Theater produces American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, we serve over 20,000 students, families and community members through our 4-6 show season, and 40+ events that reflect our diverse community of Monmouth County. Two River produces work on two stages—the 350-seat Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater, and the flexible 110-seat Marion Huber Theater. In 2020 we expanded our campus to 80,000 square feet with the opening of the Center for New Work, Education and Design. Two River Theater has commissioned and premiered original projects including Be More Chill by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz (the theater's first Broadway production) and Hurricane Diane by former Playwright-in-Residence Madeleine George (which won an Obie Award for its Off-Broadway run), and in June 2019, Two River was nationally recognized by USA TODAY as one of “10 great places to see a play.” Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director Justin Waldman and Managing Director Nora DeVeau-Rosen. 

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