SOVCA Hires New Executive Director

The South Orange Village Center Alliance (SOVCA) has announced that Bob Zuckerman will become the organization’s new Executive Director. Zuckerman comes to South Orange to continue his long career of public service and community development in the nonprofit realm. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of the Lower East Side Business Improvement District in New York, where he led that organization’s efforts to attract more shoppers, diners, businesses and investment in one of the city’s most rapidly changing neighborhoods.

Raised in nearby Livingston, Zuckerman graduated from Livingston High School, Emory University and American University School of Law. In addition to the Lower East Side BID, he has led organizations such as the Chelsea-Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce and the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and Conservancy.

“We’re thrilled that the planets have aligned and we’re able to welcome Bob to South Orange as our new Executive Director and as our neighbor,” said Matt Glass, Chair of SOVCA’s Board of Directors. Currently a Jersey City resident, Zuckerman and his husband Grant Neumann are moving to South Orange in early 2014.

“To be able to live in a community as wonderful as South Orange and also to have an opportunity to work to make it a better place is a dream scenario for me,” said Zuckerman. “I look forward to putting down roots in South Orange and to working together with our merchants and other stakeholders to make the Village Center the best it can be.”

Zuckerman has been shadowing Interim Executive Director Nancy Gould and will begin full time on Monday, November 4th. “We couldn’t have asked for a better interim solution than Nancy Gould,” says Glass of the former South Orange Trustee who stepped in to fill the vacated position. “We all owe Nancy a great deal of thanks for helping us continue the momentum we’ve gained over the past year.”

A public event to review SOVCA’s 2013 accomplishments and introduce Zuckerman to the community is being planned for early December. Once he begins, Zuckerman can be reached at director@sovillagecenter.org.

You can learn more about SOVCA at SOVillageCenter.org.
Any follow-up media inquiries can be directed to Matt Glass at mglass@sovillagecenter.org.