Board of Directors
Jason Balaban has been president of ADINC/J.Kaplan Advertising since 1989. The firm specializes in marketing, print design and advertising. He is also a founder and partner in MYAH Films, a web site design and video production company. Previously Jason operated an independent bookstore. He graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in politics. He currently resides in Englewood, NJ, where he is president of the Tudor Hall Condominium Association.
Gerald I. Carp, a founding partner of Mazur Carp & Rubin and chair of the firm’s Estates and Trusts practice, is widely recognized as an expert in complex estate-related litigation for individuals and businesses, wealth protection/preservation, and estate and trust administration. Gerry is a member and has served as co-chair of the Estates, Trusts and Surrogate’s Court Practice Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association. He serves on a special State Bar committee to research and report on attorney-fiduciary compensation and to oversee the office of the Public Administrators. A peer-elected Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, Gerry is an active member of committees on fiduciary litigation and business planning. He is principal oboist in the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Orchestra of New Jersey and the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra.
Sharon Phair Fortenbaugh has worked on the business side of traditional and new media for 25 years as associate publisher of France Press LLP, Paper Publishing, Inc. and as advertising director of Forbes’ Egg Magazine, Vanity Fair and Andy Warhol’s Interview. She has expertise in brand launches and positioning, particularly for luxury products and services. In the non-profit sector, she worked for Livet-Reichard, Inc., specialists in developing programs and fundraising for arts organizations. Sharon attended the University of Maryland, School of Journalism. She serves on the board of Project City Kids, Inc.
Author and former television producer Lee F. Gruzen is a founder and co-chair of SeaportSpeaks, which organized the 2006 SeaportSpeaks Charrette that focused on the development of the Seaport area while encouraging its vitality and historical authenticity. She co-founded the Interfaith Community, now a national organization. She is a member of the South Street Seaport Museum, the New York Ship Lore & Model Club, the Working Harbor Committee, Manhattan Sailing Club and the Waterfront Wenches. A graduate of Wellesley College and Bank Street College of Education, Lee is working on a book about New York Harbor.
Toby Hoden is senior vice president and chief marketing officer of ING Investment Management Americas. In this role he is responsible for all aspects of marketing, including advertising, branding, corporate communications, strategic analysis, strategic marketing, and web strategy. Prior to joining ING, Toby held senior management positions at OppenheimerFunds, Citibank and the Chase Manhattan Bank. Toby has also worked in Washington, DC at the Brookings Institution and at the US Department of Commerce. He holds a bachelors degree from West Virginia University and a MBA from the Fuqua School of Business of Duke University.
Andrew Ormson is a director of Social Analytics, a digital marketing consultancy based in New York. He is also the president of the Greenwich Village Singers, and a board member of Others Are Us, an international development organization, and Battery Park City’s Regatta condominium. A British citizen, Andrew’s extensive past board experience includes a number of UK and US companies including Emap Advertising, Seymour International, and Emap Metro in New York. He has been a board member of The Camden People’s Theater, the International Periodical Distributors Association, the Advertising Association Finance Committee, and the Magazine Publishers’ Association of America Magazine Retail Advisory Committee.
John Thomas Randolph, II is the vice president of real estate for Sciame Development, a firm known for high quality residential and mixed-use development projects in the New York area. John serves on the board of Designer Black, a consortium of New York City professionals in the field of real estate and design, and also on the board of The Actors Center in New York City. Prior to Sciame, he worked for CIGNA Corporation in Philadelphia and served as the co-chair of the Young Friends for the Philadelphia Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College and an MBA from The Wharton School.
Edward Devereux (Ro) Sheffe is a writer and editor who consults for Fortune 500 clients in the marketing and documentation of technology-driven consumer goods and services. Prior positions include editor-in-chief of the Jacksonville Herald newspaper (Florida), and editor-in-chief of three national magazines based in New York. Ro is chair of the Manhattan Community Board 1 Financial District Committee, and previously served on the boards of the Foundation for Educational Development, The Acting Group, and the Riverside Symphony Orchestra.
Director of communications
Alison Simko is a communications consultant with clients including the Alliance for Downtown New York, Bovis Lend Lease, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and Municipal Art Society. Her work experience includes Curtis Brown, Ltd literary agency, Sport magazine and Adweek/ASM Communications, where she became a senior editor. Alison co-founded The Broadsheet, a biweekly newspaper serving downtown neighborhoods. She is a member of the board of directors of Liberty Community Gardens. For additional materials or further information about the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra, please contact Alison at 917-929-8375 or alisonsimko@yahoo.com.