Since Allison Larena took the reins in 2002, the Mayo Performing Arts Center has grown into an artistic powerhouse that pumps an estimated $15 million in the local economy.
For her efforts, the MPAC president and CEO has been listed in the NJBIZ list of New Jersey’s best 50 women in business.
Here are more details.
From the Mayo Performing Arts Center:
(Morristown) – Allison Larena, President and CEO, Mayo Performing Arts Center, has been named one of New Jersey’s 2016 Best 50 Women in Business. The award program, produced by NJBIZ, New Jersey’s premier business news publication, is presented by Wells Fargo and sponsored by WithumSmith+Brown, PC, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Comcast Business and FGV Media.
The Best 50 Women in Business awards program honors New Jersey’s successful and influential women in business who have been making headlines in their field. To qualify, a nominee had to meet the selection criteria of being a resident and/or employed in New Jersey and hold a senior management-level position with significant authority in decision making.
An independent panel of judges selected the top fifty winners based on dedication to their careers, leadership, vision, community service, and mentoring. The 2016 judges were Cheryl Biron, One Horn Transportation; Mary Clare Garber, Princeton Legal Search Group, LLC; Angela Scheck, New Jersey State Bar Association; Sandra Schler, American Cancer Society, Inc.; Judith Sheft, New Jersey Innovation Institute @ NJIT; and Sharon Waters, Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, Montclair State University.
“We are truly fortunate to have the opportunity to recognize this outstanding group of women,” said Thomas Curtin, publisher of NJBIZ. “As business and community leaders, they are constantly redefining success within and outside the business arena.”
NJBIZ and the program sponsors will honor this year’s winners during an awards reception and ceremony on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 6 PM – 8:30 PM at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, NJ. The honorees will also be highlighted in a special supplement to NJBIZ.
Allison Larena has served President and CEO of the Mayo Performing Arts Center since May 2002. She is responsible for overseeing all administrative, financial and operational aspects of the organization.
Under her leadership, Ms. Larena has been instrumental in transforming the theatre into a full fledged performing arts center and growing the annual operating budget from $1.5 million to approximately $11.5 million.
As a result, the venue now welcomes more than 200,000 patrons to 200 events annually, generates over $8 million in ticket sales and has an estimated impact of $15 million dollars on the local economy.
Ms. Larena has more than 20 years of related experience and education in arts management. She is a graduate of Montclair State University where she received a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts/ Speech Communication and Rutgers University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts/Speech. She lives in East Hanover, New Jersey with her husband Paul. They have four children. She grew up in Little Ferry, New Jersey.
For more information about the NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business awards program or to reserve seats to the event, please visit www.njbiz.com/events or contact Erika Plateroti at (732) 246-5713.
Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2015-2016 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
