NJPAC Adds Four Senior Executives to Board of Directors

    NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Jersey Performing Arts Center
 announced today the recent addition of four highly respected senior executives
 to its volunteer Board of Directors.  They are: Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr.,
 Global CEO, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Ann Limberg, President -- Bank of America
 -- New Jersey; Jeffrey M. Peek, Chairman and CEO, CIT Group; and Cecil B.
 Pickett, Ph.D., President, Schering -- Plough Research Institute and Senior
 Vice President of Schering-Plough Corporation.
     "The passion and generosity of the volunteer leadership at the New Jersey
 Performing Arts Center has been the cornerstone of much of the Center's
 success," said Arthur F. Ryan, Chairman and CEO, Prudential Financial, Inc.
 and Co-Chairman, NJPAC Board of Directors. "We are delighted to welcome four
 new leaders to our Board. As the Arts Center moves forward with new ideas and
 critical expansion initiatives, their collective expertise will help steer
 NJPAC toward extraordinary new achievements."
 
     Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr.
     Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr. has held the position of Global Chief Executive
 Officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers since January 2002.  He most recently served
 as Chairman and Senior Partner of the PricewaterhouseCoopers US Firm and as a
 member of the Global Leadership Team.
     Very active in civic affairs, DiPiazza serves on the International
 Advisory Board of Junior Achievement, the Executive Council of the Inner City
 Scholarship Fund, the Board of Directors of the New York City Ballet and the
 Executive Committee of the National Corporate Theatre Fund.  In 2001, DiPiazza
 was elected President of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City.
     "The New Jersey Performing Arts Center has fast become not only a cultural
 asset for the people of New Jersey," said DiPiazza, "it is setting the
 standard for what a performing arts center in the twenty-first century needs
 to be -- accessible, diverse, entrepreneurial and visionary.
 PricewaterhouseCoopers has been proud to be part of the first chapter of the
 Arts Center's history.  I am eager to play a personal role in its future."
 
     Ann Limberg
     As the senior Bank of America executive for New Jersey, Ann Limberg
 provides statewide leadership for business, civic and philanthropic
 activities.  Prior to joining Fleet in 1996, Limberg held senior leadership
 positions in retail and private banking at NatWest and CitiBank.  She has been
 involved in numerous charities and civic organizations and has been active
 with the American Heart Association, Cancer Care, the Long Island Cares
 Regional Food Bank and the Association of Commerce, Industry and Technology.
     "In our estimation, NJPAC reflects the dedication to higher standards that
 is Bank of America's hallmark," said Limberg.  "NJPAC has excelled in making
 Newark a symbol of excellence in the performing arts, in education and indeed,
 in neighborhood revitalization."
 
     Jeffrey M. Peek
     Jeffrey M. Peek is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of
 CIT Group.  Mr. Peek is a graduate of the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton
 University where he received a Bachelor's Degree in International Affairs.
 Mr. Peek holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from Harvard
 Business School and is a member of the Board of Directors of St. Paul
 Travelers Company, Inc.  He also serves as a Trustee for the Teachers College
 of Columbia University, Treasurer for the New York City Ballet, and is a
 member of the Business Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
     "We have been proud to support NJPAC and its outstanding programs and
 nationally-recognized arts education programs as part of CIT's commitment to
 serving our local communities and supporting the arts," Mr. Peek said.  "NJPAC
 plays an increasingly vital role in our community and I am looking forward to
 my personal involvement in such a fine cultural institution."
 
     Cecil B. Pickett, Ph.D.
     Dr. Cecil Pickett is President of Schering-Plough Research Institute and
 Senior Vice President of Schering-Plough Corporation.  Joining Schering-Plough
 in 1993, he has been responsible for, among other areas, the planning,
 management and oversight of Schering-Plough's new drug discovery programs
 across all therapeutic areas, and for coordinating those programs with other
 research and commercial components in the Company.  Dr. Pickett has served as
 a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Science Board, the Advisory
 Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health and The
 National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine.  He has been
 published extensively in leading research journals and has been a frequent
 speaker at scientific symposia and conferences.
     "Since we recruit people from different cultural backgrounds, it is
 important that there is a venue in New Jersey that offers outstanding and
 diverse entertainment," said Dr. Pickett.  "NJPAC is that venue and can make a
 difference in attracting potential employees to New Jersey."
 
     The four executives join a volunteer board comprised of 45 of the region's
 top corporate, philanthropic and community leaders, including representatives
 from American Express, AT&T, The Chubb Corporation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue
 Shield of NJ, IDT, Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Prudential Financial,
 Inc., PSE&G, Turner Construction Company, Verizon New Jersey, Wachovia
 Corporation, and a variety of the state's most prominent law firms, financial
 advisory and information services companies, and charitable foundations.
 
 

SOURCE  New Jersey Performing Arts Center