Newark Symphony Hall has a new CEO and president, Taneshia Nash Laird joined the organization in November after a national search, succeeding interim Executive Director Leon Denmark. Laird has a long and storied career in the arts, she was most recently the executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton — only the third executive director since 1967 and the first one of color. She has decades of leadership in the nonprofit, government and private sectors. Laird is the founder of Legacy Business Advisors, a consulting group that had offices in Newark and Trenton, and advised social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and government agencies. She also co-founded New York City entertainment center MIST Harlem, served in the administration of former Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer and was regional director of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce, among other roles. Laird recently sat down with WBGO's Alexandra Hill to talk about her plans for one of the most historic performance venues in the country.
