Mercy Center, a nonprofit dedicated to ending generational poverty in the greater Asbury Park area, said June 25 it appointed Sea Girt resident Laurence M. Downes as the chairman of its board and named two trustees and new officers.
A retired CEO and chairman of New Jersey Resources and New Jersey Natural Gas, Downes has served on the board for five years. He succeeds retiring board chair Mary Catherine Cuff, who led the trustees for three years. Cuff is a former acting New Jersey Supreme Court justice and served eight years on the nonprofit board.
“Mercy Center is grateful for the honorable Cuff’s stewardship during a time of spiraling growth at our food pantry, increased need for social services and rising enrollment at Sisters Academy of New Jersey, our middle school for girls,” said Executive Director and former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. “We are pleased to welcome Larry Downes as our new chairman. He brings great vision and strong leadership to our organization.”
Downes steps into his new role after serving as the board’s vice chair, treasurer, and co-chair of the finance committee. “It’s an honor to work with Kim, her dedicated team, and our outstanding board as we embark on a transformative capital campaign,” said Downes.
Joining the board are in-coming trustees Suzanne Heidelberger of Monmouth Beach and Kevin Higgins, a resident of Red Bank. They were both elected to serve three-year terms. Heidelberger is a partner with Real Edge Advisors, a real estate consultancy based in New York, and is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Shack Institute of Real Estate.
Higgins is a senior product and business development manager at K. Shaw Construction in Monmouth Beach.
The nonprofit also named the following trustees as officers: Vice Chair Elaine Rocha, Asbury Park, senior insurance and financial services executive; Treasurer Miriam Tort, Rumson, a nonprofit founder; Secretary Rosemary Jeffries, Wall, executive director of All-Africa Conference and former president of Georgian Court University.
Besides Cuff, the outgoing board trustees are Holmdel residents Eugene Garb and Richard Jursca, and Nicole Berry of Fair Haven.
