(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey has appointed a new member to its Board of Trustees: Joey Grinkley, Associate Director, Global Supply Business Development Merck Manufacturing Division at Merck & Co.

“We are so fortunate to have Joey Grinkley join our Board of Trustees,” said Scott Fergang, Chair of the State Theatre Board of Trustees. “As we plan for State Theatre’s future, Joey’s depth of knowledge and experience will provide a valuable perspective.”

“We are thrilled to have such a devoted and remarkable individual join our board,” said Sarah Chaplin, President and CEO of State Theatre New Jersey. “His inclusive, collaborative leadership style and expertise in teambuilding will be vital as we prepare to reopen this fall for our 100^th anniversary.”

“It is an honor to be chosen  to join State Theatre New Jersey’s Board of Trustees,” said Joey Grinkley. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is my passion. Continuing to honor and empower the performing arts artists of yesterday, today, and tomorrow is my mission. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of State Theatre New Jersey.”

Joey Grinkley has been an active member of State Theatre’s Community Engagement Committees since 2016. The Community Engagement Committees are comprised of dedicated community leaders with a wide range of backgrounds that champion diversity, increase engagement, and build relationships with members of New Jersey’s diverse community. He is a Co-chair of the African American Community Engagement Committee and a member on the LGTBQ Community Engagement Committee.

Grinkley is a 21-year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry, holding various leadership positions in Manufacturing and Supply Operations, Supply Chain Strategy, and Product Launch Project Management. He is a 15-year veteran of Merck and is currently Associate Director, Global Supply Business Development and Process for Merck & Co., Inc. where he leads key program management/business processes supporting new business deals, clinical trial collaborations, and creating strategic framework for a Search and Evaluate process that will drive innovation for medicine manufacturing of the future. 

His past roles involved, leading a regional external trade compliance community of practice and, creating the five-year strategic manufacturing plan and leading operations team managing daily supply for a major footcare brand through business integration and divestiture from Merck Consumer Care to Bayer Consumer Health in 2016. 

Grinkley’s experience in Pharmaceuticals also includes time from 2016 to 2020 with Novartis Corporation as Associate Director, External Supply Business Development and Launch Project Management at Novartis for their generic division Sandoz Inc.  Grinkley launched 23 generic products across both the U.S. and CA markets, with total value of more than $100 MM, leveraging strategic and global contract manufacturing relationships. 

Grinkley received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2000 and MBA from Rutgers Business School – Newark/New Brunswick, NJ in 2012.

State Theatre was built in 1921 as a silent film and vaudeville palace. Recognizing the historic significance of the theater, PBS honored State Theatre New Jersey by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed at STNJ.org/History. Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed six million people through its doors since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County, and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.  

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund