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WBGO Hires First Chief Development Officer, Ondine Landa Abramson

originally published: 03/23/2023 

(NEWARK, NJ) -- WBGO has announced the appointment of Ondine Landa Abramson as its first Chief Development Officer, beginning April 3, 2023. Ms. Landa Abramson brings over a decade of experience in fundraising for non-profits and will be an invaluable addition to the team.

Steven A. Williams, President & CEO of WBGO, commented, “To search for and retain an exceptional development professional is a competitive, risky and at times frustrating endeavor. For a non-profit institution of the scale and scope of WBGO, the expectations are high, and the odds are stacked against finding that special someone who has everything you need for successful fundraising – which is what we have with Ms. Landa Abramson. It would be impossible to overstate the significance of this strategic sea change in the efforts to elevate WBGO's philanthropic interests. We have most assuredly defied the odds with Ondine on our team!”

Throughout her career, Ms. Landa Abramson has been driven and inspired by her passion for the arts, not only for their value to society, but also for their ability to build understanding and create community. She’s worked in and around the arts and jazz for most of her career. From her early years working for Etta James’s management agency to being the Artistic Liaison for The San Francisco Jazz Festival, now known as SF Jazz, her passion and love for jazz, its cultural heritage and for all it represents has been a constant in her professional as well as her personal life.

In 1999 she moved to New York to work for George Wein’s Festival Marketing Agency as an event producer for its client American Express. From there she worked as an arts executive in several capacities including for The South Orange Performing Arts Center, where she was the founding Executive and Artist Director for its first five seasons. During her tenure she oversaw all administrative and artistic initiatives, providing leadership and oversight to its first capital campaign and numerous other fundraising initiatives. In addition, she curated and programmed its artistic seasons filled with national and international talent, including Nancy Wilson, Yo-Yo Ma, Esperanza Spalding, Aimee Mann, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Madeleine Peyroux, and many others. As an arts consultant Ms. Landa Abramson has worked closely with JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, both as a former Board Member, and more recently as a special projects’ consultant for their Development and Marketing efforts. In 2013 she co-founded and led the first digital entertainment platform to offer Broadway-centric content to a global online community.

At WBGO, Ms. Abramson will lead all aspects of development including individual giving programs, annual appeals, capital campaigns, major gifts/planned giving initiatives and more as part of her mission to foster meaningful connections between listeners and community members alike through shared experiences related to jazz music culture appreciation. In addition to her professional credentials in arts management, Ms. Landa Abramson brings a genuine passion for jazz music.

 

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“I’ve had the good fortune to work with and around jazz for nearly 30 years now," said Landa Abramson. I am deeply passionate about this unique American art form so working for an institution whose mission is to present, preserve and curate this music and its cultural legacy feels like a rare and wonderful opportunity.”

WBGO is excited about this significant hire as it marks an important milestone in their commitment towards expanding their reach into new areas while deepening their impact within existing communities they serve across the country through their unique and award-winning content.

WBGO is a publicly-supported cultural institution that preserves and promotes jazz, blues, Latin jazz and classic rhythm & blues. From its home base of Newark, New Jersey, public radio station WBGO has long been an anchor institution in community engagement through its music and news programming, live performances and partnerships. WBGO reaches a diverse audience from its broadcast location in America's number one media market, the New York/New Jersey metro area. Through programs such as Jazz Night in America, produced in partnership with NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the organization’s reach extends to millions more across the country, and around the globe through WBGO.org and the WBGO mobile app and social media plus Facebook Live broadcasts. WBGO is broadcast at 88.3 FM in the NY/New Jersey area and may be streamed from WBGO.org.

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