May 4, 2016
The Community Foundation of New Jersey (CFNJ) today announced that Barbara Lawrence, Executive Director of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation (HMTF), has joined its Board of Directors.
Created in 1967 as a means for Mr. and Mrs. Taub to give back to the community, HMTF today makes grants to pre-selected organizations working in early childhood, aging in place, and medical research. Henry Taub was the founder of Automatic Payrolls, now called ADP, one of the largest providers of business outsourcing solutions, serving businesses in over 125 countries.
As HMTF’s executive director, Lawrence works in partnership with the Taub family to increase the effectiveness and impact of the Foundation’s grantmaking. A continuing focus of the Foundation is on local communities in New Jersey’s Bergen and Passaic counties, in areas with the greatest needs, including Henry’s home town of Paterson. The Foundation also makes grants in Israel through existing partnerships.
Prior to joining HMTF, Lawrence worked on public policy issues in New Jersey for more than two decades. She was a co-founder and executive director of New Jersey Future, a research and advocacy organization working for smart growth – namely more livable places and open spaces. Prior to that, Lawrence was Senior Vice President of the Regional Plan Association and Associate Director of the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology.
“Barbara has a deep understanding of the ways in which philanthropic families can make a difference in New Jersey,” said Tom Uhlman, Chairman of the CFNJ Board of Trustees. “Coupled with her extensive background in planning, science, and the environment, Barbara brings enormous value to our board and will enhance the way we look at challenging public policy issues.”
Lawrence chaired the Waterfront Commission in her then home town of Hoboken and led the successful effort to create a redevelopment plan of the waterfront that resulted in award-winning open space, walkways, and major new commercial and residential buildings. She received her undergraduate education from the University of California at Berkeley and her Masters Degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.
“The Community Foundation is unique in the way it supports philanthropic families’ giving, while also identifying opportunities for these families and others to have deeper impact,” said Lawrence. “I’m proud to join the board of an organization that isn’t afraid of tough issues and, more importantly, is willing to put its strength behind effective and innovative solutions that make New Jersey a stronger state.”
About the Community Foundation of New Jersey
Since 1979, individuals and businesses have opened charitable funds at the Community Foundation of New Jersey to fulfill their charitable goals and craft their philanthropic legacies. These Legacy Funds and Donor Advised Funds have granted on average more than $30 million each year, and enabled the Foundation to launch its own Changemaker Projects that are improving New Jersey and its dynamic communities. The Foundation’s funds currently hold over $380 million in charitable assets and made over 5,000 grants last year to charitable work in New Jersey and across the world.