JP Centre/South Main Streets recently named a new president and a new executive director. The executive director position had been vacant since January.
Ginger Brown, was named the executive director for JP Centre/South Main Streets. Pictured: Brown with Mayor Marty Walsh and Melvin Tutiven, Board Treasurer.
Michael Reiskind is now the new president for JP Centre/South Main Streets. He takes over for Brad Brown, who served as president since 2014, and will stay on as a board member for JP Centre/South Main Streets.
Reiskind is a well known person throughout Jamaica Plain having been involved in many facets of the community. For more than 30 years Michael Reiskind and Bob McDonnell have organized Boston Shines in Jamaica Plain. He's an at-large member of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council. He's also on the board of the Jamaica Pond Association, The Arborway Committee for Public Transit, Inc. and the JP Business and Professional Association.
The executive director position was vacant since January after Kevin Johnson, who was in the position for one month, stepped down. Before Johnson's one month stay, the position had been vacant for 19 months.
The new executive director is also a familiar face -- Ginger Brown. She brings experience to the position from both corporate and small business, as well as a nonprofit background.
“I have a great passion for art so I earned my M.A. in Art History/Museum Studies. But practicality landed me at a sales job at Nordstrom -- and I loved it! I loved the numbers, I loved the fast pace! I think Main Streets is a job that finally allows me to combine my loves with the community so well.”
Ginger and her husband, Brad, own the Blue Frog Bakery and owned the recently closed La Rana Rossa, which she opened and managed. Previously she worked at Massachusetts College of Art and Design as the Creative Director of their boutique store, MassArt Made, and consultant for their Holiday and Spring Sales. Ginger also worked at Nordstrom for seven years as a department manager in stores located in Richmond, VA, Baltimore, MD, and Natick, MA. Her non-profit experience includes being the assistant director at the Valentine Richmond History Center.
Brown will first tackle the August First Thursday Art Walk during which JP Centre/South Main Streets will hold a Beach Party Membership Drive on Centre Street.