Katz JCC adds staff for December opening

With the new Betty and Milton Katz JCC of Princeton Mercer Bucks opening in late 2012, the center has added staff (see page 14), launched a membership campaign, and hired a consulting firm to plan membership retention, marketing, and fitness programming.

“Now we have a whole complement of staff we didn’t have six months ago,” said former JCC president Howard Cohen of Lawrenceville. “This is going to re-energize and rebuild the entire Jewish community.”

Cohen serves with Ron Berman as cochair of the Jewish Community Campus Development Board.

The old Jewish Community Center of Princeton Mercer Bucks closed its doors in Ewing six years ago, necessitating the elimination of its staff. Since that time, the organization has continued to sponsor a handful of family programs, and its Abrams Day Camp and Teen Travel Camp have continued each summer on the Rider University campus in Lawrenceville.

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But things really started humming again at the agency this past January, when Lee Rosenfield began his tenure as chief executive officer of both the new JCC and the Matthew and Staci Wilson Family Jewish Community Campus in West Windsor.

“Since Lee’s been aboard, we’ve been ramping up our programming, and we’ll be in the new campus in the next four months,” said Cohen.

The JCC has hired the Florham Park-based MediFit Corporate Services as consultants for its membership campaign and for its marketing and fitness programming.

“It’s a wonderful partnership,” Rosenfield said. “They bring a wealth of expertise in membership recruitment and retention and in high-quality membership services. We want to be sure to provide our membership with the very best services from the time they walk through the door until the time they leave.”

The JCC is also putting together a professional staff for its sports and recreation programs in collaboration and consultation with MediFit.

The partnership with MediFit has brought full-time professionals onto the staff of the new JCC this summer — including membership director Sal Marino and membership adviser Pat Ficarotta.

“Our hope [for membership] is to be over 1,000 by the end of the year,” said Marino.

Rosenfield said the JCC is also looking to hire “the best professional team” for the arts, cultural, and educational departments.

He had high praise for the JCC’s volunteer leaders, led by president Lynne Azarchi, adding, “All of this is supported by the amazing cast of characters who sit on the board of directors of the JCC.”