The George Eastman Museum has announced the appointment of nine new board members since April 2015. H.C. Digby Clements, Kevin E. Glazer, Jeffrey Korchek, and Steven Sasson joined the board in April, followed by Richard Grosbard, Michael J. Cooney, Esq., and Paul Burgett, PhD, in July. The most recent appointments of Kenneth Frederick and Christine Symchych were confirmed at the museum’s board meeting in October.
“At the George Eastman Museum, we are continually expanding our national and global presence by welcoming international scholars and students to our renowned film preservation and photographic conservation schools, and by sustaining partnerships worldwide with other museums, film archives, and research centers,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director, George Eastman Museum. “Our board of trustees also broadens our reach, with trustees currently living in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Palm Beach, Toronto, and London. The new board members that were appointed in 2015 enable the museum to continue in its mission to reach beyond Rochester to share our institution’s collections and expertise throughout the world.”
H.C. Digby Clements
Digby Clements is a senior vice president at OppenheimerFunds, Inc., employed locally at the Rochester Division. He earned his master in business administration from Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. In addition to his new board seat, Clements is also the chair of the museum’s Communications and Global Engagement Committee. He currently resides in Brighton, New York.
Kevin E. Glazer
Kevin Glazer has been a member of the Eastman Museum since 1986. He is co-owner of the Manchester United Football Club, co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and chairman of First Allied Corporation, a real estate investment and management company headquartered in Rochester. Glazer received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Ithaca College. Along with serving as a board member for the Eastman Museum, Glazer also serves as director of the Glazer Family Foundation in West Central Florida. He currently resides in Rochester.
Jeffrey Korchek
Former vice president of Licensing Acquisitions and Business Affairs at Mattel, Inc., Jeffrey Korchek is now the Executive Vice President, Business Affairs and Strategy for Sony Pictures Animation in Culver City, California. Korchek serves as a part-time lecturer in the Peter Stark Program at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and a master in business administration degree from the Wharton School. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Steven Sasson
Steve Sasson, inventor of the digital camera and Eastman Kodak Company retiree, is a recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the Progress Medal and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in London. Sasson earned both his bachelor and master of science degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He currently resides in Hilton, New York.
Richard Grosbard
For the past forty years, Richard Grosbard has been a prominent collector of the masterworks of photography—from 19th century to contemporary—and book arts. He is a former trustee of the George Eastman Museum, having served from 2006 until 2010. Grosbard serves on the boards of the Center for Book Arts and of Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC). He is on the Photography Collectors Committee at the Morgan Library and previously served on the Washington University Libraries National Council. Grosbard and his son, Joshua Grosbard, manage a hedge fund, Chancellor Street Management LLC. Grosbard is presently enrolled as a student at Columbia University and lives in Manhattan.
Michael J. Cooney, Esq.
Michael Cooney is a partner at Nixon Peabody, where he practices law as it relates to nonprofit organizations ranging from hospitals to museums and universities. Cooney is a member of the American, New York State, District of Columbia, and Florida bar associations, as well as the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He is a former trustee of WXXI and former chair of the board of directors of the Rochester Area Community Foundation and of the World Childhood Foundation. Cooney also served on New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization. Cooney holds a bachelor of arts from Hamilton College and a juris doctor from the University of Virginia. He lives in Vienna, Virginia.
Paul Burgett, PhD
Dr. Paul Burgett is vice president, senior advisor to the president, university dean, and adjunct professor of music in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rochester. Dr. Burgett currently serves on the International Advisory Board of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago, the board of the Genesee Valley Club, the Mt. Hope Family Center Advisory Board, and the advisory committee of the Rochester Fringe Festival. He is a former chair of the boards of trustees of the Strong museum and the City of Rochester’s Zoning Board of Appeals, and he has served on the boards of directors of the Arts and Cultural Council of Rochester, the Genesee Country Village and Museum, the Hillside Family of Agencies, the Hochstein Memorial Music School, the United Way, the Urban League, the YMCA of Greater Rochester, and Young Audiences Inc. Dr. Burgett lives in Rochester.
Kenneth Frederick
Ken Frederick is a native of Rochester who has worked for Exxon Mobil Corporation for 30 years and has experience in oil and gas research, exploration, and production. He currently serves as Senior Reserves Consultant, an executive-level technical position. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University and a master of science and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois. For more than 25 years, he has been a member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) patron groups, which purchase artwork, including photographs, for the museum. He is currently Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Museum Collectors Patron Group. He currently resides in Houston, Texas.
Christine Symchych
Christine Symchych is an AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) certified municipal planner with 20 years of experience working with municipalities across Wisconsin on long-range comprehensive planning, historic preservation, and revitalization efforts. She is on the board of directors at the Milwaukee Art Museum, where she serves as chair of the Public Affairs Committee, president of the Contemporary Art Society, treasurer of the Photography Council, and member of the Acquisition Committee. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in art history and a master of architecture and urban planning with a certificate in preservation studies. She is an avid photography collector with a large collection of works ranging from early modernist to contemporary pieces. Symchych currently resides in Fox Point, Wisconsin.