NEW YORK, NY – On Wednesday, October 30, Goddard Riverside Community Center will be joined by publishing industry executives and supporters for its Back to the Future themed gala, which will be held at Manhattan’s Capitale. This year, Goddard Riverside will honor Jane Friedman, CEO and cofounder of Open Road Integrated Media, a digital publisher and multimedia content company. Friedman co-founded Open Road in 2009 and as CEO, helped build the company into the digital publisher of over 4,000 ebooks from authors, including James Jones, Alice Walker, Pat Conroy, William Styron, Pearl S. Buck and Michael Chabon. Prior to Open Road, Friedman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, one of the world’s leading English-language publishers, from November 1997 through June 2008. Friedman came to HarperCollins from Random House, where she was Executive Vice President of Random House Inc., Executive Vice President of the Knopf Publishing Group, Publisher of Vintage Books, and Founder and President of Random House Audio Publishing.
Friedman said: “I was introduced to Goddard by Peter Workman whose remarkable life and accomplishments are unparalleled. He spearheaded the publishing industry’s support of Goddard’s incredible work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help such an amazing organization continue its mission of enhancing the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers.”
The Back to the Future themed gala builds off Open Road’s approach of bringing iconic authors to the present and into the future by publishing their works as ebooks.
Goddard Riverside’s Annual Gala kicks off its New York Book Fair season, which began more than 25 years ago as a book sale to support its homeless outreach program. Since then, the Annual Gala and the New York Book Fair have become signature charitable projects of the publishing industry, and has raised more than $11.5 million to support Goddard’s many outreach, direct service and support programs.
To purchase a ticket to the gala, visit www.goddard.org, or contact Gigi Verkaik at 212-873-6600, ext. 312.
About Goddard Riverside Community Center
Goddard Riverside Community Center is committed to building community and enhancing the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers by meeting essential human needs. Through 26 programs, Goddard Riverside is an advocate for the best interests of our community members, as well as a provider of a continuum of vital services, including food and shelter programs, assistance for homeless and mentally ill men and women, and comprehensive educational, cultural and recreational programs for adults and children.