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Born to Run: The Wharton Club of New Jersey
Although the Wharton
Club of New Jersey is the
most recent addition to the
alumni club network in the
United States, the club is
not letting its "new kid on
the block" status stand in
the way of achievement.
The men and women who
manage the chapter have
put together some of the
most ambitious programming
among the 82 clubs
around the world. For instance,
consider a club
program held this past
February in Florham Park,
NJ. There were more than
100 alumni from throughout
the state in attendance.
The elegant room was
abuzz during the cocktail
hour: alumni gathered to
catch up with old friends,
business cards were exchanged
among new acquaintances,
and more
than one job lead was overheard
being shared among
grads. So already, it was a
successful Wharton
club event by anyone's
estimation.
Now, add to the mix
the fact that the meeting
featured a speaker of the
stature of Christie Todd
Whitman, director of the
Environmental Protection
Agency and the former
governor of New Jersey.
Whitman opened her
remarks with a nod to
Penn's founder, Benjamin
Franklin, and then she
addressed the group on
a range of topical issues
including environmentally
friendly modes of transportation,
President Bush's
tax plan, and business conditions
in the Garden State.
Club members were able
to take advantage of this
unique access to the former
governor throughout a
spirited Q & A session
which followed her talk.
The next day, coverage of
the event made the front
page of the local newspaper.
It was the most public
and potent example yet of
why the Wharton Club of
New Jersey means good
business for its members.
No one understands
that relationship between
the alumni and business
communities in New Jersey
better than its volunteer
leadership. The club is under
the direction of a seven-
member executive
committee and an eleven-member
board of directors,
which represents the diversity
of the Wharton alumni
community in the Garden
State. Members of these
groups reflect a breadth
of professional affiliations
and a diversity of age
ranges from the classes
of the 1960s through a
young alumnus from the
class of 2001. In just a
short time, the group has
put together programs
ranging from a talk by real
estate magnate Ara K.
Hovnanian, W'79, WG'79,
CEO and President of
Hovnanian Enterprises; the
kickoff of two series, one
on wealth management and
the other on entrepreneurship;
and a New Jersey
Nets game featuring a reception
with basketball legend
Willis Reed. They have
pursued sponsorship of
their events by local corporations,
and there is extensive
publicity in the local
and business press both
before and after programs.
The club also has a website
www.whartonnjclub.com
replete with information
about club events, career
opportunities, membership
benefits, and ways for alum-ni
to get involved.
These achievements are
all the more impressive
when you take into account
that this club was an idea
waiting to be born less than
two years ago. The club
was founded by Jonathan
Perelman, W'76, and a partner
at Ehrenkrantz, Sterling
& Co. LLC, CPA firm in
Livingston, in a story that is
emblematic of the entrepreneurial
spirit inherent in
Wharton alumni. While
Perelman is a member of a
multigenerational Penn
family, he was admittedly
not an active alumnus of
the School: "I was a late
bloomer," he says. A merger
of his accounting firm with
another firm a few years ago
heightened his awareness of
strengthening connections
with other Wharton alumni
in northern New Jersey, so
he sought out a Wharton
Club to help him meet other
grads. Finding none, he
became actively involved
with the Wharton Club of
New York, which ultimately
became an important resource
when the need for a
stand-alone New Jersey club
became apparent.
Perelman worked with
New York club leaders and
sought out other alumni in
New Jersey who were committed
to his vision of an organization
that would
connect Wharton alumni
with one another and to the
School. Adhering to his belief
that "the best ideas are
right in front of you," he
worked with members of the
Alumni Affairs Office staff to
send out a mailing to alumni,
apprising them of the
creation of a new Wharton
Club of New Jersey and
inviting them to come to an
organizational meeting. The
results exceeded Perelman's
expectations: 30 people came
out to offer their help at that
first meeting, forming the
core of leadership that is sustaining
the club today, and
more than 180 alumni are
now paid members.
What's on the horizon
for the Wharton Club of
New Jersey? The club is already
planning more events
in the next few months and
are developing more career-focused
services to meet
member needs. Ultimately,
says Perelman, determining
the future of the club is a
function of the members it
serves: "I keep telling people
it's ‘your club,' it's ‘everybody's
club,' and that my
role as President is to be a
facilitator and to keep the
momentum going." With a
dedicated corps of volunteer
leaders, programs like the
event with Governor
Whitman, and a mandate
to better the professional
lives of the members it
serves, the Wharton Club of
New Jersey is poised for
continuing the fast pace
they have maintained since
their quick start just over a
year ago. To quote the
Garden State's favorite son,
Bruce Springsteen, the
Wharton Club of New
Jersey was "born to run."
Remember to check out www.whartonnjclub.com
if you live in, work in, or are planning to visit New Jersey.
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