It’s been a few days now, but longtime NJ Performing Arts Center CEO John Schreiber
— like so many others — is still struggling to reconcile the loss of Art Ryan.
Ryan, who passed away last week, was the CEO of Prudential Financial from 1994-
2008. He was a key player in the transformation of the company — helping Prudential
go public in 2001 — but his impact on the community was far greater.
In a heartfelt note to the NJPAC community, Schreiber wrote that Ryan taught everyone
how to live their best lives. He then rephrased what the novelist John O’Hara said after the death of George Gershwin:
“Art Ryan died on July 28, 2026, but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.”
Ryan’s impact on NJPAC and Newark was that great.
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Art Ryan was a key figure in two of the most important openings in Newark in recent
generations: the N.J. Performing Arts Center (in the fall of 1997) and the Prudential
Center (in the fall of 2007).
Prudential contributed mightily in dollars and manpower to support both endeavors. It’s
an example of corporate responsibility at its finest. And it comes from the global
company that has done so much for its hometown.
Most understand the importance of the fact that Prudential has never wavered in its
commitment to Newark, doubling down with a new 740,000 square-foot headquarters in
2015.
But it’s the work behind the scenes — the efforts Prudential doesn’t make public — that
are just as important.
The same can be said for Art Ryan and his late wife, Pat, who contributed behind the
scenes in many ways in Newark (creating so many educational opportunities) and
elsewhere, including Providence College, his alma mater.
Ryan’s influence can be seen in the reverence with which so many spoke of him after
his passing.
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Andy Sullivan, Prudential’s current CEO, said Ryan’s leadership, conviction and
commitment to excellence left a lasting imprint on the company.
“When I joined Prudential, I quickly learned that Art had achieved an almost legendary
status among generations of employees,” he said. “The respect people had for him, and
the stories they shared about his leadership, spoke volumes about the kind of dynamic
and authentic leader he was.”
Lata Reddy, who serves as the SVP of Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial and
Chair of The Prudential Foundation (and is an icon of corporate responsibility in her own
right), was just as gushing.
“While Art’s leadership transformed Prudential and helped define an era, his
commitment to community was equally inspiring,” she said. “He devoted his time,
influence, and energy to the revitalization of Newark, a city he cared about deeply. He
was also a passionate advocate for K–12 public education, lending his expertise and
counsel to presidents, governors, and education leaders working to expand opportunity
for young people across the country.
“Art leaves behind an extraordinary legacy — not only through the institutions he helped
strengthen, but through the people he inspired. I am grateful to have known him and
learned from him.”
Angelo Genova, co-founder of Genova Burns and long a power player in the city, said
the lessons he learned from Ryan about leadership and commitment to Newark will not
be soon forgotten.
Nor should they.
***
Art Ryan personified what all of us want our leaders to be. He deserves to be remembered for all that he did to help so many.
Ray Chambers, another legendary figure in philanthropy — another person who has done so much and asked for so little in return — told Steve Strunsky of NJ.com that Ryan’s passing has been devastating to him.
“It’s been one of the biggest and most painful losses I’ve experienced in life,” he said.
Schreiber noted how, under Ryan’s leadership, Prudential became (and remains today) NJPAC’s leading corporate supporter. A multi-million dollar gift to the Arts Center in 1996 resulted in the naming of its largest concert venue, Prudential Hall. Art led NJPAC’s 2004-2009 Endowment Campaign, which raised over $180,000,000.
Ryan served as NJ PAC co-board chair from 1999-2009. His wife, Pat Ryan, was a
founding member of NJPAC’s Women’s Association, now known as Women@NJPAC.
Together, they also gave generously to the Newark Museum of Art, the New Jersey
Symphony, Turtle Back Zoo and the Branch Brook Park Alliance, Schreiber said.
Schreiber paid Ryan the ultimate respect.
“He led his life with empathy, humor, brilliance and a perpetual eagerness to learn,” he
wrote. “The loss of the human beings we love punches a hole in our hearts. I will always
remember Art, and, like many of you reading this, will always be uplifted by the example
of his life.
“By virtue of the life he led, Art quietly and effortlessly showed us how to live our best
lives.”
