Meet a Board Member – Jennifer Vorbach

Talk about perfect timing. Jennifer Vorbach, one of CEED’s newest board members, joined the Board just in time for us to co-host a groundbreaking art & nature exhibition, our very first. To know why this is such exquisite timing, you have to know where Jennifer’s life has taken her so far.

Born in Paris, and growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, Jennifer has also lived in London, and traveled extensively in Asia, South America, and Europe. She remembers being entranced by nature as a child, especially during summer vacations spent in the Swiss Alps watching chamois, a species of alpine goats, bound across the mountains. She kept salamanders and other creatures in large jars in her bedroom.

So it’s no surprise that when she came to the United States to attend college, she first majored in biology. She later found an even stronger career pull toward contemporary art, however, and eventually ended up following that path. She has been a buyer, seller, consultant, and even an auctioneer. She’s been employed by Christie’s no less than three times! Eventually, she helped form a gallery in Manhattan, started her own art business, and then moved to Bellport in 2014. 

Jennifer noticed CEED right away and began attending and enjoying CEED events. “I love that CEED is focused on education and connecting people to nature. It’s wonderful to see the community explore nature in an unmanicured place and get lost in the beauty. And it fits with my love of art. I have always felt that Mother Nature invented everything that artists strive to do.”

Jennifer was also attracted to what she describes as “The Edward Hopper-like Washington Lodge.” She met CEED’s Treasurer, Swazi Clarity, at local events, and then discovered they shared a dog walking route. Their dogs became fast friends first, and then Swazi and Jennifer followed. So when Swazi suggested Jennifer might be a good candidate for CEED’s Board, Jennifer was all ears.

And just a few weeks after joining the Board in April, CEED began a wonderful collaboration with Inspiration Plus, an organization on the South Fork that fosters the arts. What perfect timing for a new Board member with an arts and nature background to jump in with both feet. We’re so fortunate and grateful to have Jennifer lending her enthusiasm and expertise to the creation of this unique new event, Sculpture on the Trail … an Art & Nature Exhibition, to be held on August 20, 2022. 

Jennifer describes it as “a journey of discovery along the trail.”