Theater News

Paul Libin Retires as President of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Robert E. Wankel, president and co-CEO of the Shubert Organization, will succeed Libin.

Paul Libin, right, is stepping down after 24 years as president of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Robert E. Wankel, left, will succeed him in the position.
Paul Libin, right, is stepping down after 24 years as president of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Robert E. Wankel, left, will succeed him in the position.
(photo provided by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS)

At the February 22 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS board of trustees meeting, Paul Libin officially stepped down as president of the organization after 24 years of service.

"When I came on board with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the toll of this horrific disease was visibly present and taking a terrible human toll every day in our community," Libin said in a statement. "We couldn’t not do something. And while there’s been great advancement in treatment since, the need for help is as strong today as it was then. In response, Broadway Cares’ mission has expanded and embraced all members of our theatrical family and people in crisis and need across country. To witness that growth and be involved with this organization for 24 years has been one of the greatest privileges and honors of my career."

To honor him, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS bestowed a $100,000 grant to the Actors Fund to create the New York City home for Looking Ahead, a program that helps professional young performers build community and make a healthy, successful transition to adulthood. The center will be named the Paul Libin Center.

Shubert Organization president and co-CEO Robert E. Wankel will succeed Libin as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS president.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $285 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

For more information on Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, click here.