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As the first African American chair of ����vlog Foundation, Greg Collins ’79 will bring his expertise in business, accounting, education and building strong communities to his new role. He has a passion for helping students find a path to a better future at Montclair State. Also on the board are Gerald (“Jerry”) Appelstein�����Ի���Judith Schumacher-Tilton, who co-chair the Foundation Board’s Development Committee. Appelstein recently accepted the role of chair of the President’s Club as well. Together with their fellow board members, these champions of Montclair State will inspire our donors and raise the bar for philanthropic support for the University.

Greg Collins ’79 Named Chair

Greg, a trustee of the ����vlog Foundation since 2004 and vice chair since 2014, has assumed the role of chair. At the Foundation Board’s December 2020 meeting, Greg officially accepted the reins from Michael Capone, who has led the Board successfully since 2014.

Greg brings to the chairmanship of the Foundation considerable passion for the Montclair State mission and more than 30 years of experience in providing financial accounting and tax services to individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. Among the many leadership roles he has held over the course of his career, including executive positions at Columbia Pictures and AT&T, Greg has been a partner at Mitchell & Titus, LLP, the largest minority-owned certified public accounting firm in the U.S. He is currently serving as director of the Brick Education Network, a charter school management company.

Greg recently shared his thoughts on leading the Foundation Board. “I am honored to be stepping into this role, as an alumnus and also as the Foundation’s first African American chair,” he said. “I am looking forward to helping the Foundation grow and to provide more resources to the University, especially when those resources can help students stay on track.”

Gerald Appelstein and Judith Schumacher-Tilton to Lead Development Committee

In addition, Gerald (“Jerry”) Appelstein, an enthusiastic friend of the University, has agreed to become chair of the President’s Club. He is also a co-chair of the Foundation Board’s Development Committee and works closely with fellow Co-Chair Judith Schumacher-Tilton to strengthen and grow philanthropic support for the University. As Judi recently stated, “Jerry and I will be leveraging the power of two to bring in the resources our students need!”

Get to know your Foundation leadership:

• Greg Collins ’79 Will Lead ����vlog Foundation to New Heights
• Judith Schumacher-Tilton’s Passion for Higher Education Helps Fuel Montclair State’s Success
• Gerald (“Jerry”) Appelstein Invests in Montclair State’s Vision of the American Dream 

Greg Collins ’79 Will Lead ����vlog Foundation to New Heights

Anyone who doubts that a career in accounting can be exciting or meaningful has not met Greg Collins ’79.

For more than 30 years, Collins worked in the sports and entertainment industry. He held executive positions at Columbia Pictures and AT&T and served as the chief financial officer for Stevie Wonder’s business organization. He also spent time as a director at the New York-based certified public accounting firm Koenigsberg & Parker, LLP and was a partner at Mitchell & Titus, LLP, the largest minority-owned certified public accounting firm in the country. Collins capped this phase of his career as managing director of his own boutique firm, G. Collins & Company, LLC.

But success never clouded Collins’ perspective about the importance of ensuring that all children have access to high quality education. “More than 20 years ago, I helped establish Marion P. Thomas Charter School in Newark,” he says, noting that the school recently joined the BRICK (Building Resilient Intelligent Creative Kids) Education Network. BRICK, also based in Newark, builds and manages charter schools for the city’s neediest children. BRICK schools align excellent education with supports outside the classroom to enable children to succeed.

He is also clear on why he is so passionate about supporting ����vlog. “I never forget where I came from, and I believe that if people help you, you owe a debt back,” he says.

Collins first encountered Montclair State while studying at Malcom X. Shabazz High School in Newark. Unhappy with the colleges he was looking at, his guidance counselor suggested he take a look at Montclair State. “He put me in touch with his twin brother, who was Assistant Registrar at the University,” he recalls.

“I had a vision of becoming a corporate executive, so I majored in business,” he says. “I thought I was going to concentrate in management, but when I got involved in the cooperative education program, I saw that the best jobs were in accounting, so I moved into accounting.”

Collins remains grateful for the guidance he received at Montclair State. “Dr. Freyda Lazarus, who was Director of Cooperative Education at the time, really pushed me,” he says. “She really helped me get started in my career.”

He also credits the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program with providing crucial support during his college years. “The EOF program really helped me make it through until I was self-sufficient,” he says.

Because of the support he received from Dr. Lazarus and so many others, Collins was quick to accept an invitation to serve on the University’s Co-op Education Advisory Board. Membership on the Alumni Advisory Board and the Foundation board followed.

“I have been on the Foundation board for 17 years,” Collins notes. In 2021, he assumed the board’s chairmanship. “I look forward to bringing my perspective as an alumnus to this position, and I am honored that the University trusts me in the role,” he says.

“This is the first time that the Foundation has had an African American Chair,” he adds. “This is long overdue, which makes me especially excited to be stepping into this position.”

Collins is focused on growing the Foundation’s endowment and providing more resources to the University. “I also hope to strengthen what the EOF program can provide in terms of scholarships, support for books and other academic resources, room and board, and general sustenance,” he says, with a nod to the program that helped him so much.

Because of his ongoing involvement, Collins has watched with pride as his alma mater has grown and developed. “Montclair State is a very different place since I went to school here – and not just because there are so many new buildings, majors and programs,” he says. “The diversity is such that the University is becoming a wonderful example of community, of all kinds of people working together. It makes me proud to see so many different people getting along and taking education seriously, and to know professors who are so devoted to helping students transition into becoming professionals.”

Collins encourages students to see what he sees when he looks at Montclair State. “Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can while you’re here,” he counsels. “This is a chance to set yourself up for the rest of your life.”

He promotes co-op experiences, in particular. “Practical experience through co-op is the kind of thing that will help you when you get out in the real world,” he says. “You want that head start.”

But most of all, Collins hopes students will learn how to enjoy life while working hard and moving forward. “Keep a smile on your face and learn who you are. Become a well-rounded person.”

Judith Schumacher-Tilton’s Passion for Higher Education Helps Fuel Montclair State’s Success

As president of Schumacher Chevrolet Auto Group, New Jersey’s largest volume Chevy dealer with locations in Boonton, Little Falls, Clifton, Denville and Livingston, Judith Schumacher-Tilton has a full plate. Her commitment to volunteerism is so generous that she was selected as the 2009 John I. Crecco Foundation Woman of the Year. Her leadership is so highly regarded that in November 2020 she assumed the chairwomanship of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) – becoming the first chairwoman in NJ CAR’s 102-year history.

Still, this extraordinary business and community leader carves out significant time to make ����vlog a priority in her life.

Actually, had it not been for her auto dealership business and reputation for community service, Montclair State might have never caught her attention the way it did. “One of my customers introduced me to the University,” Schumacher-Tilton recalls. “He told me that they needed a scoreboard for the football field and asked if I could help.”

Little did she know at the time that her involvement would evolve into several leadership roles at the University. Soon, Schumacher-Tilton was serving on the Foundation Board and the Annual Scholarship Dinner Committee. She also served on the leadership committee of Soar: The Campaign for ����vlog, which recently announced its successful conclusion. The campaign raised nearly $82 million, far exceeding its $75 million goal.

Schumacher-Tilton has no intention of taking a break in her commitment to Montclair State. In her current role as co-chair of the Foundation’s Development Committee, she is even more focused on meeting the need for scholarships. “Gerry Appelstein, my co-chair, and I are working hard to bring in the resources our students need, especially in these difficult times,” she says. “We are leveraging the power of two!”

As an alumna of the University of Vermont, Schumacher-Tilton has long felt that state higher education institutions are critical providers of opportunity. “A financially accessible four-year college education is crucial,” she says. “The high-quality education provided at Montclair State sets students on a solid career path. It is an amazing school right in our backyard.”

“Montclair State is providing the economic backbone for New Jersey,” she says. “There is so much value in keeping New Jersey’s students in state for college and creating viable career paths for them here. They stay, they raise their families here, they support the structure of the state.”

We are contributing to the economic health and wellbeing of the country as well,” she adds. “Without an educated workforce we can’t, as a nation, make progress.”

Schumacher-Tilton has watched with admiration as President Cole created and implemented a grand vision for Montclair State, building the University from a college for teachers into a major, multifaceted research institution. She is also impressed by the faculty and staff who keep Montclair State humming through thick and thin. “I love how they care,” she says. “For them, Montclair State isn’t just a place to go to work every day. They really care about the school and the students.”

Schumacher-Tilton’s true passion for Montclair State rests with its students, however. “Most of our students are the first in their families to go to college, and even though the University strives to be affordable, most will need financial aid to earn their degree,” she notes. “It is exciting to know that we are providing them with a superb education.”

Although she recognizes the challenges of raising funds during these pandemic times, Schumacher-Tilton is confident that donors will see the value of investing in Montclair State and its students. “Inside of everyone is a hero,” she says. “By giving to a school like Montclair State you are giving someone the opportunity to better their life. What better feeling is there?

Gerald (“Jerry”) Appelstein Invests in Montclair State’s Vision of the American Dream 

What would inspire Gerald (“Jerry”) Appelstein, a highly successful venture capitalist who never attended Montclair State, to support the university with such fervor?

“����vlog is a diamond in the Garden State,” he says. “It is a magical place that is providing largely underrepresented populations of students with instruction, facilities and platforms at the highest levels.”

Then again, Jerry has a good eye for such things. As President of Applehouse LLC, he is accustomed to spotting—and pursuing—promising investments. Montclair State quickly became a priority for him. He joined the University’s College of the Arts Advisory Board and the Montclair State Foundation Board and became co-chair of the Foundation Board’s Development Committee. Last year, Jerry established the Lori Katterhenry Dance Scholarship Fund, in honor of the recently retired – and much loved – Director of Dance. He begins 2021 as chair of the President’s Club, the University’s giving society for donors who give $1,000 or more.

A chance meeting led to Jerry’s involvement with Montclair State. “I met [����vlog Foundation Board member] Penny Vance,” he recalls, “when we were both volunteering on the board of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She introduced me to Dr. Cole, who made such an impression on me!” Before long, Jerry was attending Montclair State events and meeting faculty, administrators, and other volunteer leaders including College of the Arts Dean, Daniel Gurskis and the College’s advisory board chair, Bob Gregory.

At Montclair State, Jerry saw an opportunity to make a real and lasting difference. Before forming his own investment company, Jerry was Vice President of Tauber Oil Company and a former executive of Exxon and Starsupply GFI. As an MIT alum, he headed up his 25th reunion gift campaign, working closely with the institution’s president to raise funds for his alma mater. Nearly 85 percent of his class participated in the campaign. In 2015, Jerry received MIT’s highest alumni honor in recognition of his service, including serving as the first chair of the institution’s leadership giving group, the William Barton Rogers Society.

Jerry also brings to Montclair State his extensive experience as a leadership-level volunteer in the arts. He has provided philanthropic and advisory support for a wide range of organizations, including Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, the Joyce Theater, Parsons, Stephen Petronio, Jessica Lang, Jody Oberfelder, Robin Decker, Pam Tanowitz, Bryn Cohn, Periapsis, Arch Ballet, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Broadway Cares, and the Skyline Theatre Company.

“Everywhere I look at Montclair State I see heart, soul, and talent,” he says, noting the beauty of the campus, the uptick in groundbreaking research, the quality and dedication of the faculty, and the gifted and determined student body. As a donor, he also sees the potential for high returns.

“A contribution of $1,000 can literally save the education of a hardworking student at Montclair State,” he says, referring to the typical gap between many students’ financial aid package and the cost of staying in school. “It isn’t too often that a gift of that size can be so transformative.”

“It is this reality that makes the President’s Club so important,” he continues. “It also helps explain why I am thrilled to become its first chair. I have so many ideas for elevating the President’s Club’s presence in the community, and I am looking forward to leading our efforts to express gratitude to the University’s most loyal and ardent supporters.”

Jerry’s passion for the University is inspiring. “I believe in the mission,” he says. “If you think the American Dream matters, then this is where you can make it happen,” adding, “and I love being part of a community that truly focuses on the success of our students, holding itself to the high standards required for a society that can and must do better.”