Jay Lesiger
A native New Yorker, Jay has worn many hats during his adult life: employee benefits manager, choral singer and fundraiser (13 years as a charter member of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus), concert and theatrical producer (for the Chorus at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and for his own company, Opening Doors Productions, where he produced the first-ever New York revival of the Stephen Sondheim “Anyone Can Whistle”), and most significantly, proud owner of Chelsea Pines Inn for more than 25 years.
He has served on the Board of Directors as Vice President and then President of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders), a New York-based agency that provides social services, education and advocacy for our elderly community. In 2008 Jay has been honored to work with the New York City LGBT Community Services Center on its 25th anniversary celebration, where he helped produce and chair “Broadway Backwards 3,” a sold-out benefit for The Center at the American Airlines Roundabout Theatre. Jay repeated this task in 2009, and looks forward to working on the next edition of “Broadway Backwards” with the Center and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
An inveterate theatergoer, film buff and world traveler, Jay has shared his passion for film posters by decorating the entire building with vintage posters. Nearly 300 posters grace the hallways and guest rooms. In recent years, Jay had his first-ever poster show at a nearby university, which featured over 100 of his most significant (and favorite) posters, and was profiled in the New York Times. Jay would like to pay tribute to several important people: his late lover and founder of Chelsea Pines, Sheldon Post, whose dream became a reality; his beloved partner, Tom Klebba, who became Jay’s legal spouse when they married in Massachusetts on Election Day in 2008; and his good friend and longtime manager, Al Ridolfo, for all his help and support.