Longtime employees set to run Shubert Organization

The powerful Shubert Organization, Broadway's largest landlord, has looked to two of its longtime employees to run the company as well as its foundation, following the death of its chairman, Gerald Schoenfeld, last week.

Philip J. Smith has been named chairman of the organization, which owns 17 New York theaters. He will also head its multimillion-dollar foundation, which supports nonprofit theater and dance companies across the country.

The announcement was made Tuesday by the Shubert's board of directors, which also named Robert E. Wankel as president and elected him to the board of directors.

For more than a decade, Smith was the organization's president, working closely with Schoenfeld in producing shows and booking the company's many theaters.

Wankel, who has worked for the company for more than 30 years, was its chief financial officer and executive vice president.

"While Jerry Schoenfeld is not replaceable, we are confident that these new appointments will ensure the critical role of the Shubert Foundation in supporting nonprofit performing arts in America and the continued successes of the Shubert Organization in the professional theater," said Michael Sovern, president of the Shubert Foundation.