Esther Novak

Esther Novak passed away peacefully on January 12, 2025 at the age of 81. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, Esther approached life with incredible passion and vitality. She cared deeply about her family and proudly supported them with an abundance of love, care and wisdom. She had a wonderfully loving marriage with her husband William F. Fox Sr (deceased 2017). She is survived by her four children Ken Novak and his wife Jill; Dave Novak and his wife Jane; William F. Fox Jr. and his wife Dormafe Balyous; and Katherine F. Fox and her husband Edward Helbig; her sister, Paya Vaimberg, and her seven grandsons: Matt, Connor, Ethan, and Jonathan Novak; William Fox III; Edward (EJ) and Arlen Helbig.

Born March 25, 1943 in Lima, Peru to David and Rachel Spilberg, Esther immigrated to the United States at the age of eight. She spent her youth in Brooklyn, NY where she graduated from Midwood High School. From there, Esther went on to Barnard College, earning her undergraduate degree in Spanish Literature and subsequently worked towards a Masters and other professional certificates in Management and Marketing from Columbia, Harvard, and Duke Universities.

Esther also brought an unwavering dedication and energy to her professional pursuits. As a pioneering business woman and entrepreneur she left her imprint across the arts, government, philanthropy, and marketing communications. Her integrated Hispanic and American perspectives made her effective across all of her pursuits. She cared deeply about her team and her clients, both personally and professionally, and she proudly mentored aspiring women and Hispanics throughout her career.

At Rutgers University, Esther founded the Hispanic Arts Program as part of the newly created Mason Gross School of the Arts. She was then recruited to be the Director of Interdisciplinary Programs at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington D.C., where she provided federal funding for performing arts centers, cultural trade organizations, and contemporary interdisciplinary arts programs. Esther then spent over a decade at AT&T where she held various positions including strategic planning for the AT&T Foundation and leading multicultural public relations for the company's consumer long-distance unit.

Esther ultimately found her calling as an entrepreneur starting VanguardComm in 1995, a full-service strategic consulting and marketing communications firm that specialized in multicultural and niche markets. VanguardComm embodied Esther’s skills, passions, and unwavering commitment to her heritage—it was the culmination of her life’s work.

Always eager to bring her passion and expertise to community organizations, Esther served on the Boards of the American Repertory Ballet, American Symphony Orchestra League, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, Grounds For Sculpture, INTAR, McCarter Theatre, Museo del Barrio, New Jersey Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Peru Agribusiness Association, Smithsonian Institute Latino Task Force, State Theatre NJ, Voice of Hispanic Marketing and was selected to serve on the Governor’s New Jersey Council for Economic Growth. Appreciation and honor came in return for all that Esther gave of herself and achieved, from Top Fifty Women in Business - NJBiz, to LATINA Style magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, to Best Professional Services Business Woman of the Year - Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Congress, along with National Role Model of the Year, AT&T Hispanic Employees Association.

With so much love, we bid farewell to our dear Esther, Mom, Aba, Aunt Esther, and Esthercita. May her memory be a blessing.

In lieu of flowers, you may send donations in memory of Esther to Grounds For Sculpture, INTAR, or Mc Carter Theatre.