Murray Abeles serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Public Theater, an iconic cultural institution dedicated to continuing the visionary work of its founder, Joe Papp. Founded over 60 years ago, the Public Theater operates on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. As CFO, Murray creates the conditions for this work to thrive, stewarding the financial strategies that sustain The Public’s commitment to radical inclusivity and social impact.

Prior to joining the Public Theater, Murray served as Chief of Administration and Finance of NYC Kids RISE, a non-profit dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap. There, he helped build the infrastructure for the Save for College Program, a universal platform providing real financial assets to families regardless of immigration status. Murray led the operational scaling of the program from a local pilot to a citywide initiative reaching every public kindergarten student in New York. Under his financial stewardship, over 280,000 students have amassed $50 million towards higher education to date.

Earlier in his career, Murray held the position of Senior Associate at Franco Financial Group, a boutique investment banking and financial advisory firm. There, he provided transactional and strategic consulting services to public, private, and non-profit companies in North America and Europe, and served as Chief Compliance Officer and Portfolio Manager for the firm’s Wealth Management division.

He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies and Computer Science from New York University. Named one of Crain's New York's 2022 Notable Hispanic Leaders, Murray has also received New York University’s MLK Scholars Alumni Impact Award and Madame C.J. Walker Award for Entrepreneurial Activity. A former Shafik Gabr Foundation Fellow, he currently serves on the boards of NYC Kids RISE, Nonprofit New York, and Because Baseball, an organization that promotes cultural understanding between the United States and the Middle East through youth baseball.