About our Founder

Tim McLoone

When Tim McLoone first stepped onto the track as a first-year student at Seton Hall Prep in South Orange, NJ, he had no idea that was the beginning of a journey that would lead him to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2018. From there, he has gone on to lead a varied life that has many referring to him as a “Renaissance man.”

Tim continued his running career at Harvard University where he was named to the All-American and All-Ivy teams. From there he continued running and racing while involving himself in the event management side of the sport, culminating in his being named Executive Director of the US Men’s Olympic Trial in 1998. He became known for his TV appearances interviewing competitors “on the run” in major races such as the NYC and Los Angeles Marathons, the latter for which he received an Emmy Award. He continues his love of the sport today as the Head Coach of cross country and track at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School in Rumson, NJ.

Tim’s love of sports led him to a position with the New Jersey Nets, where he served as their first Director of Game Operations and their announcing “voice” at the Meadowlands Arena. He later transitioned to college hoops in the same capacity for Seton Hall University Basketball, a position he holds to this day.

Tim’s other passion is music, and he has performed for many years with his group Tim McLoone and the Shirley’s, performing with many entertainment luminaries such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Darlene Love, and Ben E. King. Incredibly, at the same time, he ventured into the restaurant business, opening McLoone’s Run Runner in Sea Bright, NJ, in 1987. In the ensuing years, that company has grown to ten locations, including the Robinson’s Ale House brand, with more on the way.

If you ask Tim, he will share that his greatest accomplishment is his most selfless one – the creation in 1993 of Holiday Express, the charitable organization that entertains and brings the gift of human kindness to thousands of the most disadvantaged among us each year. Over the course of November and December, more than one hundred professional musicians and 1,500 adult volunteers create magical holiday parties for places such as long-term residential psychiatric facilities, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, schools with students with varying degrees of physical and mental abilities, and the like.

Tim credits his wife, Beth, and their four children, Molly, Jack, Connor, and Hannah, with providing him with the love and support to do all these things. Tim is very much a homebody and cherishes his free time with his family in their Little Silver, NJ home.

About our Executive Director

Eileen Higgins

Eileen first joined Holiday Express in 2002 as an Advisory Board Member and quickly became a member of the Board of Trustees. In July of 2022, Eileen was selected to become the third Executive Director for the organization.

Prior to Holiday Express, Eileen served as the chief executive officer for Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, where she and her team were responsible for reversing a 12-year enrollment decline, boosting philanthropic support by 30% to increase community impact, and earning recognition as one of the top 10 Councils in the nation for market share growth. 

During her more than 30 years of work experience in nonprofit business environments, she has created an extraordinary record of developing strong community partnerships, innovative program development, increasing organizational efficiencies, and building and retaining board directors. Throughout her life and career, Eileen has been devoted to empowering the underserved to achieve their greatest potential. From running a transitional home for vulnerable women and children for over 10 years to overseeing a countywide workforce development program for 9 years to creating leadership experiences for nearly 9,000 girls at the Girl Scouts, Eileen believes in the power of every person, every individual.

Eileen has been a member of the Junior League of Monmouth County (JLMC) since 1990.  While in the League, Eileen served as Marketing Director, Community Director, SPAC representative, and Secretary of the Statewide SPAC Board.  As Community Director, she oversaw the development and implementation of the Hand-in-Hand Day Care Center, a 5-year program to help teen parents graduate from high school and develop parenting skills. She was responsible for bringing Grantsmanship Training to the League – and opening it up to other nonprofits in the community. 

She credits her activism and community involvement to her mom and support from her husband and children.  She was elected to 3-three-year terms as a member of the Board of Education of Rumson-Fair Haven High School. She served as a member of the Childcare Resources of Monmouth County, Monmouth County Strategic Planning Council, Human Services Advisory Council, President of the Garden State Employment and Training Association – a policy-making group around workforce development, the Advisory Council for First Tee of the Jersey Shore, and currently serves on the board of Monmouth Ocean Development Council.  

Eileen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond and a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University. She and her husband, Kieran, live with their golden retriever, Winston, in Fair Haven, NJ.   

Board of Trustees