Joel Goldenthal, co-founder of The Nash, the downtown Phoenix jazz club, has stepped down as executive director.

He will continue to serve the organization as a sustainability specialist.

“We built The Nash; they came; now’s the time to sustain,” Goldenthal shared in a press release. “Preserving The Nash for future generations of audiences, musicians, and students in particular, is essential to our organization’s mission and vision, and the ultimate opportunity to ensure a legacy.”

Steve Maun, The Nash president/CEO, announced the move Thursday.

"Joel’s steadfast leadership and deep dedication to The Nash have been vital to the organization's growth over the past 25 years," Maun stated. “Throughout his tenure with the organization, Joel’s passion for jazz as an art form has been both evident and inspiring, helping to galvanize transformative support for The Nash.”

As the organization’s sustainability specialist, Goldenthal will continue developing and securing major gifts to support The Nash’s programming and education initiatives. His recent accomplishments include securing a $1 million naming gift from the John Dawson Foundation to expand the organization’s education center and honor the philanthropist's life-long support of jazz.

The result is the John Dawson Jazz Education Center, a 3,200-square-foot facility dedicated to cultivating jazz musicians, ensembles, and vocalists.

The Nash jazz club, at 110 E. Roosevelt St., opened in 2012 on Roosevelt Row.

Named in honor of world-renowned drummer and Phoenix native Lewis Nash, in a typical year The Nash presents a mix of more than 300 shows featuring local, regional and world-renowned jazz musicians, as well as weekly jam sessions and student performances by educational institutions across the Valley.