Jason Beckwith and Alexis Dunbar Beckwith P’23
Parent Leadership Award
Managing Director, Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch and Independent Construction, Renovation, and Design Consultant
Jason Beckwith and Alexis Dunbar Beckwith P’23 joined the Parent Leadership Council (PLC) soon after their son Alec became a freshman rower at Fairfield. With experience raising funds for schools and their church, building financial support for the rowing team felt like a natural way for the Beckwiths to get involved. They set out to create a culture of giving around the rowing team and an understanding of what it takes to make the team competitive. In just one year, with the help of many families, they raised the funds and commitments for new boats and equipment and the new Rowing Training Center. They continued their support even when Alec took a break from rowing to focus on a double major in his final year. The men's team had a historic finish to its 2023 spring season with its performance at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia. The women’s team earned a second-place finish at the 2022 MAAC Championships. Alexis said, “It was really nice to see that we had made a difference, that the new boats had helped improve performance and perhaps overall morale.”
It was also important to the Beckwiths that the student-athletes have ongoing support when they graduate, look for jobs, and head into successful futures. Alexis has served on the Athletics Advisory Board since it formed in 2020 and has organized a series of Zoom talks for all campus athletes on topics ranging from “Life After Athletics” to “Leadership Skills” and “Post Grad Financial Literacy.”
In addition to their alumnus son Alec ’23, the Chicago and Chesterton, Indiana residents share StagMate status with Alexis’s brother and sister-in-law, James & Elyse (Mueller) Dunbar ’99.