More and more in today’s competitive economy, employers are looking for professionals who can tackle scenarios on the job through both a business and liberal arts lens. Possessing technical and analytical skills, coupled with strong communication and expansive curiosity, makes recent graduates strong candidates for a variety of companies in many roles.

On Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. Fairfield Dolan and the College of Arts and Sciences invite the campus community for an evening of networking and panel discussion, entitled, “The Power of Integrating Liberal Arts and Business Education for Career Success.”

The evening will begin with a pre-lecture reception from 5:30 to 6 p.m., allowing event attendees to network with panelists while enjoying light refreshments. The lecture, moderated by Dean Richard A. Greenwald, PhD, of the College of Arts & Sciences and Dean Zhan Li, DBA, of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, will begin at 6 p.m. Dolan students who attend the event are eligible to receive PDS level two credit. All first-year students are eligible to receive FYE Inspire credit.

President of S&P Global Ratings John Berisford and his associates will discuss the necessity of a diverse academic background and how the unification of a liberal arts and business education can set individuals on a path for success in their professional and personal careers.

“To respond to the demand of employers for well-rounded employees, Fairfield Dolan has launched the Master's in Management program for non-business students who have studied liberal arts, humanities, science, and engineering,” said Dean Zhan Li.

Meet The S&P Global Ratings Panel

John Berisford
President
New York

As president of S&P Global Ratings, John Berisford is responsible for commercial, analytical, control, and operations functions. Berisford is the director of two of S&P Global Ratings’ largest legal entities, Standard & Poor’s Credit Market Services Europe Limited and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors of CRISIL (NSE: CRISIL), an S&P Global company. Prior to his role as president, Berisford served as the executive vice president of Human Resources for S&P Global Ratings. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from West Liberty College and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from West Virginia University.

Grace Bang
Data Scientist
New York

Grace Bang is a data scientist at S&P Global Ratings who spends her time using machine learning and natural language processing to enhance the credit analysis process. During her initial time at S&P Global Ratings, Bang spent a year in the Insurance Group within S&P Financial Services, and her second year in the Consumer Products sector within corporate ratings as a result of the CREDit program. She obtained a bachelor of science in psychology and a bachelor of arts in economics from Yale University.

Eden Perry
Head of U.S. Public Finance

Eden Perry is the head of U.S. Public Finance (USPF) at S&P Global Ratings. Her responsibilities include managing all USPF sectors throughout the country. Prior to her current role, Perry was a senior director for the U.S. States Group and main analyst for the states of New York and Minnesota while also managing a team. She received her bachelor’s degree in French from Vassar College and a master’s of international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Perry also spent time as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Morocco where she worked on projects to support maternal and child health.

Mark Risi ’97
Managing Director
Head of US & Canadian Structured Finance

Mark Risi is the Head of U.S. & Canadian Structured Finance for S&P Global Ratings. In his role he is responsible for the strategic direction and business priorities of seven teams consisting of almost 200 credit analysts who are responsible for more than 30,000 credit ratings. Risi has worked for S&P Global Ratings since 1997 in various capacities across Structured Finance. He has spent time as a credit analyst, managing both the US ABS & RMBS practices, and has also served as a Lean Implementation Coach working closely with teams in the US & EMEA. Risi received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Fairfield University and his master’s degree in finance from Wagner College.