While Fairfield will continue to honor and celebrate our female Stags every day, as the 2020-21 academic year draws to a close, the University has several events lined up to round out the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Women at Fairfield:

Open VISIONS Forum | In Affiliation with the Women’s Leadership Council
Melissa Bernstein, "LifeLines"
Monday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Join Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of the wildly successful toy company Melissa & Doug, for a virtual discussion about her journey of triumph over anxiety, depression, and despair — a story she hopes will help others find their path to meaning and inner peace. Now, more than ever, Melissa’s message is needed by others, and her promise to all who journey with her is that “you are not alone.” Presented by the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, this event is free and open to the public; registration is required. 

#UNLOAD FOUNDATION
Jessica Mindich, "Guns: The Ultimate in Feminine Protection?"
Tuesday, April 27 at 7 p.m.
Activist and entrepreneur Jessica Mindich founded the Caliber Collection in 2012 as a way to address urban gun violence. Her collection of jewelry, art, and lighting – made from illegal guns and the metal from the shell casings from some of the toughest cities in America like Hartford, Newark, and Detroit – raised money to fund gun buybacks and amnesty programs. Mindich will share how she got involved in gun violence prevention, her experiences working in the male-dominated world of crime prevention, and her ideas on how to engage the public by offering hope. Presented by the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, this event is free and open to the public.

"The Women We've Become"
A Conversation with Alumnae in Corporate Philanthropy
Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. 
Join this informal discussion, moderated by professor of art history Katherine Schwab, PhD, and featuring two alumnae who have built successful careers in corporate philanthropy: Anne Black '93, president of Goldman Sachs Gives, and Lauren Shortt '91, vice president and national director of strategic partnerships and corporate philanthropy at First Republic Bank. Learn how Black and Shortt were inspired to choose this career path, discover how their Fairfield education has influenced their work, and hear about their experiences along the way. Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations. 

Dr. Marti LoMonaco | Theatre Fairfield
"Celebrating Women in Theatre"
Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m.
Join this panel discussion moderated by Marti LoMonaco, PhD, professor and director of the Theatre Program within the Department of Visual & Performing Arts. Dr. LoMonaco will speak with three alumnae who majored in theatre while at Fairfield: Jennifer Katona '98, PhD, founder and president of 3 Looms Creative Education Consulting; Katie McLaughlin '07, founder, chief strategist, and transformation artist of McLaughlin Method; and Erin Pender LeVine '95, owner and instructor of Pender-Keady Irish Academy of Dance. Learn how their post-graduate careers have taken them down very different paths, and discover how they’ve applied their Fairfield backgrounds to every challenge and triumph they’ve encountered along the way. Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations. 

50th Anniversary of Women at Fairfield | Provost Webinar Series
“Blazing into the Future”
Monday, May 10 at 12 p.m. 
University Provost Christine Siegel, PhD, will moderate the last of her webinar series highlighting women at Fairfield, “Blazing into the Future,” accompanied by a current student and two recent alumnae: senior Jessica Castillo ’21, an international studies and politics major, and French, Latin American and Caribbean studies minor; Rachel Abriola ’20, a labor and delivery nurse at Bridgeport Hospital; and Madison Banas ’20, manager of tournaments and communications at Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation. The women will discuss their individual experiences of completing college and beginning careers during a global pandemic, reveal how their Fairfield education prepared them for these challenges and beyond. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost. 

Fairfield University Art Museum
Art in Focus: Lalla Essaydi, Harem Revisited #31
Thursday, May 20; 11 a.m. 
Join Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo ’07, PhD, for a discussion of Lalla Essaydi’s Harem Revisited #31, 2012, chromogenic print. Take a look at the current exhibition By Design: Theater and Fashion in the Photography of Lalla Essaydi and send any questions about the artwork ahead of the Art in Focus to mdimarzo@fairfield.edu. Art in Focus is presented by the Fairfield University Art Museum.

For more information on past and upcoming events to celebrate Fairfield's 50th Anniversary of Women, visit fairfield.edu/celebrate-women.