Since 1998, the annual Fairfield Awards Dinner has remained a beloved celebration of Fairfield, raising nearly $20 million for the Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund and other endowment scholarships.

Continuing the tradition of recognizing volunteer commitment to Fairfield, professional excellence, and outstanding leadership, this year’s Fairfield Awards Dinner will honor John and Lori Berisford, P'21,’20 with the Parent Leadership Award.

Neither John nor Lori Berisford had a connection to Fairfield University before daughter Lane ’20, chose to enroll. “She attended Admitted Students Day and never looked back. She just had a warm feeling about the campus and the people she met,” Lori recalled.

The next year, their younger daughter Liza ’21 followed her sister to campus, and John and Lori plunged into their roles as active and committed volunteers. Serving as Parents Leadership Council (PLC) co-chairs, they regularly attended Alumni and Family Weekend events, PLC breakfasts, and spring events. Lori hosted one of the first Fairfield Moms Brunches and served as a parent ambassador throughout the years. John engaged in a panel discussion on the benefits of liberal arts education in the business world for the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. 

The Berisfords met some 30 years ago while working at PepsiCo. John spent 22 years at the company where he helped lead the launch of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Group as a public company and later served as chief human resources officer. Currently, he is president of S&P Global Ratings, a credit rating agency, and is a director on the boards of the two largest legal entities. He also serves as board chairman of CRISIL, an S&P Global company.

Lori retired from PepsiCo after 20 years in human resources. Since then, she has been actively involved in every aspect of her community in Ridgefield, Conn., from her daughters’ grade school to The Center for Empowerment and Education, the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, The Ridgefield Playhouse, Founder’s Hall, RVNAhealth, and ACT of Connecticut. Most notably, she has been committed to SPHERE, an organization that serves 60 adults with developmental, cognitive, and intellectual disabilities. Since 2014, she has been president and board chair of the organization. In 2021, she was recognized as Ridgefield’s Citizen of the Year by the Rotary Club of Ridgefield.

For more information on Fairfield Awards Dinner sponsorships, tickets, or journal ads, please contact Jen Kane at 203-254-4000 ext. 2464 or jkane1@fairfield.edu.