The Power of Integrating Liberal Arts and Business Education for Career Success

Fairfield Dolan and College of Arts and Science students are invited to a special panel discussion: “The Power of Integrating Liberal Arts and Business Education for Career Success” with guest speaker John Berisford, President, S&P Global Ratings and company panelists. The event will be moderated by Dean Richard Greenwald, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences and Dean Zhan Li, Dean, Charles F. Dolan School of Business.  Attendees are invited to join for a pre-lecture reception from 5:30-6:00 pm. Network with panelists and faculty. Light refreshments will be served. Space is limited. Please sign-up on Life@Fairfield or email dolancommunication@fairfieled.edu. 

Panel Discussion:

 In report after report, it is clear that employers demand graduates who not only possess functional and technical skills but must have the skills of deep analysis, collaboration/team work, crisp and clear communication, and wide curiosity. You’re invited to the Dean’s Executive Forum, “The Power of Integrating Liberal Arts and Business Education for Career Success”, co-organized by the Charles F. Dolan School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences. Join John Berisford, President of S&P Global Ratings, and panelists with diverse academic backgrounds to discuss how the integration of liberal arts and business education can position you for success in your professional careers and personal lives.

MODERATED BY

Dean Richard Greenwald, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

Dean Zhan Li, Dean, Charles F. Dolan School of Business

GUEST SPEAKER

John Berisford
President, S&P Global Ratings
New York

John Berisford is President of S&P Global Ratings. He has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the business, including commercial, analytical, control, and operations functions.

S&P Global Ratings is regulated in many of the countries in which it operates, and John is a director of two of its largest legal entities, Standard & Poor’s Credit Market Services Europe Limited and Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC. John also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRISIL (NSE: CRISIL), an S&P Global company.

Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of Human Resources for the Company. In this role, he was instrumental in creating and executing on the Company’s Growth and Value Plan, resulting in the creation of McGraw Hill Financial and the sale of McGraw Hill-Education. He led the initiative to create the Company’s focused Business Unit operating model while strengthening the HR function with new capabilities to support the Company’s growth and performance goals. John also drove the succession process that enabled a seamless CEO transition in 2013.

Before joining the Company in 2011, John spent 22 successful years at PepsiCo where he spearheaded a number of important global initiatives and transformations. Among other strategic projects, he led the integration after PepsiCo acquired the independent Pepsi Bottling Group into its overall corporate structure.

Mr. Berisford holds a bachelor's degree in political science from West Liberty College in West Virginia and a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from West Virginia University.

S&P GLOBAL RATINGS PANEL

Grace Bang
Data Scientist, S&P Global Ratings
New York

Grace Bang is a Data Scientist at S&P Global Ratings focusing on using machine learning and natural language processing to automate and augment the credit analysis process. She has published several papers on complex systems and building sophisticated enterprise systems for analysts in the financial services sector. Grace initially joined S&P Global Ratings through the CREDit program where she spent a year in the Insurance group within Financial Services and the second year in the Consumer Products sector within corporate ratings. Prior to joining S&P Global Ratings in 2015, Grace was with Force Capital Management where she worked as an equity analyst covering technology, retail, and consumer products stocks.  Grace holds 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. In this position, she is responsible for managing all the USPF sectors across the country. Her role includes ensuring analytical excellence across all sectors while executing operational efficiency.

Prior to transitioning into this role, she was a Senior Director for the U.S. States Group where she managed the team, while being the primary analyst on the states of New York and Minnesota. Eden has published sector-wide reports on state pensions, debt derivatives, and debt statement analysis. In the past, Eden was a sector leader for the lease and federal lease, debt derivatives, and debt sector teams and contributed to criteria development within these sectors.

Eden is a board member of Northeast Women in Public Finance and a member of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts (NFMA). She is the Membership Chair and on the Board of Directors for the NFMA’s local affiliate the Municipal Analyst Group of New York (MAGNY). Eden is also the Secretary of the Board of ParentsNet and is actively involved in WINS; S&P Global employee resource groups.

Eden received a Bachelor’s degree in French from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In 2000, she received a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Upon graduating, Eden was a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps in Morocco, specifically involved in maternal and child healthcare.

Mark Risi

Managing Director

Head of US & Canadian Structured Finance

As Head of US & Canadian Structured Finance for S&P Global Ratings, Mark is responsible for the strategic direction and business priorities for seven teams consisting of almost 200 credit analysts responsible for over 30,000 credit ratings. Mark works closely with colleagues in other jurisdictions and across practices to ensure we are the preferred provider of independent, rigorous and innovative credit ratings and insights. Mark has been with S&P Global Ratings since 1997 and has worked in multiple roles across Structured Finance, including a number of years as a credit analyst, management of both the US ABS & RMBS practices and servicing as a Lean Implementation Coach, working closely with teams in the US & EMEA. 

Mark has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Fairfield University and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Wagner College.