Lori Berisford – President and Chairman of the Board
Lori has been active with SPHERE since 2009 and joined the Board in the winter of 2011. In 2014 Lori became SPHERE’s Board Chair and in 2015, she also assumed the role of President. After a twenty-year career in Human Resources for the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Lori retired in 1996. Lori now spends time as a community activist helping local non-profits such as Ability Beyond Disability, Kids in Crisis, RVNAhealth and the Ridgefield Playhouse raise money to help bridge the gap in the operating budgets and fund programming. Lori serves on the Boards of Founder’s Hall, the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and Women’s Center of Greater Danbury where she serves as their Nominating Chair and also on their Speaking Up, Speaking Out Campaign.
Lori received The Spirit of Dr. King Community Service Award in 2018 which is given annually to a Ridgefielder “who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to community service and selflessness in the finest traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King.”
In 2018 Lori was named one of “Ridgefield’s Top 25” in their first ceremony – an honor given to those who stand out in the community for their work to keep Ridgefield a great place to work and live.
Rebecca L. Ciota
Rebecca is an attorney in private practice in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Rebecca graduated from Cornell University in 2001 and from Fordham Law School in 2005. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut. In 1997, Rebecca became a Certified Volunteer Coach in Track and Field for the Special Olympics and has maintained that connection through yearly participation in the Penguin Plunge. In addition to serving as SPHERE’s Executive Director, Rebecca is actively involved in SPHERE’s arts programs, crafts programs and with SPHERE’s members. She also serves on the Board of the Women’s Center in Danbury, Connecticut. Her twin sister, Hope, has been a member of SPHERE since 2003 and Rebecca joined the Board in 2009.
Kathleen Bowlby – Treasurer
Kathleen is a Tax Manager for Reynolds & Rowella, LLP and works in their New Canaan office. She is a graduate of Monmouth University and has worked in the financial services field for more than 25 years. She began her career in the finance department of AT&T and then took a break to focus on her family. For the past 17 years, she has worked in public accounting, specifically in the tax area. Kathleen and her husband Dick are NJ natives and have lived in Ridgefield for 14 years. They have 2 daughters, Anne and Maggie, who both live in Massachusetts. Anne is an engineer and Maggie is a special education teacher of a classroom of kindergarten and 1st graders with Autism. It is Maggie’s concern in the future of her students that led Kathleen to SPHERE.
Jill Edelman Barberie
Jill is a licensed clinical social worker (Jill Edelman L.C.S.W.) in private psychotherapy practice for over three decades first in NYC and then Connecticut. She graduated with a BA from NYU and an MSW from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and received her psychoanalytic training from the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP) in New York City. Jill served on the board of the Mark Twain Library for eight years and was a founding member and chairman of the Allen and Helen Hermes Arts Series which provides free cultural events in the arts at the Mark Twain Library in Redding, CT. Jill is the author of two blogs: www.thecouplestoolkit.com and www.parentingadultspecialneeds.com as well as a print and e-book This Crazy Quilt: Parenting Adult Special Needs One Day At A Time with illustrations by her daughter Juliette Barberie. Jill and her husband Michael live in Redding and in addition to their daughter Juliette, a Sphere member who resides in Ridgefield, they have a son Samuel Barberie who lives and works in Manhattan.
Caitlin Granucci
Caitlin Granucci is a secondary special education teacher. Years ago, alongside her mom and sister, she started volunteering for SPHERE’S Gala. She has been an active volunteer for the last three years. She leads Sphere Squad and enjoys being involved with the dynamic group planning events. Caitlin also works on SPHERE Talks, our new series of educational workshops. Caitlin has the firsthand pleasure of experiencing the creativity and joyfulness of the members.
Wendy Gannon Lionetti
Wendy is a Ridgefield, Connecticut, native and works for the Town of Ridgefield. She created the SPHERE-It Creations program in in 2011 to share her love of beading and creating jewelry with SPHERE members. The program has evolved to include working with clay, allowing SPHERE members to realize their creative potential in making unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry and clay art. Wendy is active in volunteer work as a member of the Town of Ridgefield Emergency Preparedness PIO (Public Information Office) Team, a member of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), the Ridgefield Military Pride Committee, and formerly on the Ridgefield Emmaus Board of Directors. Wendy is also involved in her church community at St. Elizabeth Seton. A graduate of the Katharine Gibbs School, Wendy’s career began at a boutique advertising and PR firm in Ridgefield. After taking a break to spend several years at home raising her children, when returning work, her love for the town led her to seek employment with the Town of Ridgefield. Wendy has been the recipient of several awards, such as the Town of Ridgefield Employee of the Year, SPHERE Volunteer of the Year, and the Town of Ridgefield Recycling Awareness Award.