Fairfield University Hosting Public Panel on "The Relationship Crisis: Connection, Interrupted”

Event: Fairfield University’s School of Education and Human Development will host the school’s annual Dean’s Dialogue series panel discussion, entitled, "The Relationship Crisis: Connection, Interrupted."

Date & Time: September 21, 2026 | 6 p.m.

Location: Charles F. Dolan School of Business Event Hall, 1073 N Benson Rd, Fairfield, CT, 06824

Admission: Free admission. This event is open to the public. Registration is required. Register Here.

About "The Relationship Crisis: Connection, Interrupted":

"This year’s conversation will explore a question that touches all of us as parents, educators, professionals, partners, friends, and citizens: Are we losing the capacity to build, sustain, and repair the relationships that matter most,” said dean of the School of Education and Human Development, Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD.

Speakers will consider the human capacities required to maintain strong relationships and will examine how those capacities are shaped—and challenged—by the ways in which individuals live, work, communicate, and connect.

Dean Evelyn Bilias Lolis will engage a panel of leaders and scholars from education, counseling, law, ministry, family therapy, community engagement, and student belonging, including:

· Gisselle Acevedo, JD, MA, MFT’16, licensed marriage and family therapist and president and CEO of The Child and Family Guidance Center

· Katherine Bakes, Esq., founder and managing attorney of Bakes Law LLC specializing in all aspects of family law including complex divorce and custody issues, modification, adoption, and reproductive law, as well as estate planning

· Rev. Kevin O'Brien, S.J., vice provost and executive director of the Bellarmine Campus at Fairfield University and a senior advisor for formation programs for the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)

· Michele Parker, PhD, LMFT, associate professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fairfield University and a MFT scholar with a research focused on the well-being of families and couples affected by complex medical conditions, such as autism

· Don C. Sawyer III, PhD, vice president of Access, Belonging, and Community Engagement at Fairfield University, and a sociology scholar with research interests including the blend of critical race theory with the education of marginalized groups, prisoner reentry, hip-hop culture, and youth literacy