2004
Bridget Sherrill, CFEE, Vice President of Merchandising for the Kentucky Derby Festival, epitomizes the commitment and professionalism that has helped the Derby Festival evolve into one of the country's most honored and successful civic celebrations. For more than 32 years, Sherrill has worked tirelessly as a Derby Festival staff member to improve and expand its impact. Her accomplishments and award recognition are numerous - both with the Derby Festival and the IFEA.
Under Sherrill's guidance, the Derby Festival's Merchandise Program has grown and prospered in a highly competitive business environment. The festival's Pegasus Pin Program, which began in 1973, has long been a model for many other special events across the United States. Sales of lapel pins now account for nearly 25 percent of the Derby Festival's annual operating budget. Sherrill's passion and tremendous work ethic have taken the pin program to unprecedented heights within the industry, including the recent addition of a pin trading program which has received international recognition over the past 25 years.
Sherrill has served as Board President of the Kentucky Festivals & Events Association (1989-1990) and has been the organization's treasurer from 1993 to the present. She served on the IFEA Board of Directors from 1992 to 1998, serving on the Executive Committee from 1995 to 1998 and as Secretary in 1997-1998. She also served on the IFEA Foundation Board of Directors from 1996-2002, serving as Secretary in 1997, Treasurer in 1998, Chair-Elect in 2000, Chairman in 2001 and Immediate Past Chair in 2002.
Sherrill was originally hired by Jack Guthrie, former Executive Director of the Derby Festival and a 1996 inductee into the IFEA/Miller Brewing Company Hall of Fame. In a 2002 interview, Guthrie aptly summed up Sherrill's impact on the Derby Festival and the special events industry: "She has grown up with the festival - it has truly been a major part of her life. This community is a better place because of Bridget Sherrill