Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> July 10, 2000
JAMES BERK is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfield
Communities, Inc., one of America's largest vacation ownership companies
with 32 resorts and over 250,000 owners. Mr. Berk oversees all aspects
of company operations, including new resort development, sales and
marketing, financial operations, and resort management services as well
as strategy, branding and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Berk is also a
Director on the Fairfield Board. From 1996 until October 1999, Mr. Berk
was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hard Rock Cafe
International, Inc. Prior to joining Hard Rock, Mr. Berk was Executive
Director for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
Foundation (NARAS). At NARAS, he produced live concerts, festivals,
television programs and records, and oversaw business and marketing
initiatives including GRAMMY Records, GRAMMY Showcase and GRAMMY
Festival, which established the non-profit, entertainment production
company. Mr. Berk enjoyed similar success as the youngest principal in
the history of the 725-school Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD), when he was appointed Principal of the Alexander Hamilton High
Schools Complex in 1990. His first job upon graduation ' at the age of
21 ' was as a music teacher at Carson High School in Carson, California.
Mr. Berk started his career in music as a student at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and then continued his education at the
California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He graduated in 1981
with a Bachelor of Arts and a California Teaching Credential in music.
Shortly thereafter, while teaching, he pursued his Master's in Public
Administration and a California Administrative Credential at California
Lutheran University (CLU), earning these degrees in 1985. Profile
Mr. Berk: Fairfield is one of the largest vacation ownership companies
in North America, with 33 resorts in 12 states
