UPDATE: This article has been updated from its original version.

Northern Fairfield Professionals is a local, free networking group that was founded in 2007. While the group started in Danbury, through the years, it migrated to Newtown.

Co-founder John Barry explained that back in 2007, a woman named Nancy Meyerowitz was actively job searching and approached Barry saying that there “were no networking groups” in the area, and she wanted to start one.

The group first met once a month at a restaurant. Meyerowitz asked for donations because, if they were renting a room at a restaurant, the group members would have to order food. Barry let out a laugh and said, “About a year later, she decides to relocate to Atlanta!”

Barry then took over running Northern Fairfield Professionals (NFP). His goal was to create a space where business professionals could come together and hear a guest speaker present on a certain topic, but he said he “wasn’t really very comfortable” with asking people, who were unemployed and actively job seeking, for money. Barry reached out to Danbury Public Library, and began hosting the meetings there.

While Danbury Public Library’s facilities were great, Barry had to start the meetings earlier than they were held previously. The other challenge with the library was that “the parking lot would get filled up.” Barry, himself, is a member of Knights of Columbus at St Rose of Lima here in town. Barry went to a meeting and asked the Knights to sponsor NFP, and they agreed.

Barry said that working with Knights of Columbus was a “natural fit” because “Knights of Columbus is an organization that gives back to the community.” NFP continued meeting there for a while, until the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. NFP moved to Zoom meetings for four years and finally readjusted to hybrid meetings in 2024.

A member of the group, Gabe Correa, helped Barry get set up for a hybrid meeting format, and now the meetings can be accessed online and in-person.

“I think we’ve probably helped thousands of professionals with their job search since we’ve been doing this,” Barry said. “Basically, we host guest speakers who kind of donate their time and expertise and give presentations that help with the job search and also career development.”

NFP also hosts an elevator speech workshop on an annual basis. The group also hosts a recruiter panel of talent acquisition professionals from some local companies. NFP members are able to ask these professionals questions and learn more about how local companies scout potential applicants and about the hiring process.

Every meeting follows a similar format: from 5:30-6 pm, attendees are able to network and get to know other members in the group; from 6-7:30 pm, the guest speaker will present their topic and allow members to ask questions; and from 7:30-8 pm, another networking opportunity closes the meeting.

Joy Naui, a core member of NFP, is in charge of registration and networking during the in-person meetings. Naui checks people in at the door and helps newer faces find, meet, and get to know some members who have been around for a while.

“Sometimes I would help out with the networking part of it … the big reason for having this is for people to get together and make connections … We try to get people to talk to each other,” Naui said.

NFP does focus on helping professionals land jobs, and Barry said, “This is a free network group. All I ask of people is one thing, and what I ask them is that when they land, let me know that they have landed, and we will have them come back and do a ‘landed’ talk.” He added that this is what the group is about.

Naui agreed with that. She encouraged that if there are job-seeking professionals, or business professionals, in the area, they should check out NFP. She stressed the importance of networking “even if you have a job.” Naui even mentioned that she has seen people make a connection during the networking portions of the meeting and noticed them still chatting in the parking lot at the end of the night.

“It’s our way of giving back and helping people when they’re unemployed or even helping people in their career. It’s just our way of giving back,” Barry said.

The group is not just in-person, either. There is a LinkedIn group, 74193, that people can join, but the requirement for joining the group online is to attend a meeting, either in-person or via Zoom. NFP is also on Facebook.

Barry followed up with The Newtown Bee, emphasizing the importance of networking: “Networking is important at all stages of your career — not only when you are actively looking for a job, but also when you are employed. You never know when a job transition may occur, and having an established professional network can greatly support your job search.”

For those who want to learn more about NFP meetings, or to be added to the mailing list, email Barry at johnbarryitech@gmail.com.

Next Meeting February 10

The next NFP meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 6-7:30 pm, on Zoom only. The on-site meeting has been canceled.

This month’s speaker will be Kristina Martinelli, the founder of coaigence, a hybrid intelligence company on a mission to make AI approachable, practical, and responsible for everyone, from Fortune 500 boardrooms to local community centers.

Martinelli’s presentation is “The Workplace Is Transforming,” and she writes, “We’re living through one of the most significant workplace shifts in history. AI and automation is reshaping industries, redefining roles, and creating both challenges and opportunities. This transformation affects everyone, from entry-level positions to executive leadership.”

The presentation will go over four phases of the “The Reinvent Your Role Framework”: Reflect — Know Your Foundation; Reframe — Shift Your Perspective; Rebuild — Develop Future-Ready Capabilities; and Relaunch — Take Strategic Action.

Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.