The Big Fresno Fair’s CEO since 2004, John Alkire is moving on. Here’s what’s next

The Big Fresno Fair is losing longtime CEO John Alkire — kind of.

On Friday, the fair’s board of directors announced a restructuring of its management team. Alkire will transition away from the fair proper and over to the nonprofit Friends of the Big Fresno Fair foundation, where he will serve as its first CEO.

Deputy managers Stacy Rianda and Lauri King will overseeing operations at the fair.

A new CEO will not be appointed, according to a statement from the fair. Alkire’s salary will be put back into the general Fair operating budget. His new salary will be compensated directly through the foundation.

The changes are effective Sept. 1.

The restructuring is part of a plan to elevate fundraising efforts in an attempt to achieve long-term financial independence, something called into question by the coronavirus pandemic. The fair was forced to reinvent itself as a mostly virtual event this year, following recommendations from state and local health officials.

“John Alkire’s transition to the Friends of the Big Fresno Fair is something that has been in the works for a number of years as a strategy to grow the Foundation. It will enable him to continue his passion for the Fair and its educational programs and build upon the award-winning museums he helped to create,” said Friends of the Big Fresno Fair board president Brian I. Tatarian.

Alkire will be tasked with raising funds to support deferred maintenance and overall operations of the fairgrounds and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Big Fresno Fair Museum and Fresno County Historical Museum.

Rianda and King have worked with Alkire for nearly two decades to help alter the look and operations of the Fresno Fairgrounds. Both have served on the Western Fairs Association Board and have the distinction of obtaining their Certified Fair Executive designation from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions

“You’re only as good as the team you surround yourself with,” Alkire said in a release announcing the changes.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with the very best in the industry at The Big Fresno Fair. Stacy and Lauri are incredible leaders who work tremendously well together, each bringing their own perspectives and strengths to the table to best serve the Fair,”

Alkire himself served as the president of the Western Fairs Association board of directors in 1998, while CEO of the Tulare County Fair. He was hired at The Big Fresno Fair in 2004 after a stint with the highly successful Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles and immediately oversaw the rebuilding of the fair’s gate at Chance Avenue thanks to a $250,000 donation — the largest single contribution ever made to The Big Fresno Fair at that point.

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 2:41 PM.