About Roger A. Fairfax, Sr.

Roger A. Fairfax, Sr. is a Harvard-educated entrepreneur, personal consultant, and professional life coach with a degree in Economics. Mentored by the renowned Kiyo Morimoto, Roger incorporates Kiyo’s distinctive listening philosophy into his practice, offering clients a unique experience of insight, clarity, and meaningful human connection. 

Roger was born and raised in inner-city Washington, D.C., the son of a cab driver and a homemaker. He attended Catholic schools throughout his youth and graduated from Cathedral Latin High School in 1969. His upbringing instilled in him values of perseverance, community commitment, and service to others—principles that continue to shape every aspect of his professional work. 

Roger is the father of four children. 

His eldest, Roger Fairfax Jr., is a Harvard College and Harvard Law School alumnus. Before becoming Dean of the Howard University School of Law, he served as Senior Associate Dean at the George Washington University Law School and later as Dean of the American University Washington College of Law. He is married to Lisa Fairfax, also a Harvard College and Harvard Law School alumna. Lisa was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the Securities and Exchange Commission and was the college roommate of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who introduced her during her Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearings. Roger Jr. and Lisa have three daughters, all graduates of Harvard College, one of whom has also earned her law degree from Harvard Law School. 

His youngest son, Justin Fairfax, a Duke University and Columbia Law School graduate, served as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. 

In 2018, Roger learned that his great-great-grandfather, Simon Fairfax, had been emancipated in 1798 by Lord Thomas Fairfax, the 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. 

Later that year, Roger met Lord Nicholas Fairfax, the 14th Lord Fairfax of Cameron—a meeting that has since developed into a warm and enduring friendship. 

Roger’s professional background spans public service, community leadership, and media management. His roles have included: 

• Executive Assistant to Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, PA) Commissioner Robert Peirce, Jr. 

• Vice President of the Urban League of Pittsburgh 

• Vice President and General Manager of WAMO Radio 

In 1989, Roger and his wife, Michelle, founded their own communications firm, which became the first agency in Pittsburgh to use Macintosh workstations in its graphic design department—an early innovation that set a new standard for creative services in the region. 

In 1981, Roger was chosen as a member of a six-person Rotary International Group Study Exchange Team, representing the United States during a two-month professional exchange program in India. 

He has also been appointed to several notable national and state bodies, including the President’s Commission on the Disabled, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Health Care Facility Hearing Board. 

Throughout his life and career, Roger has shared personal or professional connections with influential historical figures such as Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, U.S. Senator John Heinz, Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh and Franco Harris.