Verizon and others in the channel are mourning the death of Lori Bonenfant, a longtime channel vet who most recently was Verizon’s director of channel marketing.

Bonenfant joined Verizon Business more than 20 years ago and served as senior sales engineer for eight years. She then was Verizon’s channel marketing leader for nearly seven years.

Lori Bonenfant

Bonenfant lived in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area and died Feb. 13. Her funeral was Feb. 18.

Janet Schijns, CEO of consultancy JS Group and former channel leader at Verizon, worked with Bonenfant and says the channel loved her. Schijns described Bonenfant as a top talent who understood and embraced the channel’s importance at Verizon business.

“She was innovative, designing new program elements and marketing campaigns that shifted the industry,” Schijns said.

Amazing Content

Bonenfant always provided “amazing” content at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo, Schijns said.

“From ice cream and puppies in our Verizon booth, to the millennial panel and [country star] Jimmy Wayne, she always found a way to innovate and serve the channel,” she said.

Furthermore, Bonenfant initiated top-notch engagement with the channel to drive their growth through disciplined and well-thought-out plans, Schijns said.

“I was honored while Verizon channel chief to have her on the team and to count her as a friend,” she said. “I know that the industry mourns her loss today.”

Michael Onystok is TBI‘s senior vice president of market development, channel partnerships and strategic operations.

“Lori and I were great friends,” he said. “After working with her for the last decade on unique projects and channel growth, I couldn’t be more sad. This is a terrible loss for channel, Verizon and everyone that knew her. My heart goes out to her family.”

Donations in Benenfant’s memory include: