Position: Human Resources Consultant, Camden Campus
Length of Service: In her current position since July 2, 2007; at Rutgers since October 1991
Residence: Wilmington, Del.
Empowering and informing: As Rutgers–Camden’s sole campuswide human resources resource, Fisher sees her role as an essential component to providing the campus’s approximately 900 employees with the support they need to advance their careers and their families. “The lack of a human resources office on the Camden Campus meant that staff and faculty didn’t have a focused resource for the information that they needed to make decisions about benefits and other matters important to their families,” she says. Fisher also coordinates recruitment and professional development activities for Camden staff.
New position, familiar duties: While the HR consultant position is new, Fisher brings a breadth of experience and understanding to the job. In her previous duties as business specialist in the provost’s office, and later executive assistant to the provost, Fisher learned to understand and navigate Rutgers’ policies with skill. “I’ve been doing aspects related to HR at Rutgers since I first arrived here 16 years ago,” she said. Fisher also served on the COLT-AFSCME negotiating team and as harassment adviser for the Camden Campus.
While the fundamentals have not changed, the delivery of information is radically different. Fisher was greeted by a black rotary phone and a binder-based filing system when she first arrived at Rutgers–Camden. The “technology” was relatively dated compared to what was available in her previous position as a financial planning technician at Kaiser Permanente in Washington, D.C. “Now, technology allows us to update position descriptions online and make that information available to a wide and diverse audience.” Fisher has seen many computer programs tested, adopted, and discarded and has had the opportunity to develop some of those systems.
It’s all about the people: Rutgers is a diverse
community that reflects the richness of New
Jersey’s multifaceted society, and Rutgers–Camden is no
different. “The role of any HR professional is to understand the needs of these
many audiences and provide the tools that allow every employee to succeed,”
Fisher said. “Technology is a powerful tool, but people often need other people
to help meet their goals.”
She’s bullish on Rutgers–Camden, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2002 and is pursuing her master’s degree in public policy and administration. “Because we’re a small campus, we’re close-knit. We support each other and come together for the good of the campus. That’s a real benefit of being a relatively small campus.”
Fisher is working with the Hon. Yvonne Mokgoro, a justice on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, to launch chapters of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in South Africa and the United States. FIDA, the Spanish acronym for the International Federation of Women Lawyers (Federacion International d'abogadas), provides mentoring and legal services to facilitate access to justice for women and children in Africa. During a recent FIDA planning meeting in the United States, Fisher had an opportunity to collaborate with executives and lawyers from Philadelphia and New York. “I was truly impressed with the women in this group who are dedicating their time to such an important cause,” she says. Mokgoro recently completed a two-month residency on the Camden Campus, where she taught a special seminar at the School of Law–Camden.
Road warrior: Coordinating universitywide HR policies and initiatives on the Camden Campus requires close interaction with University Human Resources in New Brunswick. In fact, Fisher travels to New Brunswick about once a week. The 122-mile round-trip has an upside: an opportunity to catch up on the news and enjoy some smooth R&B music. Travel doesn’t faze Fisher, who has visited such diverse destinations as South Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, and many places within the United States.
Family affair: Fisher has two daughters, Chanel, 25, and Courtney, 20, and a six-year-old granddaughter, NaCaia.