A Career Built on Connection

After many years of shaping lives and strengthening connections, Debbie Fisher, director of graduate programs at the Robins School of Business, is closing one chapter and opening another, this time with an open road ahead and a legacy firmly in place.

Fisher’s career journey was never a straight line, and that is what made her such a powerful mentor. She began her professional life with the City of Virginia Beach, where she spent a decade building not just skills, but lifelong friendships that still matter deeply to her. But a visit to Charlottesville changed everything, during which she met and married her husband and made the city her home. Through a cousin’s introduction, she connected with leadership at UVA’s Darden School of Business, where she would spend the next 20 years in meaningful and challenging roles that helped define her professional identity.

In 2008, that journey brought Fisher to the University of Richmond. For her, joining the Robins School of Business felt like a continuation of a calling—one rooted in working with graduate students, helping them make sense of their experiences, and guiding them toward futures they might not yet fully see for themselves.

Fisher never set out to build a career in networking and professional development. “I didn’t initially call it networking at all,” she said. “I simply loved meeting people, listening to their stories, and helping connections form naturally.”

As someone new to Charlottesville years earlier, relationships had helped her find her footing. Over time, she became known as “a creative” and “a connector,” someone with an instinct for recognizing when one person could support or inspire another. That instinct evolved into a philosophy: careers are rarely linear, and meaningful growth comes from authentic relationships built on trust, generosity, and curiosity.

That philosophy came to life in one of her proudest achievements at Robins, the graduate Mentorship Program. Beginning in 2011, Fisher carefully built a community of mentors who returned year after year, eager to give back. The program became a cornerstone of the graduate experience, offering students not just advice, but encouragement, perspective, and confidence. “Watching students grow through those relationships remains one of the most meaningful parts of my career,” she said.

Her impact on students extended far beyond résumés and job searches. She had a gift for helping people see the value they already carried. Many students underestimated their experience or doubted their readiness for the next step. She helped them name their strengths, articulate their stories, and recognize the impact they had already made in their organizations. From there, she connected them with thoughtful, generous professionals, because as she often told them, “careers are shaped not only by what you know, but by the people you meet along the way.”

The plethora of handwritten notes, pictures, and emails adorning her office walls is a testament to the lasting impact she had on so many students and alumni. “Some of the most memorable moments came from students who found the courage to completely change direction,” Fisher said. “Those moments of reinvention never stopped inspiring me.”

While the tools of networking and career development changed dramatically over her career, she remained grounded in the fundamentals. Technology made connections faster, but not necessarily deeper. Authenticity, empathy, and genuine curiosity still mattered most. Of all the skills she encouraged students to develop, empathy stood out. She believed it was foundational to leadership.

Working closely with students shaped her own leadership style. “Their questions kept me curious,” she said. “Their aspirations kept me hopeful. Coaching emerging leaders reaffirmed something I always felt to be true—impact often happens quietly, one conversation at a time.”

As she steps into retirement, Fisher looks forward to time with family and friends, including colleagues who became friends along the way. An RV and the open road await, with plans to explore the U.S. What she’ll miss most are the deeply personal conversations with students and moments of reflection that revealed not just career goals, but life stories.

Her final message to the Robins community is simple and enduring: “Be generous, with your time, your curiosity, and your encouragement. Careers may not unfold exactly as planned, but relationships can guide and sustain you through every chapter. Pay it forward. Seek out remarkable people, learn from them, and then become that person for someone else.”