Tanetha Fisher, Ph.D.

Tanetha Fisher (Grosland), Ph.D. (Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in Culture and Teaching) is an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. 

Her transdisciplinary research focuses on mitigating occupational burnout in Leadership Development and has roots in curriculum/pedagogy and social foundations. She investigages educational leadership and policy by conducting qualitative observations of leadership. 

Her scholarship addresses how educators experience and advocate for causes they care about amid political issues. These interrelated lines of inquiry are (1) leadership and policy traumas and triumphs (ideas, motivations, and stories) and (2) the subsequent emotions of these:

1. The political, politics, and policy aspects of educational leadership 

2. An examination of the complex relationship between emotions and educational leadership and policy

These two lines are inherently linked, as educational leaders are civic leaders, dignitaries, and liaisons who are often sought out by the general public and the press to comment on school matters. 

Her interests stem from her B.A. in political science, with a focus on political theory, from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. Then her experiences as an assistant in press/public relations on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator then a U.S. Representative. During this time, which was more than twenty years ago, the impacts of burnout on Capitol Hill and in the St. Paul, Minnesota district office, became a major concern. She went on to become a teacher on special assignment (TOSA) in North St. Paul—Maplewood—Oakdale school district office (Minnesota). There she negotiated and created domestic and international partnerships and coached cabinet and leadership. 

She has articles in Educational Studis; Journal of Education Policy; Policy Futures in Education; and the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing. She is also published in Educational Policy; Race Ethnicity and Education; and the Journal of Teacher Education. She co-edited the book Feminism and Intersectionality in Academia: Women’s Narratives and Experiences in Higher Education. At the University of South Florida she was the Principal Investigator on a transdisciplinary collaborative grant. This grant focused on the impact of mentoring on persistence, resilience, and success outcomes.

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0608-1310