Richard Fisher

Dr. Richard D. Fisher is the Director of Strategic Education &
Public Outreach Initiatives at the School of Earth & Space
Expolration (SESE), Arizona State University. In this role,  he
works to articulate a long-term plan for SESE outreach and develop
exhibition spaces for the new ISTB4 building. Previosly, Fisher served
as the director of strategic partnerships at the Mary Lou Fulton
Institute & Graduate School of Education.  His work there was
to identify and develop internal and external relationships to expand
the networking and program efficacy that improves K20 science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education throughout
the state. His focus was on developing stronger coordination among
university researchers and outreach efforts and expanding
collaboration among K20 and community partners to improve STEM
education pipelines and student opportunities in Arizona. Fisher was
originally recruited to ASU as the first director of educational
outreach for the Biodesign Institute, a world-class, state-of-the-art,
interdisciplinary research institute. In that role he established a
department and managed the implementation of comprehensive local,
state, and national outreach designed to increase scientific awareness
and literacy and encourage more students to pursue studies and careers
in science, technology and engineering.

Prior to his appointment at ASU, Dr. Fisher served as the vice
president of educational programs at the Orlando Science Center. From
1998 to 2004 he directed the education outreach efforts of Florida
State University and Florida A&M University's joint College of
Engineering as the founding director of an aerospace-themed regional
science center. In this position, working closely with NASA and other
organizations, he directed the design, implementation and operation of
facilities and programs that included a Challenger Center space
mission simulator, IMAX theater and one of the first full-dome,
high-definition, digital video planetariums in the United States.
Fisher also directed an aerospace themed science center at the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was the founding director
of two residential environmental education centers in the southern
Appalachian region.

In addition to his university administration and science center
management experience, Fisher has worked as a consultant for the
University of South Florida's Coalition for Science Literacy. He has
been actively involved in numerous local, state and national science
education organizations and serves on numerous boards. Fisher also has
worked as a university lecturer and adjunct professor at Northern
Arizona University, Coconino Community College and Florida
Metropolitan University teaching in the areas of geography, earth and
environmental sciences. He started his career as an infantry officer
and rotary-wing aviator (UH-1H) in the U.S. Army.

Fisher earned a BS in geography at Northern Arizona University and
went on to complete a master's degree in earth sciences and a second
master's degree in education. He has a doctorate degree in
postsecondary and higher education from ASU.