by Larry R. Hygh, Jr., Ed.D.*
PASADENA, Calif. – Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank has named Dr. Alyssa Fisher the next Director of Communications for the California-Pacific (Cal-Pac) Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC). She will assume the role on January 10, 2024. “My initial vision is to provide a lot of opportunities to broadcast the good work churches are doing and offer support where the conference can,” says Fisher. “My main goal is to share all of the good things Cal-Pac is doing and find avenues for others to hear about them as well.”
Fisher was selected after a national search. Bishop Escobedo-Frank says, “I am pleased to have someone with Alyssa’s experience, creativity, and commitment to the church joining our team.” She added, “She will be an asset as we continue to tell the story of our work to end spiritual and physical hunger.”
Currently, Fisher is a senior internal communications representative for Western Governors University. As well as being a social media and communications consultant, she has had a career in academia that has included being adjunct graduate faculty at Azusa Pacific University, an instructor at Western Governors University, visiting assistant professor in media, journalism, and film at Miami University, and a media and communications instructor at Bowling Green State University.
Fisher, who grew up Baptist and Presbyterian, started attending the UMC in college after her father started working in ministry in The UMC. “The UMC has been a good home for me and my faith journey,” says Fisher. The UMC provided opportunities for her to engage her passion for service. “Serving the community is one of the most impactful things we (UMC) can do.” Currently, she attends both Murietta and Temecula UMCs. “I have grown up in UMC churches all over the country.”
Fisher earned a Ph.D. in media and communication from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, a M.S. in arts management with a concentration in media management from the University of Oregon, and a B.A. in communication arts with a concentration in media arts from Gordon College in Massachusetts. She also holds a graduate certificate in women, gender, and sexuality studies from Bowling Green.
Fisher is a former member of the Western States Communication, National Communication Association, and the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication. During the 2022-2023 academic year, she was a “Faculty Innovation Champion” at the Western Governors University.
Fisher is the daughter of Rev. Terry Fisher and Pastor Pamela Fisher who serve First UMC of Lompoc, Calif.
In her spare time, she is an avid reader. “I read over 100 books a year, usually literary fiction.” She is currently working her way through reading the Aspen Words Literary Prize book list. Fisher also enjoys walks with her 11-year-old labrador retriever.
The Cal-Pac Conference is a regional body of The UMC, made up of some 50,000 members in almost 350 local churches throughout Southern California, parts of Central California, Hawai`i, the Pacific Islands, Guam, and Saipan.
*Dr. Hygh is a lifelong United Methodist, 5th Generation Methodist, and former United Methodist communicator who is now a communications professor at California State University Dominguez Hills.
