June 25, 2025
Rhonda Fischer, chief operating officer of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, developed an appreciation for leadership by watching her father.
“He was an incredible, larger-than-life figure who dedicated his life to our community,” Fischer said. “He very much believed that you shouldn’t see leadership as a burden. It’s a privilege to be able to lead, so what are you going to do with it?”
Fischer’s dad, Albert Pelham, was executive director of the Montclair (New Jersey) Neighborhood Development Corporation, a nonprofit agency that offers recreational and educational programs for children; president of an NAACP chapter; and co-chair of the Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation. In July 2023, two years after his death, officials in Montclair dedicated the Albert E. Pelham Sports Complex.
“He was the person I’d always go to when making big career decisions,” said Fischer, who’s in her seventh year at CMU. “My leadership style is rooted in the idea that you have a responsibility to make places better than you found them. That's how he influenced me the most.”
Fischer directs the Tepper School’s human resources, financial resources, administrative services, technology and facilities. As a member of the executive committee, she is helping to implement an ambitious strategic plan that aims to use collaborative AI — techniques that enable people and AI systems to work together effectively — to transform business education and research.
“Our strategic plan will shape the Tepper School for years to come,” Fischer said. “I’m looking forward to being a good thought partner for how we get there.”
Effective leaders do more than simply give directions. To build upon the groundwork instilled by her father, Fischer honed her management skills over the past several months as part of the 41st cohort of Leadership Pittsburgh.
Leadership Pittsburgh is the flagship program of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., an independent nonprofit founded in 1983. The highly selective program is designed for senior leaders throughout the region.
“It was one of the most transformative programs I’ve ever been a part of,” Fischer said. “It gave me the opportunity to strengthen my skills in active listening and being open-minded, which I will continue applying to how I approach both my work and my interactions with people at Tepper and across CMU.”
Participants come from businesses, nonprofits, and educational, government and civic entities. This year’s 65-person cohort included executives from Merrill Lynch, the Allegheny Conference on Community Developement, Highmark Health, the Pittsburgh Penguins, S&T Bank, the Latino Community Center, Bayer and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
In this year’s cohort, Fischer was joined by two other CMU administrators: Sandra Noonan, assistant general counsel to the university and assistant vice president general counsel of the Software Engineering Institute; and Carrie Nelson, associate vice president for finance and controller.
“The program consistently highlights the critical contributions Carnegie Mellon has made to the region,” Nelson said. “In different areas and venues, the program frequently underscores CMU's pivotal role in fostering economic growth, promoting critical thinking, advancing knowledge and, most importantly, providing and developing the leaders and people who drive progress in the community.”
Once a month from September through June, the entire cohort met in daylong sessions to share their experiences, build connections and discover ways to enhance their impact. At the outset of the program, the cohort was broken down into peer groups of six or seven people apiece.
By design, each peer group contained a diverse mix of industries, roles and backgrounds. Fischer was the only higher education exec in her group, which included members of the legal, investment management, nonprofit and human services fields.
“My peer group was a safe space to say, ‘Here’s how I'm planning to approach a particular challenge at work. How does that land with you?’” Fischer said “We gave and received feedback freely, and I think we all gained something from having those kinds of conversations.”
Each of the sessions was built around a theme or specific topic. During the meeting about justice, participants met with U.S. Attorneys, public defenders and judges at the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Fischer was struck by a discussion with a judge who’s trying to keep people with mental health issues from being overwhelmed by the legal system.
“(It was) probably the most intense and eye-opening day for me as I grappled with the complexity of our justice system and recognized the need to cut through the noise and understand how it functions,” Fischer said.
Each peer group also spent a day performing a community service project, such as volunteering at a food pantry. In addition to the confabs in Pittsburgh, there were field trips, such as a visit with state lawmakers in Harrisburg.
When her peers in Leadership Pittsburgh chose Fischer to be their commencement speaker at the June 12 ceremony, she again looked to her dad for inspiration.
“My father’s legacy demonstrates how much we need leaders who exhibit professional courage, uphold their values and model what good leadership looks like,” Fischer said. “We need to come out of (the program) transformed so we can truly make an impact. That was my challenge to everyone.”
Do you know CMU colleagues who have interesting, uncommon or praiseworthy stories to tell? Suggest them as candidates for Staff Spotlight stories in The Piper!
Tepper School COO Rhonda Fischer Leads By Following Her Father’s Path
By Rob Biertempfel
“He was an incredible, larger-than-life figure who dedicated his life to our community,” Fischer said. “He very much believed that you shouldn’t see leadership as a burden. It’s a privilege to be able to lead, so what are you going to do with it?”
Fischer’s dad, Albert Pelham, was executive director of the Montclair (New Jersey) Neighborhood Development Corporation, a nonprofit agency that offers recreational and educational programs for children; president of an NAACP chapter; and co-chair of the Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation. In July 2023, two years after his death, officials in Montclair dedicated the Albert E. Pelham Sports Complex.
“He was the person I’d always go to when making big career decisions,” said Fischer, who’s in her seventh year at CMU. “My leadership style is rooted in the idea that you have a responsibility to make places better than you found them. That's how he influenced me the most.”
Fischer directs the Tepper School’s human resources, financial resources, administrative services, technology and facilities. As a member of the executive committee, she is helping to implement an ambitious strategic plan that aims to use collaborative AI — techniques that enable people and AI systems to work together effectively — to transform business education and research.
“Our strategic plan will shape the Tepper School for years to come,” Fischer said. “I’m looking forward to being a good thought partner for how we get there.”
Effective leaders do more than simply give directions. To build upon the groundwork instilled by her father, Fischer honed her management skills over the past several months as part of the 41st cohort of Leadership Pittsburgh.
Leadership Pittsburgh is the flagship program of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., an independent nonprofit founded in 1983. The highly selective program is designed for senior leaders throughout the region.
“It was one of the most transformative programs I’ve ever been a part of,” Fischer said. “It gave me the opportunity to strengthen my skills in active listening and being open-minded, which I will continue applying to how I approach both my work and my interactions with people at Tepper and across CMU.”
Participants come from businesses, nonprofits, and educational, government and civic entities. This year’s 65-person cohort included executives from Merrill Lynch, the Allegheny Conference on Community Developement, Highmark Health, the Pittsburgh Penguins, S&T Bank, the Latino Community Center, Bayer and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.
In this year’s cohort, Fischer was joined by two other CMU administrators: Sandra Noonan, assistant general counsel to the university and assistant vice president general counsel of the Software Engineering Institute; and Carrie Nelson, associate vice president for finance and controller.
“The program consistently highlights the critical contributions Carnegie Mellon has made to the region,” Nelson said. “In different areas and venues, the program frequently underscores CMU's pivotal role in fostering economic growth, promoting critical thinking, advancing knowledge and, most importantly, providing and developing the leaders and people who drive progress in the community.”
Once a month from September through June, the entire cohort met in daylong sessions to share their experiences, build connections and discover ways to enhance their impact. At the outset of the program, the cohort was broken down into peer groups of six or seven people apiece.
By design, each peer group contained a diverse mix of industries, roles and backgrounds. Fischer was the only higher education exec in her group, which included members of the legal, investment management, nonprofit and human services fields.
“My peer group was a safe space to say, ‘Here’s how I'm planning to approach a particular challenge at work. How does that land with you?’” Fischer said “We gave and received feedback freely, and I think we all gained something from having those kinds of conversations.”
Each of the sessions was built around a theme or specific topic. During the meeting about justice, participants met with U.S. Attorneys, public defenders and judges at the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Fischer was struck by a discussion with a judge who’s trying to keep people with mental health issues from being overwhelmed by the legal system.
“(It was) probably the most intense and eye-opening day for me as I grappled with the complexity of our justice system and recognized the need to cut through the noise and understand how it functions,” Fischer said.
Each peer group also spent a day performing a community service project, such as volunteering at a food pantry. In addition to the confabs in Pittsburgh, there were field trips, such as a visit with state lawmakers in Harrisburg.
When her peers in Leadership Pittsburgh chose Fischer to be their commencement speaker at the June 12 ceremony, she again looked to her dad for inspiration.
“My father’s legacy demonstrates how much we need leaders who exhibit professional courage, uphold their values and model what good leadership looks like,” Fischer said. “We need to come out of (the program) transformed so we can truly make an impact. That was my challenge to everyone.”
Do you know CMU colleagues who have interesting, uncommon or praiseworthy stories to tell? Suggest them as candidates for Staff Spotlight stories in The Piper!