A photo of the Rev. Valerie Bailey FischerThe Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer joins Williams in July as chaplain to the college.

She has more than 11 years of college chaplaincy experience, nearly a decade in ordained ministry and strong foundations in experiential education and social justice. “I am inspired by how the chaplains, faculty, staff and students are engaged in issues of faith and religion in a variety of ways,” she says. “I am excited to be part of this process as chaplain to the college.”

At Framingham State University, where she was university chaplain, Bailey Fischer helped students from a variety of religious, moral and philosophical traditions form and strengthen their communities.

Raised in the African-American Pentecostal tradition, Bailey Fischer joined the Episcopal Church as a young adult. She has a B.A. from Penn State and an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary. She is completing a dissertation in Anglican studies and U.S. Episcopal Church history at General Theological Seminary.