Mercy Women Leaders: Faculty Spotlight on Jennifer Fernandes, MBA, COTA/L
Earlier this year, Mercy University was ranked No. 1 in New York and No. 11 nationwide on Newsweek's inaugural "America's Best Colleges for Women 2026" list. Developed in partnership with Gender Fair, this national ranking recognizes institutions that demonstrate measurable progress in advancing women through leadership representation, equitable policies and pay practices, campus safety, and career opportunity.
Behind this recognition are people who invest in women's growth every day. Jennifer Fernandes, MBA, COTA/L, interim dean of Mercy's School of Business, is one of them. Fernandes has experienced Mercy as a student, a three-time alumna, a faculty member, and now a leader. She knows women often pursue their ambitions alongside caregiving and work, and she builds support around that reality for students and for colleagues stepping into roles they hadn't pictured for themselves.
Learn more about her journey at Mercy, the moments that shaped her approach to leadership and what she wants prospective women students to know about the community waiting for them here.
Q&A with Jennifer Fernandes
What drew you to Mercy University, and what has kept you here?
My Mercy story started as a student and as a three-time alumna, you could say I kept coming back for a reason. Initially, affordability was a big part of my decision. Mercy’s tuition was more manageable for me than Pace or Manhattanville, but what made the experience valuable was the personal attention I received. My professors were intentional about mentoring me. They met with me, checked in, and helped me understand what I needed to do to succeed. As a freshman, that level of follow-up sometimes reminded me of high school. Looking back, I understand it differently: they recognized that being new to college meant I needed guidance while I learned to navigate it. They gave me support and held me accountable, then helped me become more independent. That’s what has kept me connected to Mercy. I experienced what it means to have professors invested in your progress, and now, as interim dean, I get to help carry that forward. I came for an education, earned three degrees, and apparently decided I wasn’t quite ready to leave.
How have you seen your role as a faculty member evolve into a leadership position—whether formally or informally?
My path at Mercy began as an administrative assistant. From there, I became a coordinator, an adjunct, a faculty member, an associate director, a director, associate dean, and now interim dean. I certainly wasn’t sitting at my first desk mapping out all those titles! My growth happened through experience, hard work, and women at Mercy who coached me, encouraged me, and helped me recognize what I could contribute. As a three-time alumna, I’ve experienced that support as both a student and an employee. With each new role, I learned to support people on a broader scale, from helping an individual student to supporting faculty and guiding programs. Those women helped me find my confidence and take the next step, and now I want to offer that same encouragement and opportunity to others.
Can you share a moment when you realized the impact you were having on women students' lives?
One student who really stayed with me was a mother with a disability in our Occupational Therapy Assistant program. Her plan was to come to class, do her work, and go home. As a mother myself, I understand that sometimes your schedule feels full before the day even starts. But I saw leadership potential in her and encouraged her to run for class president. She took that step, became an advocate for her classmates, and learned how to speak up, navigate challenges, and represent others. She graduated at the top of her class and has since moved into a leadership position in her work. We still stay in touch. As women, we can sometimes talk ourselves out of an opportunity before anyone else has a chance to consider us: “Do I have the time? Am I ready? Can I really do this?” I wanted her to give herself a chance to find out. Her success belongs to her. What means so much to me is knowing I helped her see a possibility beyond the plan she arrived with. Having responsibilities and needing support didn’t diminish her ability to lead. She had something valuable to contribute, and she discovered just how much.
What does it mean to you personally that Mercy has been ranked #1 for women in New York?
It feels personal because I’ve experienced Mercy as a student, a three-time alumna, a faculty member, and now a leader. I know what it meant to have professors who made time for me, held me accountable, and helped me see possibilities I hadn’t yet considered. As a mother, I also know that pursuing your goals rarely happens in a quiet, perfectly organized life. You’re often making room for them between everyone else’s needs, occasionally answering an email with a child calling your name. This recognition makes me proud because it reflects the support I experienced here, and now, as Interim Dean, I have the opportunity to carry that forward. I want our women students to leave Mercy with more confidence, more opportunities, and the belief that their ambitions deserve room in their lives, too.
Can you describe a "full circle" moment where you saw a former student achieve something significant?
A full circle moment for me involved a student in a prerequisite course I taught. She was pregnant and had been forced to leave her home because of her pregnancy, with no family support. She was about to drop out of college. I began meeting with her every week and helped connect her with resources to help her stay in school. As we worked together, I saw her potential and encouraged her to interview for our Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She went on to become class president, graduate, and pass her licensing exam. Seeing her grow from someone who was unsure she could continue college into a professional, and a leader was incredibly meaningful. She earned that success, and I’m grateful I could help her find the support to keep going. As a Mercy alumna, I remember what it meant to have professors invested in my future. Being able to offer that same care to another woman is what made this feel truly full circle.
How does your work contribute to advancing opportunities for women in your field?
My work contributes by helping women recognize their abilities and connecting them with opportunities to put those abilities into practice. As a faculty member, that has meant making time for individual conversations, helping students find resources to stay in school, and encouraging them to pursue leadership roles they might otherwise pass up. Now, as Interim Dean of the School of Business, I can extend that work through professional development, industry connections, and experiences that help students build their skills and networks. I know from my own journey that encouragement matters, but it becomes much more powerful when it comes with a concrete next step. I want women to leave Mercy able to say, “I’ve led, I’ve contributed, and I have something valuable to bring to the table.”
What makes Mercy's environment particularly supportive for women faculty and students?
What makes Mercy supportive is the personal investment people make in your growth. As a student, I had professors who met with me, checked in, and helped me become more independent. As a faculty member, I’ve had opportunities to take on new responsibilities and grow into leadership. That matters for women because our ambitions often exist alongside caregiving, work, and other responsibilities. Sometimes support means helping a student find resources to stay enrolled; sometimes it means encouraging a colleague to pursue a role she hasn’t yet pictured herself in. I’ve experienced both sides of that encouragement at Mercy, and I try to carry it forward. You can be challenged to grow and still have someone in your corner.
How do you create an inclusive classroom where all women feel safe to participate and take intellectual risks?
I start by making it clear that students don’t have to have a perfect answer to contribute. I encourage questions, respectful disagreement, and the willingness to try, because learning requires all three. I also make room for different ways to participate, whether speaking in class, working in a small group, or having a conversation with me afterward. The fastest hand in the room shouldn’t be the only voice we hear. I try to get to know my students rather than assume that being quiet means being disengaged. My goal is to hold students to high expectations while giving them the support to reach those expectations, so they learn to trust their own thinking and know their perspectives belong in the conversation.
What institutional practices at Mercy have you seen make a tangible difference in women's success?
The practices I’ve seen make the greatest difference are regular faculty check-ins, personalized mentoring, and connecting students with support before a challenge becomes a reason to leave college. In my own experience, meeting weekly with a student who was considering dropping out and helping her access resources gave her a path to continue. Coordination between faculty and student support teams, including PACT, helps make those connections possible. Affordability also mattered in my decision to attend Mercy and pursue three degrees. These practices address real needs: making education financially accessible, giving students someone to turn to, and following through when they need help. For women balancing school, work, and family, that support can make the difference between putting a goal on hold and reaching it.
If you could tell prospective women students one thing about what awaits them at Mercy, what would it be?
You’ll find women here who are ready to help you grow, and that connection doesn’t have to end at graduation. Many of our leadership positions at Mercy are held by women, so you can see what’s possible while building relationships with people who encourage you, share opportunities, and help you take your next step. I still stay in touch with former students, connect them with networking opportunities, and meet some of them for coffee. The conversation may shift from assignments to career decisions, but the investment in their success continues. That’s what I want prospective students to know: you’re coming to earn a degree, but you also have the opportunity to build a community that keeps opening doors with you.
Complete this sentence: "Being a woman faculty member at Mercy means..."
Growing alongside women who lift one another up and extending that same support to our students, from their first uncertain day in class to the coffee conversations about their next career move.