Yael Fisher

Her father, Itzhak Avni, was born in Berlin, Germany, and immigrated to Israel with the Youth Aliya in 1933, immediately after the Nazi regime came to power.

He became the CEO of the Israel Coins and Medals Corp and the Vice-CEO of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Her maternal grandfather was the artist and painter Meir Gur-Aryeh.

Her mother, Jerusalem-born Leah Avni, the sixth generation of native Israelis in her family, was a chief nurse at the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.

Fisher was born and raised in Rehavia, Jerusalem, in a family of three girls and a boy.

Yael Fisher (born 1953) is an Associate Professor at Achva Academic College in Israel.

She was part of the Israeli team that won the 100X4 relay race at the Eighth Maccabiah, held in Israel in 1969.

She was the Jerusalem champion in Floor and Artistic Gymnastics 1970.

During her mandatory IDF service, she was a social services officer in the Sinai Peninsula, and later transferred to Training Command and was honorably discharged at the rank of first lieutenant.

After her military service, she completed the first year of studies as part of the first class to attend Ben-Gurion University's School of Medicine.

She attended the Hebrew Rehavia Gymnasium (graduated 1971).

Between 1975 and 1978, she studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and has a B.MUS in Dance.

Between 1982 and 1989, she founded and ran a dance school as part of the Gderot regional council.

She attained MA (1989–1991) and PhD (1995–1998) degrees in Education Administration at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Her thesis and doctorate dealt with parental involvement in education.

Her doctoral advisors were Professor Haim Adler and Professor Itzhak Friedman.

Between 1990–1996, she founded and ran the Study Center for Gifted, Science- and Arts-loving Youth at the Achva College of Education.

In 1996, she was the first Academic Secretary of Achva when the college became an accredited academic institution.

Between 1997 and 1999, she managed the Michigan/Israel Bureau and was the Community and Aliyah (immigration to Israel) Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, MI., USA.

After returning to Israel, she went back to teach at Achva and at the same time developed and ran an experimental course for training school principals, at the Henrietta Szold Institute in Jerusalem.

In 2000, she was awarded a tenured position at Achva Academic College of Education; in 2003, she was promoted to Senior Lecturer; in 2018, she was granted the degree of Associate Professor.

In 2002, she participated in developing an M.Ed. program in Educational Administration at Achva Academic College, the first college in Israel to offer a postgraduate program in the field of Educational Administration.

During this period, she also advised local authorities and governmental organizations on the issue of minimizing the digital divide.

Since 2003, she has been a board member of the FTA-Facet Theory Association, serving as the association's secretary-treasurer in 2010–2013.

In 2004–2005, she headed the Institute for Online Education at Achva Academic College, and between 2005–2010, she headed the Program for School Principal Training at the college.

Since 2006, she has volunteered as a guest lecturer in the IDF "Ofakim" program", initiated by Professor Efrat Kass. Between 2007–2010, she served as the educational advisor to the Minister for Minorities, Avishay Braverman.

During the last five years, she won two significant research grants from the Ministry of Education, and she is researching together with her two colleagues, Prof. Orna Shatz Oppenheimer and Dr. Rinat Arviv-Elyashiv, the unique programs for teacher training in Israel.

Fisher is remarried to Dr. Rafi Fisher, a dentist.

She has two daughters and resides in Ramat Aviv.

Fisher's first research efforts, starting with her doctoral dissertation, dealt with parental involvement in education in Israel.

In 2007, she developed the program combining an M.Ed.

degree in Education and Principal Training Accreditation; titled "School Leadership" (a Ministry of Education pilot program) and headed it until 2009.

In 2010, she received from the college president the "President's Award" of the highest honor for maintaining teaching excellence over a prolonged period.

From 2012 to 2016, she founded and headed the School for Advanced Degrees at Achva, while the School of Education gained the necessary accreditation to be united with the Academic College under the auspices of the Council for Higher Education in Israel and the Planning and Budgeting Committee.

From 2016–Feb 2019 she served as the College Rector.

In 2016, with Professor Friedman, she developed the thesis track for the M.Ed.

program in Educational Administration at Achva Academic College, the sole program in this field in Israel to offer a thesis track.

She also advised local authorities on matters of education.

In 2016, she was appointed Rector of Achva Academic College.

In February 2019, she resigned to protest a falsified data submitted by the college president, Professor Shosh Arad, and her staff to the Council of Higher Education and actions that violated the Council's regulations.