Serving People is My Purpose: Tracie Fisher’s Journey at ALULA
“Working here is more than a job,” said ALULA Empowerment Specialist Tracie Fisher.
In her role as Empowerment Specialist, Tracie supports employees across ALULA. She helps staff navigate challenges both at work and in their personal lives. Some days it means simply being someone employees can talk to. Other times, it means helping them connect with financial resources or workplace accommodations that support their success at work.
Tracie works closely with employees with disabilities to identify appropriate job accommodations. She partners with supervisors and managers to ensure employees have the support they need to do their jobs safely and successfully.
She is also a certified Work Incentives Practitioner through Cornell University, helping employees navigate Social Security benefits such as SSDI and SSI. Tracie supports employees with applications and helps them understand how their working hours may affect their benefits.
In addition, Tracie serves as ALULA’s Community Liaison, attending community meetings and building relationships with nonprofit partners. Through this work, she helps connect employees to local resources and keeps the community informed about ALULA’s mission, growth, and opportunities for partnership.
“The policies and everything here at ALULA are written for total inclusion,” Tracie said. “The way we are structured is for diversity and inclusion. That’s one of the things I love most about this place.”
Tracie’s path to this role began seven years ago.
She first learned about ALULA, then known as Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS), through VISION Transylvania, a program at Blue Ridge Community College that introduces students to the local community. During a tour of the facility, she was impressed not only by the mission but also by how clean and organized the operation was.
After retiring from a government career, Tracie checked to see if ALULA had any job openings and applied right away.
She started as a Direct Support Professional (DSP), a role she held for nine months before being promoted to Administrative Assistant.
“That role changed my life,” Tracie said. She described being a DSP as “every day being another chance for a new beginning.”
After a year in the administrative role, Tracie wanted to learn more about production. She moved to the warehouse as a Receiving Clerk and later became a Logistics Coordinator, working in the department for two years.
“When I went to the warehouse, I knew I would be back down here,” she said. “Serving people is my purpose. I just had to wait for the time to be right.”
When the Empowerment Specialist position became available in 2023, Tracie knew she was ready. Her experience across departments helped her build relationships and trust with employees throughout the organization.
Today, her journey reflects the opportunities for growth at ALULA and the power of a workplace built on inclusion and support. Her journey reflects ALULA’s mission in action: building a workplace where people are supported, opportunities are real, and every employee has the chance to succeed.