Laurie Fernandez

Laurie has overseen human resources for twenty-one years at the Ridgefield Town Hall.  Prior to Ridgefield, Laurie was in human resources for Scholastic Publishers in Danbury for fifteen years. Before that Laurie spent seven years working her way through school at Bethel Foods and serving as a health coach.

Graduating from Western Ct. State University with an MBA in personnel management, Laurie has also attended Sacred Heart University and UCONN. She says that managing people in one way or another has always been an important part of her life, especially since working with youth at a teen center. Laurie is a people person and loves to interact with all types of people in a variety of situations. For her dedication to her job and effectiveness with staff, Laurie was awarded the Employee of the Year for the Town of Ridgefield, 2013. 

Laurie says that her job at the Ridgefield Town Hall involves so much more than hiring and firing people and working on payroll. That is why she likes the job. She is called into key meetings with many different departments and works with unions, the police and fire departments, clerical workers and the highway department on numerous business related decisions. Laurie loves the challenge of negotiating, restructuring projects, workman’s compensation issues, and helping to design the town budget. 

Laurie is proud to report that Ridgefield has hired their first woman fire line person. She will be transitioning from a paramedic and will serve as a role model for women. Ridgefield was proud to employ one of the first female fire chiefs in the area as well. Two other new fire positions have been added to the Ridgefield budget along with a new highway person. 

During the pandemic Laurie said that she was busier than ever. So many people volunteered to work at the vaccination sites and testing sites for Covid19 and all had to have a background check. Laurie was proud of her town and how people thought about others at this time of need and reached into their pockets as well as giving of themselves. 

 Laurie went to Immaculate High School in Danbury and grew up in Bethel. She met her husband, who is in chemical management, while sledding with her sister’s children in Bethel. Her husband had three children, who are now 19, 21, and 23. Laurie could not love these children more if she had given birth to them. 

Football games are of great interest to Laurie, and her family holds season tickets to Patriot Games. The family even flies to Miami for football games. Laurie also loves to cook and has every unique cooking device possible. The Bethel United Methodist Church is also central to Laurie’s life as this is where she is involved in numerous service projects like the food pantry, community outreach, and even human resource type situations. Just recently, Laurie became chairperson the human relations segment of her church and is proud of this accomplishment.

When it comes times to retire, Laurie would like to move near the ocean. Before then she would like to travel to Spain and Germany and continue to focus on her family the way that her family focused on her and her sister when she was young. Her parents have been married for over 50 years and faith, love, and respect were at the center of their relationship.