Fiske, a former UConn basketball player, comes to KO from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.

Submitted by Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications & Marketing, Kingswood Oxford School

Debra Baer Fiske has been named athletic director at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford. Submitted photo

Debra Baer Fiske, the associate athletic Director at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, has been named the new athletic director at Kingswood Oxford School. She will begin work on Aug. 12, 2015.

Fiske succeeds Susan Cabot, who had been KO’s athletic director since July 2012 but is now the AD at Madeira School in McLean, VA.

The starting point guard on the UConn women’s basketball team from 1988-92, Fiske has worked at Saint Joseph for 22 years, first as the fitness director and coach of the tennis and basketball teams and then acquiring additional and more diverse responsibilities over time.

As associate athletic director, she has managed USJ’s fitness, recreation, and intramural programs, including the O’Connell Athletic Center, and has worked with coaches, athlete recruitment, scheduling, NCAA compliance, and the overall strategic direction of the school’s athletic program.

“I am thrilled that Debbie is joining our community at a time of real excitement about our athletic program,” said Head of School Dennis Bisgaard. “Her deep and versatile experience is the perfect match for KO at this point in our history, as we focus on significant physical improvements to our athletic facilities, strengthening our interscholastic competition, and deliberately articulating the importance of lifelong fitness as an integral part of our academic program.

“Having played for a Division 1 team and having coached Division 3 players, Debbie is ideally suited to help guide our own student-athletes who aspire to compete in collegiate sports – as 30 members of our Classes of ’14 and ’15 plan to do.”

A native of Red Lion, PA, Fiske earned her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Fitness Management from UConn while playing for Coach Geno Auriemma. Her team won UConn’s first Big East championship in 1989 and made it to the Final Four in 1991.

Since 2012, Fiske has been providing color commentary for the UConn women’s basketball team on the IMG UConn radio network, and she will continue to do so after coming to KO.

Fiske lives in Glastonbury with her husband Tor, who played soccer for UConn and is now the supervisor of School Counseling for West Hartford Public Schools, and their three children: Traejan, Skylar, and Jaxon.

“I am excited to be joining the rich tradition of Wyvern athletics,” said Fiske. “Kingswood Oxford’s philosophy toward developing the whole student – namely, understanding the importance of health, wellness, and involvement outside the classroom — mirrors the ideals that I have pursued throughout my career, as well. I welcome the opportunity to continue and expand this approach, and I can’t wait to get started!”