Long-time member of FIU family passes away


Jennifer Mwaisela

Associate Vice President for Risk Management and Environmental Health and Safety Jennifer Mwaisela passed away Aug. 15, 2009, after a year-long battle with cancer.

Jennifer was well known for her good humor, her quick wit and her passion for environmental health and safety and emergency preparedness.

Jennifer created from scratch the award-winning emergency management program we have today. She transformed the environmental health and safety culture at FIU and, in so doing, became a leader among her peers in the State University System. Through her leadership and hard work, she founded the Emergency Management Group and systematized emergency management procedures at the university.

An accomplished professional, well respected by her peers and a recognized expert in her field, Jennifer earned a reputation as a passionate and driven individual. Under her leadership, her team won numerous awards and recognitions including the Florida Interagency Advisory Council Loss Prevention Award for the last two years.

“I had the privilege of seeing first-hand the tremendous impact Jennifer’s constant creativity and foresight had on the health and safety of the university community,” said Cristina Mendoza, FIU vice president and general counsel, in an email to the university community advising everyone of Jennifer’s passing.

Jennifer came to FIU in 1990 as a health and safety coordinator and on the weekend Hurricane Andrew blew through South Florida in August of 1992, she was promoted to interim director of Environmental Health and Safety. Insurance Program Assistant Mary Cruz, who worked with Jennifer during her entire tenure at FIU, says Jennifer was, by nature, a problem solver, which served her well during those first few weeks on the job.

She was an integral part of the university community by virtue of her professional role and her service in numerous committees, many of which she chaired, including the Substance Abuse Taskforce and the Access and Equity Committee. Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies in her native Jamaica and two master’s degrees from the University of Miami: Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety and Public Health. In 2005 she earned a third master’s degree, this time in business administration from FIU.

Jennifer maintained her upbeat and gregarious demeanor despite her illness. She attended former President Modesto A. Maidique’s tribute in early August where she greeted many colleagues with hugs and smiles.

With her passing, FIU has lost a leader, a dedicated and loyal employee and a friend.

Jennifer is survived by sister Ann Marie Grant and father Albert Grant. Cards and condolences should be sent to the Environmental Health and Safety office in CSC 162 for forwarding to the family.

The FIU family will gather to celebrate Jennifer’s life in the early fall. More details on this celebration will follow.

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