Serena D’Arcy Fisher
I have lived in 32 different houses during my lifetime,” Serena Fisher told me recently in her charming New Zealand/South African accent.
Serena’s family history is a rich tapestry that encompasses much of the globe and sounds a lot like a Hollywood adventure movie. Indeed, her father was actually born in Hollywood, where her grandfather worked in the film industry before the family moved back to England.
As a result of her dad’s peripatetic life and career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force in England and Kenya, and as a fighter pilot in the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Serena became a citizen of the world from the get-go. Born in 1959 in Canada, she spent her childhood in Auckland, New Zealand, before the family moved to Johannesburg, South Africa.
“My father loved to go diving on the weekends, and there was such an abundance of seafood in New Zealand in the seventies, so that’s pretty much what we ate growing up: eight-pound crayfish were common, and lots of fish. We did eat some lamb, but chicken was a rarity,” Serena reminisced.
Serena got an undergraduate degree in international relations at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and was hired by the government of South Africa to promote the country internationally. “I would put together programs for dignitaries from all over the world,” she explained. “I was traveling a lot during this time, and after about three years I got burned out. By this time, I was in my late twenties, and I decided to link up with my Italian friends who lived in the lake district of Northern Italy.
“After a sojourn there, I joined my sister for some travels in India. My sister had trained as a conservator (restorer) of old paintings at Sotheby’s in London, so we traveled through India in a comfortable bubble thanks to her Indian friends, but still, the poverty was overwhelming,” she said.
Around this time, Serena’s brother was living in Marin and needed some help, so in 1992, at the age of 33, Serena stepped off an airplane in San Francisco and settled in Marin. She embarked on a study of complementary medicine with a specialty in kinesiology. During this period, Serena worked for Alternative Medicine Publishing and became involved in alternative health startups.
Gradually Serena transitioned into fundraising for nonprofit organizations, primarily those involved in the human potential movement. Esalen was her main client from 2001 to 2015. More recently, she worked on the capital campaign for building the spacious community hall at Spirit Rock, the Woodacre-based Buddhist Center. She also helped Whistlestop raise $10M to build the projected Healthy Aging Center on Third St. in San Rafael. “The facility will be open to all older adults in Marin, and it will provide health services as well as a wide variety of programs to keep our minds sharp and stimulated so we age well.
”I commented that Serena’s work is very beautifully aligned with her values, and she responded: “It’s a blessing, I feel very fortunate. For me, it’s about being passionate about the mission. I always have to get my heart behind it. I’m very much about human potential — we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
“It’s a particular joy to work with philanthropists who understand what a joy it is to give. My passion is transformational philanthropy because when you can move someone from a place of I don’t have enough to knowing they can make a transformative gift, it’s such a heart-opening experience for all. Generosity is a fabulous gift both to the donor and to those who benefit,” she added.
Serena is a longtime student of Buddhism and for the past five years has been teaching mindfulness meditation at Villa Marin. “I love it,” she said with great enthusiasm. “The students are my teachers.
”Serena has been married to Alan Gump for 22 years. They met through a friend, and she was immediately taken with his humor, fine mind, and Southern accent. (Alan is from Tennessee.)
“We’ve been on a wonderful journey together. We are very fortunate. We share a regular meditation practice, and we have a regular weekly sitting group that’s been meeting for over 11 years. Mike Hagerty was originally a part of that group, and he’s the one who introduced us to Marin Valley.
“We looked for six months, and finally when we stood on the deck of our place here on View Ridge and saw the view and how much gardening space I had to play with, we were sold. But it was a big change for us since the house we were renting in San Anselmo was made of solid concrete!”
Serena’s connection to the earth runs deep. “I love gardening and transforming a space,” she told me. “Creating beauty feeds my soul, and I find it very grounding.” This passion started in her teens when Serena began collecting rocks. “What I love about rocks is their intrinsic beauty, their colors, and their healing qualities.” Her vast collection is mostly in storage right now, but her aim is to have a large cabinet to display them soon.I asked Serena where she felt most at home, and she responded, “I’m a global citizen really. There are parts of me in New Zealand and South Africa, and I recognize that this is my home now but it’s not my only home because I still have connections elsewhere.
“I still have family in South Africa, and I go back every couple of years. I’m passionate about protecting wildlife, so I do pro bono work helping organizations there raise funds to protect elephants, rhinos, and lions from profit-driven poachers who mutilate these poor animals to make use of their various parts.” Alan will be retiring soon, and the couple looks forward to traveling and to doing long silent retreats.
Watch out, world! ■