Feature Stories Alumni: The Jadottes: Corsair Pair sends love to CCB, UMass Law students through giving

From outside UMass Dartmouth’s satellite location on South Main Street in Fall River, New York native Fetchner Jadotte, Esq., MBA ’07, JD ’07 gazed at his future wife hustling to class with textbooks overflowing her arms. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized her from his graduate accounting class, but not for the endearing reason you might think. The hastened pep in her step made him worry that he was late for class, so he rushed into the building after her.

However, Fetchner discovered Dr. Tiffany Cardoza Jadotte ’05, MBA ’06 had just arrived early and sat alone in the classroom, head bent over papers scattered across the desk. She explained, “Accounting wasn’t my strong suit, and I felt challenged during the first few assignments. I had no idea what I was doing. I figured that if I got there early, I could find some students that could help me with my classwork.”

Having just graduated with her bachelor’s degree in management in 2005, Tiffany was familiar with the professor teaching this difficult class she was required to take for her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree. When class finally did start that fateful day, the professor introduced Tiffany as a model student for her stellar work ethic and determination to academically succeed.

“At that point, me being so competitive, I wondered who she was and why I should model myself after her,” joked Fetchner, who was one of the first graduates of the MBA and JD dual degree program that UMass Dartmouth established with UMass Law. “She didn’t know this at the time, but she kind of became my competition. If she’s going to be the A student, I need to be the A student, too.”

After that, Fetchner would tease Tiffany by showing off his excellent grades to her, a flirtatious rivalry brewing between them. Eventually, that playful sense of competition evolved into something sweeter, and their relationship blossomed when they started supporting each other out of mutual love and respect.

Now married with two children, this is a story they recall fondly over every anniversary dinner, clinking their champagne glasses to another year of marriage down and many more to come. These Corsairs would have never been a pair without meeting at UMass Dartmouth, a university that served as a foundation for their love and their respective careers.

Tiffany: Meaningful connections

Beyond their love story, Tiffany and Fetchner’s meeting at UMass Dartmouth kindled a lasting flame, fueled not only by romance but also by the rich education and student experiences they both received on campus.

During the beginning of her undergraduate years, Tiffany was a commuter student from Lakeville, MA, and while she was still invigorated by her classes, she wanted to feel more connected to the campus community. She decided to become a resident assistant on campus, and that experience gave her a critical set of leadership skills she’d carry throughout her career. She said, “I felt like being a resident assistant enriched my sense of belonging to the school. Living in the dorms caused me to have different interactions with faculty, staff, and students, so I had a more meaningful connection to the university after that.”

One of the most meaningful connections she made at UMass Dartmouth was with CCB’s Dr. Steve White. She said, “During my second year of undergrad, I took Dr. White’s global marketing class that went to Brazil and Peru as part of its curriculum. While in one of the airports, he planted the seed that I should pursue a doctorate degree. I never forgot about it, and neither did Fetchner. He held me to it until I finally graduated.”

Now, Tiffany is the Associate Dean for Human Resources, Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Harvard University, and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Holistic Leader & Performance Coaching, LLC, which offers leadership and career coaching to all levels of professionals. Thanks to lessons learned and faculty encouragement at UMass Dartmouth, Tiffany transformed from a studious student into a thriving professional equipped with a wealth of knowledge and a toolkit of practical skills.

“We felt as though we found each other at UMass Dartmouth, and we think about that moment when we decide to give back.”

Fetchner: From New York to Massachusetts

While UMass Dartmouth was right in Tiffany’s backyard, Fetchner had to make the trek from New York to southeastern Massachusetts in search of a robust MBA program that would give him an edge over other emerging law school graduates. He knew he met his match when researching the dual degree program between UMassD and UMass Law.

“My competition was going to be against other schools in the Boston area,” said Fetchner, who now works for KPMG, one of the Big Four firms in downtown Boston. “Having those MBA and JD degrees was a great way of differentiating myself from other potential candidates when it came time to apply for a job.”

Fetchner credits his academic and career successes to knowledgeable, responsive professors that wanted to see their pupils succeed. Most notably, former Associate Dean of CCB and professor Susanne Scott made a lasting impression on his life. He said of her, “It was the kind of relationship where you could laugh together, in and out of the classroom. She was the professor that I always had access to while in the program, and I could always count on her to be there.”

Together, as they pursued their degrees and with the support of faculty like Dr. White and Scott, Tiffany and Fetchner established the MBA Association (now called the Charlton Graduate Student Association) based out of the Charlton College of Business. When establishing the student-run organization, they wanted to enrich the MBA student experience through extracurricular community, corporate, and student activities.

“We jointly created the MBA Association to leave a lasting legacy. It was our first act of giving back to UMass Dartmouth,” Fetchner said, and it certainly wasn’t their last.

Giving back to where it all began

Despite their departure from UMass Dartmouth and UMass Law as proud alumni, Tiffany and Fetchner still sought ways to remain connected to both universities, and their philanthropic journey began with giving their time. Tiffany volunteered her HR and recruitment expertise in a resume workshop for soon-to-be graduates on campus, while Fetchner kept his calendar wide open for any curious-minded students or fellow alumni seeking career guidance.

However, as their life evolved with the addition of two little ones, they saw monetary donations as the best opportunity to remain part of these tightknit communities and show consistent support of academic programming and student success. Every year without fail, the Jadottes make CCB and UMass Law a priority in their financial endeavors, setting aside funds for current Corsairs chasing their dreams.

“We felt as though we found each other at UMass Dartmouth, and we think about that moment when we decide to give back,” Fetchner said. “In addition to that, the education we received accounts for where we are today in our careers. We try to do our best to support both schools in any way we can, and right now, it’s financially.”

“There has to be a genuine desire to give back,” Tiffany said. “We have our motivations for wanting to stay connected to UMass Dartmouth and UMass Law. You really have to find your purpose, your reason why.”

“For alumni who have not given back, look at the time that you were at UMass Dartmouth or UMass Law and look at where you are now,” Fetchner implored. “You wouldn’t be where you are today without these institutions. Tap into that, and give whatever you can.”