As Director of Business Analysis at Fidelity Investments in Merrimack, Rachel Connell enjoys elevating and leading a team of 36 analysts as they translate strategy into innovative and executable solutions and software. She describes herself as relentlessly curious and wildly creative, often spotting connections between seemingly unrelated ideas and using them to decode problems quickly and intuitively. “I’m dynamic, resourceful, and determined. I thrive in moments of change and uncertainty, and I’m passionate about guiding teams through times of transformation,” she said. “I’m at most times appropriately irritated by the status quo – because I know that thinking beyond boundaries often unlocks the most imaginative and impactful solutions.”
Back in 2007, her primary challenge was figuring out how to make college financially possible as she couldn’t secure the funding needed for a four-year university right away. She had worked her way through high school, eventually becoming co-manager of a retail store while still a student, but she knew she couldn’t afford tuition for a four-year college.
“The opportunity within reach was community college. It was affordable, and I could work while earning my degree. It was the financially responsible way to go, and it was my only way to go,” she explained. Rachel graduated from Alvirne High School in Hudson in June 2007 and enrolled at New Hampshire Community Technical College at Nashua—now known as Nashua Community College (NCC)—that fall.
Rachel always had an aptitude for numbers and gravitated toward finance and business classes in high school. She was active in her high school’s Future Business Leaders of America competitions and completed an Academy of Finance internship offered through the National Academy Foundation. When she enrolled at NCC, she knew that an associate degree in Business Administration would set her on the path to the career she envisioned.
“I was determined to earn a bachelor’s degree in four years, working full-time and avoiding student debt,” recalled Rachel. To nobody’s surprise, she achieved her goal. She graduated from NCC in two years, then transferred credits to Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to earn her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus on Management and Finance in another two years. Rachel had posted her resume on an online job search site while she was halfway through her studies at NCC. A Fidelity representative saw it, hired her to work in the company’s Large and Small Market HR/Payroll group, and Rachel’s career was launched. Fidelity’s benefits played a big role in helping her complete her degree while taking night and summer courses to meet her ambitious graduation timeline.
“NCC and Fidelity helped me achieve my goals. NCC is located near Fidelity, and courses were scheduled at times that allowed working people to attend. I would leave work at the end of the day and go straight to my classes,” Rachel explained.
Over the past 17 years, Rachel’s career at Fidelity has flourished. She has advanced from senior financial operations representative to transfer agent operations analyst, senior analyst, squad leader, and principal business analyst—now serving as director of business analysis. Along the way, she began pursuing an MBA in IT, Business and Information Technology from SNHU, started a family, and earned her CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) certification from the International Institute of Business Analysis™.
Rachel is passionate about building meaningful connections and believes community colleges are a critical—and sometimes underestimated—source of top talent.
“New Hampshire’s community colleges play a powerful role in building strong pipelines of talent, especially in industries like finance where we have an opportunity to expand how we define potential,” she said. “My peers at NCC worked hard, they wanted to be there, and they had grit and resilience. These are qualities you want in employees.”
Fidelity Investments has long supported New Hampshire’s community and four-year colleges given the critical role higher education plays in workforce development and retention. Rachel is committed to ensuring that support extends to hiring practices, actively looking to community colleges as a source of fresh perspectives and underrepresented talent.
Looking back at her own experience, Rachel is grateful to have made a “smart financial decision” that launched her career and allowed her to buy a home long before her peers could conceive of coming up with a down payment. “I had the same quality of education at NCC as I would have had at a four-year college, but I am not burdened by student debt. Now, more than ever, I highly recommend that people consider their local community college,” she said, adding “I am also making a financial gift in support of NCC students through the Foundation for NH Community Colleges to help pay it forward and support future students.”
