Penya Moses-Fields. Courtesy photo
Athlete, AKA and attorney? Sounds like a triple threat. However, that is not all there is to Penya Moses-Fields and it all began at Grambling State University.
“I was offered an academic and athletic scholarship to the university, but I only accepted the academic scholarship so I could control my future,” Fields said. “The coach of the basketball team was not happy with my decision, so I had to try-out and walk-on the team.”
That same year, the Lady Tigers were SWAC Champions.
“I still played, scored, and got a ring so I was satisfied after that and chose to no longer play,” Fields said.
Although Fields chose to stop being an athlete, her involvement on campus still continued.
“Grambling exposed me to a heritage and a culture that I did not know existed,” Fields said. “There were so many enrichment classes and studies of different backgrounds, along with people I would have never had the opportunity to meet.”
She became the first president of NABA (National Association of Black Accountants) and was also an air personality on KGRM.
One of Fields’ most cherished accomplishments on Grambling’s campus is the moment she became a member of the Alpha Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
In the midst of balancing her social and school life, Fields found the career path she truly wanted to take.
“One of my marketing professors told me I have a strong presence, and that when I speak, people listen,” Fields said.
This is what motivated her to pursue a law degree.
In the summer of 1992, Fields graduated from Grambling with a B.S. in Accounting and furthered her education at th Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. There, she obtained a Juris Doctorate in May of 1995.
Afterwards, she moved to Pennsylvania to attend Villanova University and received her Masters of Law in Taxation in 1996.
Suddenly, many job opportunities opened for Fields. In 1996, she moved back to New Orleans and started working on a special project for the Supreme Court of Louisiana. In 1997, she became an associate counsel for American Metro Comm Corporation. In 1999, Fields started legal marketing and management company PMF Consulting LLC that helps for-profit and non-profit businesses as well as individuals with tax problems with the IRS. In 2003, she was hired as an Assistant City Attorney and was promoted within months as the Deputy City Attorney.
Unfortunately, in 2005 the devastating Hurricane Katrina destroyed large portions of the City of New Orleans. Fields had already evacuated prior to the storm, but was called to return by the Director of Finance at City Hall. In the aftermath of this tragedy, she was appointed City Attorney of New Orleans due to her diverse background in law, tax and administration. This position gave her opportunities that she never thought she would have. She had meetings in the White House with President George W. Bush, meetings at Capitol Hill, met with President Obama on multiple occasions, traveled to South Africa, Cuba, Republic of Panama, Canada and was reported on by CNN and MSNBC.
In 2006, she was inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame, “Gallery of Distinction” at Grambling State University for notable community service in rebuilding and the recovery of the City of New Orleans.
In 2010, her appointed term as City Attorney ended. Fields moved to northern Louisiana and served as an Assistant District Attorney for Union, Lincoln and Caddo Parishes as a prosecutor up until 2018.
Fields is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Aha Gazelle LLC, founder of “Penya’s PUSH” which is a motivational movement to publicly uplift someone higher, and as of January 2019, elected to serve as the graduate advisor for the Alpha Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at Grambling State University.
“My faith kept me,” Fields said when asked how was she able to accomplish so much. “I’m grateful for the values taught by my parents and grandparents that developed my character. My accomplishments have not been without trials, but the triumphs have PUSHed me to become the woman I was destined to be.”