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As he assumed the helm of Baldwin Wallace University in 2025, the University's new president earned repeated recognition for civic impact and vision.
Lee Fisher's arrival as president of Baldwin Wallace University was marked not only by fresh vision and leadership of the institution but also by a string of regional honors recognizing his decades of service to Northeast Ohio.
The accolades began when Cleveland Magazine named Fisher to its Cleveland 500 list, spotlighting leaders who are shaping the region's future. In his profile, Fisher emphasized his commitment to "educating and training the next generation of leaders and filling Northeast Ohio's talent pipeline with those leaders."
When asked about his most important leadership quality, he pointed to "the ability to adapt to changing circumstances in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous world."
Shortly afterward, Crain's Cleveland Business selected Fisher for its Who's Who in Cleveland Business list, an evolution of the publication's influential Power 150. The recognition places Fisher among Northeast Ohio's most influential business and organizational leaders who are "positioned to shape the region's trajectory."
In November, he was the only inductee in the Cleveland State University Law School Hall of Fame. Established in 2017, CSU|LAW Hall of Fame honors distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, friends and community leaders for their outstanding contributions to the law school's success and prestige.
Fisher served as Dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law at CSU Law for nine years prior to joining BW in July 2025.
In his acceptance speech, he applauded the law school's students, faculty and alumni, saying they are "people who believe you earn in life and don't just get something handed to you. The people inducted into our Hall of Fame, many of them here tonight, epitomize that. They're giants. And I can't tell you how honored I am to be among you."
The honors continued in December, when Fisher was selected by the Cleveland Jewish News as the recipient of the 2025 Civic Leadership Award.
The award, presented as part of the CJN 18 Difference Makers program, celebrates individuals who embody the principle of tikkun olam — repairing the world — and inspire others to do the same. Fisher was honored at a special reception on December 11 at Landerhaven in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.
He told CJN for an article on the honor, "“We are put on this earth to try to make a difference in other people’s lives, including people that we may never meet,” he said. “That has been my calling for my entire life.”
Now, as he leads Baldwin Wallace through its 180th anniversary year and beyond, Fisher is sharing a message about the future transformation needed in higher education to a broad audience.
On February 6, 2026, he will serve as a featured speaker at the Cleveland City Club, where he'll discuss in depth, "The BW Way: Leader Ready, Career Ready, Future Ready," a topic he recently outlined in Crain's Cleveland Business.
The forum, titled after Fisher's vision for the university, will explore the challenges, opportunities and strategies ahead for higher education in Northeast Ohio and how Baldwin Wallace can serve as the region's most reliable talent pipeline for the next generation of leaders.
For information and tickets, visit the Cleveland City Club website.
