Lee Fisher, former Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of Ohio, has been appointed Interim Dean of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law for the 2016-17 academic year. Fisher will continue to enhance the law school’s academic reputation, while building on the innovative efforts Cleveland-Marshall has recently developed to enhance career readiness for its graduates and promote greater connectivity with the Cleveland community.

“As a lifelong Clevelander, I am honored to serve as Interim Dean of what I believe to be one of the most important institutions in the State of Ohio, Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law,” said Fisher.

“Lee is an experienced and innovative public servant and community leader who will continue to advance the Law School’s reputation as one of the top educational institutions in the nation,” noted Jianping Zhu, CSU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Fisher served as Attorney General of Ohio from 1991-1995 and as Lieutenant Governor of Ohio with Governor Ted Strickland from 2007-2011. Previously, he spent eight years as an Ohio State Senator and two years as an Ohio State Representative. Additionally, Fisher has decades of experience in legal practice, most extensively with Cleveland-based Hahn Loeser & Parks as Of Counsel from 1978-1990 and Partner from 1995-1999. He was most recently President of CEOs for Cities, a global, nonprofit network of urban leaders focused on making cities more successful, and a Senior Fellow with the Center for Economic Development at CSU’s Levin College of Urban Afffairs.  

Fisher, who will also serve as Visiting Professor of Law, officially began his role on June 1. A national search for a permanent dean will commence at a later date.