MIAMI, FL, May 19, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Wesley A. Fisher with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Fisher celebrates many years' experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Fisher has dedicated over five decades to research, focusing on provenance research and the restitution of looted cultural items. Since 2003, he has been the research director for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) in New York City, addressing the complex issues surrounding cultural property looted during World War II. Dr. Fisher's leadership in this area is underscored by his role as the head of the Claims Conference-WJRO Looted Art and Cultural Property Initiative, where he serves as the principal authority on looted cultural property and restitution.

From 2001 to 2002, Dr. Fisher served as the executive director of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. His tenure at the museum was preceded by his role as a senior founding staff member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., from 1993 to 2001. Dr. Fisher's extensive experience at the museum included roles such as director of international programs, special assistant to the museum director, acting director of the Research Institute and deputy director of the Research Institute. His contributions were pivotal in advancing scholarly research on Holocaust studies. Representing the museum, he was assistant director of the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets that developed the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art.

Dr. Fisher also contributed as a consultant to the Sakharov Museum from 1997 to 2000, showcasing his commitment to preserving historical narratives and civil society in Russia. His earlier career included significant contributions as the assistant director and director of Soviet programs at the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) from 1980 to 1992 where he was also the secretary of the American Council of Learned Societies-USSR Academy of Sciences Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences and other programs . He also taught in the department of sociology and the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York from 1972 to 1987.

Highly educated, Dr. Fisher's academic journey began with a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1966, followed by a Fulbright-Hays fellowship year at Moscow State University in 1970-1971. He subsequently earned a Master of Philosophy and a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology and Soviet studies, with distinction, from Columbia University in 1976, followed by a second Fulbright-Hays fellowship at Moscow State University. These academic achievements laid a strong foundation for Dr. Fisher's research expertise and subsequent professional accomplishments.

In addition to his professional roles, Dr. Fisher has been actively involved in various civic organizations. Most notably, he served on the board of directors for the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) and engaged in advisory work for programs supporting Soviet emigre scholars. Dr. Fisher is an accomplished author, having written several publications, including Social Stratification and Mobility in the USSR in 1973, The Soviet Marriage Market: Mate Selection in Russia and the USSR in 1980 and The Moscow Gourmet: Dining Out in the Capital of the USSR in 1974. His contributions extend to guidebooks and articles for academic and professional journals, reflecting his deep engagement with scholarly discourse. In 2024, he was the principal drafter of the Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, endorsed so far by 32 governments.

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