How to Win Hearts and Change Minds (CEU)

Dr. Kelly Fishman is a nationally recognized leader in education, equity, and community engagement who brings over two decades of frontline experience to the fight against hate and bias. As Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Ohio River Valley office, Dr. Fishman leads strategic initiatives across Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania – a four-state region where she mobilizes communities, educators, and civic leaders to create more inclusive and resilient institutions.

Dr. Fishman’s unique perspective is forged from years in the classroom and on college campuses. She spent more than a decade as a high school English teacher where she shaped young minds while leading systemic change. Her earlier work in higher education administration at the University of Miami, University of Michigan, and Case Western Reserve University gives her rare insight into building equitable practices across educational ecosystems.

A scholar-practitioner, Dr. Fishman earned her Doctor of Education in Diversity and Equity in Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has contributed to academic discourse through guest lectures and published chapters in Diversity in Perspective: Thinking and Acting. She brings evidence-based strategies to every conversation about creating meaningful change.

Since joining ADL in 2022, Dr. Fishman has worked to expand the organization’s impact across communities facing rising antisemitism, extremism and polarization. She doesn’t just study the challenges facing our schools and communities – she partners with leaders to solve them.