Drexel Celebration To Honor Community Activist And Longtime Bexley Resident Judy Fisher

The Drexel Theatre and Friends of the Drexel will honor longtime community activist and advocate Judy Fisher at the 2025 Drexel Celebration on Wednesday, October 8. The event, a reimagined version of the Drexel Gala, will be held at the Franklin Park Conservatory Wells Barn. Tickets and information are available at drexel.net.

Fisher, a past board chair of Friends of the Drexel, has spent decades shaping the cultural and civic life of central Ohio. Recruited to the board by the late CAPA CEO Bill Conner, she was instrumental in ensuring the Drexel Theatre’s place as a city-wide cultural landmark. Beyond her work with the Drexel, Fisher has been deeply engaged in organizations including the YWCA, where she helped establish the Family Center for Homeless Women and Children, and has served with groups such as the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, Jewish Family Services, and the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund.

Her lifelong advocacy has focused on racial justice, women’s empowerment, access to health care, housing equity, and voting rights. A recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award, Fisher has also served as a delegate to the National Democratic Convention and as a leader on numerous community boards.

“Judy Fisher has been a force for good in our community. Her core belief of caring for others has been at the forefront of her professional, personal, and volunteer efforts. Judy’s many years of contributing her time and talents to the Drexel have been crucial to the continued success of our beloved theater,” said Jennifer Nelson Carney, Chair of the Friends of the Drexel Board of Trustees.

Fisher and her husband, Ted, have lived in Bexley for 52 years in the same home where they raised their two children and now host their six grandchildren. She remains a daily presence in her community, often spotted on early morning walks, and continues to share her love of art, travel, ballet, and music.

About the Drexel Theatre

For generations, the Drexel Theatre has been central Ohio’s premier destination for independent, international, and Hollywood cinema.

About Friends of the Drexel, Inc.

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