Adrianne Fletcher is an award-winning administrator who has helped legal organizations across Ohio improve DEI practices.

Adrianne Fletcher is an award-winning administrator who has helped legal organizations across Ohio improve DEI practices.

Adrianne Fletcher, an administrator and professor at Case Western Reserve University, has been named the Supreme Court of Ohio’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) director.

“I am honored to take on such a transformative role that strives to make the Supreme Court, and courts across the state, more inclusive for all Ohioans,” said Fletcher, who joins the Court on May 1.

Since 2018, Fletcher has been Case Western’s assistant dean for diversity and inclusion, working across the institution to provide strategic and collaborative leadership to meet the DEI needs of faculty, staff, and students. Her achievements in that role earned her the university’s “Think Big Leadership Award” in October 2021. The honor recognized her interdisciplinary leadership in organizing diversity events.

Among her responsibilities with the Supreme Court, Fletcher will identify ways the Court can better mirror the state’s diverse demographics and identify opportunities for better understanding of access, for people with disabilities or with language barriers. Fletcher also will advise on recruitment, training, and retention of Court staff, and assist in the development of timely judicial and administrative educational programs related to DEI.

“The Supreme Court is constantly evaluating itself to better meet our constitutional obligation to ensure access and justice for all,” said Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor. “Dr. Fletcher will be an asset to the Court in reviewing our policies and practices, attracting a diverse workforce, retaining highly qualified employees, and continuing to serve justice.”

As the first woman at the top of Ohio’s judiciary, Chief Justice O’Connor recognizes and works to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. That commitment includes the development of a bench and bar who represent the diversity of Ohio’s people and its communities.

Fletcher, who has master’s and doctorate degrees in social work, has balanced her administrative duties with being an assistant professor at Case Western’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Along with developing DEI policies and programming at Case Western, Fletcher has collaborated with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, its women in law section, and the Ohio State Bar Association on programs for attorneys related to DEI. As an educator, she has developed curriculum, mentored high school and college students, and coached professionals about how empathy, trust, and civility lead to increased inclusion in work and the workplace.

“Relationships and partnerships are at the heart of greater understanding,” said Fletcher. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion is where understanding gives way to access, impartiality, and fairness.”