Fisher Derderian

Founder and Executive Director

Fisher Derderian is the Founder and Executive Director of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation (RSLF), a U.S. nonprofit and English charity established in 2020 to advance cultural renewal through beauty, tradition, and belonging. Under his leadership, the RSLF has grown into a global platform uniting leaders, artists, scholars, and policymakers to preserve cultural heritage and inspire creative expression. Fisher’s work exemplifies how beauty and tradition—whether conveyed through the arts, architecture, or education—can strengthen communities and foster a flourishing society.

Fisher’s leadership has brought together distinguished individuals from government, academia, business, and the arts to engage with pressing cultural challenges. At the University of Cambridge, A New Path for Beauty and its predecessor, The Pursuit of Beauty, gathered international thought leaders to explore the role of tradition and beauty in shaping cultural institutions. In Guatemala, La Búsqueda de la Belleza celebrated architecture, philosophy, and music, with participants from across Latin America, culminating in a concert in the visionary city of Ciudad Cayalá. Partnerships with Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Hungary have anchored European initiatives that bridge classical traditions with contemporary concerns, while collaborations in Thailand have introduced Scruton’s philosophy to new audiences through translations and public events. In the United States, Fisher has led programs in Washington, D.C., New York, Dallas, and California, fostering dialogue and advancing the principles of beauty and tradition in public life.

Signature initiatives such as the Roger Scruton Memorial Lecture Series and the Scruton Prize reflect the caliber and scope of Fisher’s work. These programs have featured globally recognized figures like Peter Thiel, Douglas Murray, Marwa Al-Sabouni, and Niall Ferguson, and celebrate individuals whose contributions have advanced public understanding of cultural excellence. Education is central to Fisher’s mission, exemplified by the Oxford Seminar, a week-long intensive at the University of Oxford, and the Scrutopia Summer School, designed for graduate students and professionals. Both programs offer participants immersive engagement with Sir Roger Scruton’s philosophy, equipping them to incorporate its principles of beauty, tradition, and belonging into their personal and professional lives.

Fisher’s initiatives bridge philosophical ideals with practical action, connecting timeless values to real-world applications. His Building Beautiful series has brought together internationally celebrated architects such as Robert Adam, Ong-Ard Satrabhandhu, Duncan Stroik, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Nicholas Boys Smith to advance dialogue on traditional architecture and urbanism. Other notable projects include Rooted, a series on agriculture and stewardship developed with the Wethersfield Institute, and the worldwide concert premiere of Sir Roger Scruton’s opera Anna, with music by David Matthews, at The Grange Festival.

Outside of the RSLF, Fisher has served since 2022 as an Arts Commissioner for the City of Costa Mesa, where he advises on public art and cultural policy. In this role, he works to integrate beauty and the arts into civic life, enhance public spaces, and strengthen a shared sense of community.

Fisher holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of Buckingham, where he studied under Sir Roger Scruton, and a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from The King’s College in New York City. He lives in Orange County, California, with his wife, Maxine, and their three children.

Through the RSLF and his broader work, Fisher champions a vision of cultural renewal rooted in the enduring values of beauty, tradition, and education. By uniting distinguished leaders and fostering meaningful collaboration, he advances a world where the arts and culture inspire renewal, strengthen identity, and shape a flourishing society.