Co-Founder | Chief Operating Officer

Prof. Lesmah J. Fraser is the Founder and President/CEO of The Paige Fraser Foundation (TPFF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to inspiring young emerging artists, with or without physical and mental health challenges, to reach their full potential.

Prof. Fraser, a seasoned healthcare professional and innovative educator with over 30 years’ experience in executive leadership roles, has worked in large NYC public and private healthcare systems. She is a results-oriented leader and teacher, with a proven record of accomplishments in both healthcare and educational institutions. She is an Adjunct Professor of Healthcare Management at New York University School of Professional Studies (SPS) in the Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies (DAUS) and a former Director of the Ambulatory Care Network at New York Presbyterian/Columbia.

In 1996, she received an NYU Award for Teaching Excellence, and in 2008, she received a New York-Presbyterian President’s Circle Leadership Award. Prof. Fraser holds a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) from the New School for Social Research and is a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (LFACHE) as well as a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). She is the COO/Treasurer of The Leslin Healthcare Leadership Foundation (LESLIN), a nonprofit whose mission is to discover and activate the leadership potential that resides in us all, and is a Board Member of the Bellevue Literary Review: A journal of humanity and human experience.

In 2023, Prof. Fraser was the recipient of the Herbert H. Lehman College Alumni Achievement Award, one of the College’s highest honors. She also received a Citation of Merit from Vanessa L. Gibson, President of the Borough of the Bronx, on September 14th, 2023, and a Proclamation from New York Senator Nathalia Fernandez on September 14, 2023.

In 2025, Prof. Fraser received an honorary Doctoral degree in Humane Letters (D. Litt.) from the New York College of Health Professions in recognition of her work as a distinguished leader in healthcare, public health, and higher education. She has received multiple civic honors and champions health equity, education, and community empowerment.