The American Institute of Steel Construction has named Dr. James M. Fisher and Michael A. West to its inaugural class of AISC Fellows, a new designation recognizing individuals whose careers have shaped both the organization and the structural steel industry. The honor was announced at NASCC: The Steel Conference in Atlanta, where AISC vice president of engineering and research Christopher Raebel, SE, PE, PhD, noted that the recipients have shaped “both AISC and the structural steel industry through their decades of dedication, exceptional leadership, and forward-thinking innovation.”
For CSD, the recognition reflects something the firm’s team encounters every day: two emeritus leaders whose work continues to guide how engineers across the country approach structural steel.
Dr. James M. Fisher
Jim Fisher‘s association with CSD goes back to the firm’s earliest years. He joined CSD shortly after its founding in 1968, became a Principal in 1974, and now serves as Vice President Emeritus. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1962, followed by a Master of Science (1965) and Ph.D. (1968) in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois.
Much of Jim’s career has focused on structural steel research and the study of economical structural framing systems. He served as chairman of the AISC Specification Committee from 2003 to 2010, currently serves as the consulting engineer for the Steel Joist Institute, and has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books and numerous technical publications.
His list of industry honors is long. He received the AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award in 1984, the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, and AISC’s highest honor, the J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award, in 2006. More recently, the Metal Building Manufacturers Association presented him with its 2024 Dr. Duane S. Ellifritt Award, and the Steel Joist Institute established the Dr. James M. Fisher Scholarship in his name.
Michael A. West
Mike West joined CSD in 1978, was made an Associate in 1981, became a Principal in 1985, and was appointed Vice President Emeritus in 2016. Across that tenure he has been responsible for the architectural and structural design of industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings, including office buildings, hotels, warehouses, and a wide range of low and mid-rise structures.
His work with AISC has been equally substantial. Mike chairs the AISC Certification Standards Committee and serves on the AISC Committee on Manuals and Textbooks, the Committee on the Code of Standard Practice, and the Specification Technical Committee TC 12 on Quality Control and Assurance. He is co-author of AISC Design Guide 3, Serviceability Design Considerations for Steel Buildings, and AISC Design Guide 10, Erection Bracing of Low-Rise Structural Steel Frames, the latter of which he co-wrote with Jim Fisher. He has also lectured extensively at NASCC and through AISC seminars over the past quarter-century.
Mike received the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers that same year, and received the ASCE Civil Government Award in 2014.
A Continued Connection to AISC’s Standards Work
The Fellow recognition for Jim and Mike sits alongside other AISC Lifetime Achievement Awards previously presented to CSD engineers, including Richard Kaehler, who received the honor in 2015. CSD engineers have authored or co-authored AISC Design Guides 1, 7, 10, and 34, and continue to serve on AISC and SJI specification and certification committees.
That involvement is intentional. Standards and specifications are how the structural engineering profession communicates, and CSD has long believed that participating in their development is part of practicing structural engineering well. The work Jim and Mike have done over their careers is a substantial part of why that participation has been possible.
Congratulations to Jim and Mike on this recognition.