For more than two decades, Leslie has provided program planning, grant writing, and evaluation services in the K-12 education and youth development fields, with a strong emphasis on programs that put underrepresented students on a trajectory for post-secondary success. She has spent much of the last twenty years working directly with K-12 schools, facilitating collaborative teams comprised of administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, health and human services staff, parents and students, as well as with non-profit partners, and also worked as the Director of Grants Management for a nonprofit in the education sector.
Leslie has secured approximately $150,000,000 in funding from a multitude of private foundations, corporations, and government agencies such as the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, the California Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Education, winning highly competitive grants such as the U.S. Department of Education’s Education and Innovation Research grant. She earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University.
Outside of work, Leslie is a dedicated animal rescue volunteer, loves to travel, and is an avid concertgoer who has been to more than her share of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band shows.