Leslie is the Executive Director of Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY) and Director of Violence Prevention Initiatives with the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She is responsible for leading the analysis, development, promotion and implementation of policy and system change strategies to prevent violence in Chicago, including overseeing SCY—a violence prevention collaborative convened by Lurie Children’s. Her current work includes advocating for mental health access, justice reform, gun violence prevention, and increasing investments in Illinois’ youth. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, Leslie worked as a policy advocate to promote economic opportunity for low-income families, including improving college access and completion, promoting workforce and skills development, and supporting families to become more financially secure. Leslie earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Before pursuing graduate work, Leslie served as the director of the Immigration Legal Services program of Catholic Charities of Central Texas where she provided direct services to immigrant families.
