Leslie became CEO of the Santa Cruz Women’s Health Center in 2011 and led the opening of the new East Cliff Family Health Center in Live Oak in 2014.  Together, both clinics comprise the Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, a nonprofit providing comprehensive primary and behavioral health care, pediatrics, health education, outreach, enrollment, and other services to 11,000 Santa Cruz County residents, including some 800 individuals who are homeless.  She is passionate about Systems Change as a means to improving health and promoting equity and social justice. Her prior experience includes the Health Improvement Partnership (HIP) of Santa Cruz County, where she directed the Healthy Kids program and co-Chaired the California Children’s Health Initiatives, a statewide coalition dedicated to universal health coverage for children – regardless of immigration status – in California.   

Prior to joining HIP, Leslie was Development Director at Dientes Community Dental Care, served as a consultant to nonprofits on fundraising, governance, and communications, and worked as Assistant Editor at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York.  Leslie earned a degree in Journalism from Rutgers University and a master’s in public health from Columbia University.  She serves on the board of the Central California Alliance for Health, the Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Merced Counties.