Leslie holds a bachelor's degree from Carleton College, and a master's degree from The University of Chicago Divinity School. She worked for 30 years in positions of associate and lead pastor in a mainline, progressive denomination contributing to pastoral care, programming, strategic planning and organizational development. She is committed to interfaith dialog.

Leslie's studies in Bowen Family Systems and Nonviolent Communication have provided effective tools in counseling individuals, teams and organizations. She completed her assessment and joined the worldwide network of Certified Trainers with the Center for Nonviolent Communication in April 2013. She enjoys gardening, reading, wine-tasting, swimming, yoga and gathering with friends and family.