ABOUT LESLIE…

Leslie T. Fenwick, PhD, is known for her expertise in leadership and ethics; public policy; and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workforce. A nationally-recognized scholar and policy influential, Dr. Fenwick has specialized knowledge about federal and state policy formulation and implementation In 2021, she was an invited keynoter at the Hunt-Kean Leadership Institute, a bipartisan convening of senior-level political leaders who are committed to advancing equity.

Dr. Fenwick serves as consultant to CEO Action for Racial Equity founded by Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC. Featured in the New York Times, CEO Action for Racial Equity is the first business-led coalition (comprised of two thousand corporate chairpersons and CEOs) of its kind with a mission to advance racial equity through public policy.

Dr. Fenwick is one of six U.S. Presidential appointees to the Board of Visitors for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA). Since 2017, Dr. Fenwick has been engaged at the USMA as a McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character (MCLC) Senior Fellow where she also delivered the 2019 Corbin Distinguished Lecture and the 2017 Black History Month Distinguished Lecture. She has delivered hundreds of national and international invited and distinguished lectures on equity, leadership, and ethics to convenings for college/university leaders, elected officials and government agencies, and corporate CEOs and senior executives. Additionally, she appeared as an invited panelist discussing future national security challenges for The Brookings Institution convening, U.S. Grand Strategy under President Biden and Beyond.

Dr. Fenwick is author of the best-selling book, Jim Crow’s Pink Slip (Harvard Education Press, 2022), which presents a history of the quest for racial equality and educational equity in the U.S. Her op-ed articles and research about leadership, DEI, and public policy have appeared in and been cited by the New York Times, Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Education Week, Politico, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Additionally, she has been an invited keynoter at the National Press Club and appeared on CNN, C-SPAN, Yahoo! Finance News, Washington Post LIVE, and NPR affiliates discussing these topics.

Dr. Fenwick is a former Harvard University Visiting Fellow and Visiting Scholar, and Salzburg Global Fellow. She is also a member of the Scholarly Advisory Committee (SAC) for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the world’s third busiest museum. The SAC is comprised of eleven nationally-recognized scholars who set the NMAAHC’s intellectual agenda and exhibition content.

Currently, Dr. Fenwick is Dean Emerita of the Howard University School of Education and a tenured professor of education policy. She has served in every sector of American education (as a university administrator and faculty member, foundation program officer, state legislative aid for education policy, and K-12 public and private school administrator and teacher). In 2020, she was one of two fully vetted finalists for the U.S. Secretary of Education post. Additionally, she serves as Dean in Residence at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

Dr. Fenwick is a NAACP Lifetime Member and member of The Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  She is recipient of the W.E.B. DuBois Award for Leadership in Higher Education from the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).

She earned her PhD at The Ohio State University and her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia.