Born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Leslie grew up in the eastern Appalachians and the river valley of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. Leslie's first career was as an archeologist in the the Middle Atlantic region of the United States and focused on prehistoric and historic settlements in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Leslie later followed her love of Nature to leadership of Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, a community watershed organization, focused on volunteer water monitoring programs, youth and adult education, and water quality advocacy. Currently, Leslie serves as Executive Director of the National Environmental Health Science and Accreditation Council, extending her environmental conservation background to the environmental health field, coming full circle in her desire to protect the health of humans and the planet.