Leslie Garvin is the Executive Director of North Carolina Campus Engagement, a collaborative network of 39 colleges and universities committed to preparing students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. In this role, she facilitates faculty and staff professional development initiatives, builds strategic partnerships to develop and expand higher education civic engagement, and oversees day-to-day operations. A skilled facilitator and trainer, she has trained hundreds of faculty, staff, students, and community partners across the state and country in multiple dialogue methods. Leslie is a Collaborative Discussion Coach and a trained moderator and member of Braver Angels. She also facilitates workshops on Theater of the Oppressed. She is also a frequent speaker on topics related to higher education community and civic engagement, democracy, and civil discourse and dialogue. 
 
Leslie is a 2022-23 UC Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Fellow. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Issues Forums Institute, the National Advisory Committee for the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, and the Advisory Board of guides.vote. She also co-chairs the State Summits Working Group of the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.
 
Leslie has co-authored chapters in Critical Intersections In Contemporary Curriculum & Pedagogy (Info Age Publishing, 2018) and Practical Wisdom for Conducting Research on Service Learning: Pursuing Quality and Purpose (Stylus Publishing, 2019). She also served as an author and editor for the Primer on Benefits and Value of Civic and Community Engagement in Higher Education. (2021) and the Faculty Flourishing Topical Brief (2023). Both publications are part of the Contributions of Civic and Community Engagement in Higher Education series published by NC Campus Engagement.
 
She holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in social and economic development and a specialization in management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African & African-American Studies, both from Washington University in St. Louis.  She is a former White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellow and a proud AmeriCorps alum.