Jack Leslie is Senior Advisor at Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s leading public relations firms. He also has served as Chairman of the Ron Brown Scholar Fund Board of Trustees. Jack is a veteran communications strategist, having advised corporations and governments on high-profile campaigns over the past three decades.
Jack served as a senior aide to Senator Edward Kennedy in the late 1970s, and later became President of Sawyer Miller Group, a pioneer in the political media consulting business. In the 1980s, he served as political consultant and media advisor to dozens of candidates for U.S. Senate and Governor, and to presidential candidates in the U.S., Latin America, Africa and Asia. Political and business leaders alike have sought his counsel during significant crises, including American Airlines following the attacks of September 11th. He later testified before the House International Relations Committee on U.S. public diplomacy programs directed at the Muslim world.
In 2009, Jack was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as Chairman of the U.S. African Development Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chairman of the U.S. Agency for International Development Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid, former Chairman of USA for UNHCR and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Duke Global Health Institute. Jack is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
