Leslie Jefferson

Leslie Jefferson is an Account Executive on HIT Strategies’ Research Investment team, collaborating with HIT’s research and operations teams to guide clients through the research investment process. Leslie also serves as the Nonprofit Strategist, Program Evaluation, and Growth Advisor for The Black Mill and is an Adjunct Faculty Lecturer in the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.

Before joining HIT Strategies, Leslie was a Development Officer at The Brookings Institution, co-leading the Brookings in Color group and serving on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She also worked as a Grants Manager at Georgetown University and spent over 12 years at The SEED School of Maryland in roles such as Senior Federal Grants and Community Engagement Manager.

Leslie holds a B.S. in Anthropology from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, where she was named Most Outstanding Anthropology Major. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with an M.Ed. from Kaplan University and earned a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the University of Maryland. Accepted into the 2024 cohort of the Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership at Indiana University, her research will focus on enhancing representation in U.S. philanthropy.

Leslie resides in D.C with her son and daughter and loves traveling and Southern cuisine.