Biographical Information for Leslie J. Winner

LESLIE J. WINNER is the Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  The Foundation is a private philanthropic grant-making organization with assets exceeding 400 million dollars.  Prior to January 2008, Leslie served as Vice-President and General Counsel to the University of North Carolina beginning in 2000, where she provided legal advice to UNC’s Board of Governors, president, and senior administrators concerning matters of importance to the 17-constituent institutions.  She served as general counsel to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education from 1998 to 2000.  Leslie served in the North Carolina Senate from 1993-98; was an adjunct professor at UNC-CH School of Law in 1994 and 2004-06; was partner in the law practice of Ferguson, Stein, Watt, Wallas, Adkins & Gresham from 1981 to 1992; was staff and managing attorney for Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, Inc. from 1977-1981 and served as law clerk to the Honorable James B. McMillan, Judge of the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina from 1976 to 1977.

Leslie’s legislative activities include serving as Majority Whip; Education/Higher Education co-chair; Appropriations (Education Subcommittee co-chair); Judiciary (vice-chair); Children and Human Resources (vice-chair); Mental Health Study Commission (Senate Chair); Health Care Oversight Committee; NC Smart Start Board of Directors, NC Public School Forum Board of Directors; and was a Toll Fellow with the Council of State Governments.  Some of her legislative accomplishments are the Excellent Schools Act; 1996 School Building Bond Act; ABC’s of Education; School Calendar Revision; Instructional Technology Fund; Mental Health Parity; Unemployment Insurance Eligibility; Telephone Consumer Fraud; HMO Disclosures; Paternity Establishment Revised; and No Handguns for Minors.

Leslie has been featured as the Tar Heel of the Week in the Raleigh News and Observer, received Mecklenburg County Women’s Equality Day Award, NC Council of Churches’ Faith Active in Public Life Award; NC School Boards Association’s Friend of Education Award; Easter Seal of NC’s Outstanding Advocacy Award; named the National Association of the Mentally Ill’s Outstanding Legislative Advocate; NC Association of Educator’s President’s Award; NC Emergency Room Physicians Outstanding Advocacy; NC Mental  Health Association’s Voland Award and NC First Congressional District’s Award for Pioneering and Leadership in Voting Rights.

Leslie received an A.B. degree from Brown University in 1972 and a JD degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976.  She also received the Award for Outstanding Public Interest Advocacy from Northeastern University in 1986.  A native of Asheville, NC, she is the mother of one child, Lilian Schorr, who is currently attending Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.