Leslie has over twenty-seven years of local and state government public policy and legislative experience. She began her own lobbying firm in 2006 and currently represents eight health care related associations. She has a Masters in Public Administration, a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Speech Communications and Secondary Education with a minor in Political Science.

Leslie was an elected Douglas County Commissioner from 1997-2000. She worked for nearly six years as a Legislative Liaison for two state agencies. She was the Assistant Director for Constituent and Legislative Relations at the WA State Department of Health, where her focus was primarily related to Environmental Health issues. She was also the Legislative Affairs Coordinator for the WA State Department of Agriculture and had primary responsibility for the agency's legislative affairs and stakeholder outreach programs.