Leslieann Dunn

About Leslieann Dunn

In her current role, Ms. Dunn is laser focused on ensuring that NYC businesses and M/WBE businesses are aware of the opportunities that exist for partnership at New York City Public Schools. Adept at both stakeholder engagement and management, she brings all of her creativity to the work and has a great time doing it! Ms.Dunn is an architect of My Sister\'s Keeper NYC and is proud of previous programs that she led like the ones below which helped so many youth fulfill their dreams. NYC GREAT!(Girls Reaching Every Apex Together) Developed and launched a young women’s leadership and communications skills program for HS girls in 2015. Sessions included leadership development training as well as college and career explorations through a culturally responsive lens. Designed for girls who are looking for the opportunity to thrive, each session asks participants, Why settle for average.when you can be GREAT?\" THE NYC URBAN AMBASSADORS The young men of NYCUA engaged in culturally relevant curriculum that is built on the five pillars of the program framework: CLIMB (College Readiness, Leadership, Introspection, Mastery Learning and Brotherhood.) COLLEGE ACCESS FOR ALL: MIDDLE SCHOOL CA4A is city-wide initiative with a focus on ensuring middle school students visit a college campus and that their families/caregivers are provided with language/tools to unpack what college/college readiness means for them. From 20••••20 over 90K 7th graders visited public and private college campuses. In 2016, Ms. Dunn was one of women invited to the United State of Women Summit hosted by Barack and Michelle Obama. During the Obama administration, she visited the White House for discussions around gender equity in film and television and trauma informed approaches to working with girls of color. She is a graduate of CUNY at Baruch College with a Bachelors Degree in English and holder of a Master\'s Degree in School Administration and Supervision from Mercy College. She has worked in a variety of industries including music/sports and has served NYC school children as a classroom teacher, district parent advocate and middle school assistant principal. A member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc, Ms. Dunn is a happy wife and fun-loving mom to a 13 year old who is the boss and dedicated to ensuring that mom and dad know all about work-life-balance.

Experience

1. Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives

   NYC Public Schools

   Aug 2015 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Our team works every day to identify opportunities to “level the playing field” for NYC students. Ms. Dunn is honored to work on behalf of NYC school children and is responsible for programmatic oversight and leadership of the following: The NYC Urban Ambassadors Founded in 2012, The NYCUA program has a targeted focus of increasing the number of traditionally under-served male students that matriculate into select colleges and universities. The program provides access to college tours, college/scholarship application assistance, leadership development, exposure to a variety of career profiles and access to adult mentors. The young men of NYCUA proudly participate in the NYS My Brother\'s Keeper Initiative and often present and serve as panelists at seminars and symposiums dedicated to the discussion of men of color. NYC GREAT! Launched in 2015, NYC GREAT!(Girls Reaching Every Apex Together) is designed to provide experiences that support the development of leadership and communication skills in young women who are currently attending high school. The goal of each interaction with participants is to have them consider…“Why settle for average when you can be GREAT? Programming includes leadership sessions, mentoring and 2-generational programming in that parents/caregivers are exposed to the same content as the participants. The Bronx inaugural graduates accepted admission to NYU, Syracuse, St. John\'s, Adelphi and the University of Buffalo. College Access for All-MS In fall 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Farina announced an ambitious set of goals for New York City schools: By 2026, 80% of our students will graduate high school on time, and two-thirds of our students will be college ready. Our goal is to ensure that every middle school student will be exposed to a college-going culture and will have the opportunity to visit a college campus at least once in grades 6-8; with the goal of promoting high school, college, and life success.

Education

• Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY)

  Bachelor's Degree, English Language and Literature, General

  1990 — 1994

• Mercy College

  Master's Degree, School Building Leadership

  2003 — 2005