Leslie Garvin is the Executive Director of North Carolina Campus Engagement, a collaborative network of 38 colleges & universities committed to preparing students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. In this role she facilitates faculty and staff professional development, builds strategic partnerships to strengthen and expand higher education community and civic engagement, and leads the elections & democracy and food insecurity initiatives. A skilled facilitator, she has trained over 400 hundred individuals in the National Issues Forum deliberative dialogue method and Theater of the Oppressed. Garvin is also a Collaborative Discussion Coach and Braver Angels moderator.
Garvin has co-authored chapters in Critical Intersections In Contemporary Curriculum & Pedagogy (Info Age Publishing, 2018) and Practical Wisdom for Conducting Research on Service Learning: Pursuing Quality and Purpose (Stylus Publishing, 2019). She served as an author and editor for the Primer on Benefits and Value of Civic and Community Engagement in Higher Education (2021).
Garvin holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in social and economic development and a specialization in management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in political science and African-American Studies, both from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining NCCC in 2005, she worked in the community leadership development and interfaith service fields. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Issues Forum and co-chairs the State Summits & Networks Subcommittee of the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.