Leslie Gross

Leslie Gross is a nationally-recognized strategic advisor, deploying 20+ years of expertise in public policy and systems change. During her career, she’s advised cabinet secretaries, C-suite executives, and advocacy campaigns during times of national crisis and organizational transition. Leslie has dedicated her career to public service, in federal, state, and international arenas. Currently, she heads Advantage Insights, a government affairs and public policy firm that advises organizations, campaigns, businesses, and individuals. Before joining Advantage, she was a senior executive in philanthropy, government, and the non-profit advocacy sector, creating the Soros Equality Fellowship at the Open Society Foundations, overseeing high-profile U.S. Senate investigations into Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction efforts, and launching the advocacy platform for the Mississippi Center for Justice. Leslie was a senior appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While there, she worked at the intersection of national security, disaster recovery, and immigration affairs during Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, and Senate passage of comprehensive immigration reform efforts. Prior to her appointment, Leslie served as a senior advisor in both houses of Congress, as Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee and a Senior Policy Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. Leslie began her career as a civil rights litigator, where she pioneered school-to-prison pipeline litigation and led a campaign to close one of the country’s most notorious juvenile justice facilities. Leslie is a proud mother, graduate of George Washington University Law School, and an Annenberg Honors Program graduate of Howard University’s School of Communications.