Hi, I'm Leslie!

nationally-recognized (!) social science educator

APA learning goal #3 fangirl

the one with the soapbox

Hey there! 👋🏽 I’m a once-and-former college professor, faculty developer, and science communicator based in Los Angeles. I hold a Ph.D. in Psychology (with concentrations in Brain & Cognitive Science and Social Psychology), and I’m passionate about harnessing the power of social science in the service of positive social change.

My classroom teaching has been nationally recognized with four (!) awards from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study for Social Issues, and I regularly speak and write about how educators can–and why we should–teach as inclusively as possible. Currently, I serve as the inaugural Director of Education and Research and one of the local LA producers at The Story Collider, a non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting the human side of science through the art of personal storytelling. (Want to bring one of our workshops to your campus or organization? Click here! Want to pitch your story to me or producers near you? Click here!)

In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing at the beach, hanging out with my two (flawless) rehabilitated street pups, trying to perfect my mom's Nicaraguan home-cooking, and unabashedly living up to my high school superlative: "Most Likely to Color-Code Her Plans to Grassroots Resistance.”

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NOTE: That was my Relatable Website Bio™️. If you’re looking for a formal speaker introduction, you can use this one, either in part or in full.