AT&T
Director of External Affairs
For the past 18 years Barbara Leslie has held positions of increasing 
responsibility in the East Bay’s public and private sectors. In 1993, as a graduate intern in public administration, Barbara worked for Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, successfully developing a citywide youth employment program. She then held key public policy positions with the Oakland Association of Realtors, the Oakland Metro-politan Chamber of Commerce, and the Port of Oakland.
In 1999, she was recruited and served as Assistant to the City Manager in Oakland, under the direction of City Manager Robert Bobb and Mayor Jerry Brown. She was assigned management duties for the City’s Budget Office, Fire Department, Public Works Agency, and Office of Information Technology, where she performed a variety of policy and administration functions, including a key role in the development of the City Manager’s 2001-03 budget.
Since 2001 Barbara has held the position of Director of External Affairs for AT&T. In this role she is responsible for all political, business and community activities in Alameda County.
In addition to being a board member for the Oakland African American Chamber Foundation, Barbara is on the board of Oakland’s Jobs and Housing Coalition and has served on the boards of the Walnut Creek, Oakland and Berkeley Chambers of Commerce. She has also served on many public policy committees and task forces germane to city issues and administration. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. She is an Oakland resident and is married with two children.
** Member of the Oakland African American Chamber Foundation
