Meet Leslie Schrader

Leslie is a marketing and communications executive with over 25 years of experience in healthcare, consumer goods, and the nonprofit sector. She treats marketing as a strategic business driver. Her expertise lies in aligning business goals with operations, legal, and government relations. She builds high-performing teams, modernizes technology, and leads brands through growth and crisis.

Throughout her career, Leslie has turned underperforming departments into growth engines. At Children's National Hospital, she managed a $20M budget for a $2B health system. Her digital transformation led to a 53% increase in new patients and saved $2M in annual spend. As CMO of the Foundation, she built a 30-person internal agency and helped increase fundraising from $60M to over $100M, exceeding campaign goals by 28%.

A Cannes Lion-winning leader, Leslie combines integrated marketing with reputation management. At Ketchum, she founded the D.C. Brand Practice, driving 40% of the office revenue for Fortune 500 clients like Pfizer and Clorox. Her teams have earned top industry honors from Cannes, SABRE, and PRSA. She is a trusted advisor to C-suite executives on regulatory issues and high-stakes crisis communications.
Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Public Communication from American University. She is a founding member of Chief and mentors current leaders through the American Marketing Association and Woodmark. Today, she continues to apply her skills in brand strategy and organizational transformation to help businesses evolve and succeed with a collaborative approach.

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Holding a Master of Arts in Public Communication from American University, Leslie continues to invest in developing the next generation of marketing leaders, mentoring through the American Marketing Association, Woodmark, and Get Sh!t Done, and serving as a founding member of Chief. She remains committed to lifelong learning and applying her expertise in brand strategy, crisis communications, and organizational transformation, all while maintaining a collaborative, forward-thinking approach to leadership.

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