Leslie Herod

“I think what went right for me was bringing all the communities together and saying we can do this together.”

Leslie was raised by a single mother who was an officer in the Army Nurse Corps. Her service in the military took her family all over the world, exposing her to a constantly changing environment where she learned the importance of discipline, hard work and commitment to public service.

Upon graduating college, Leslie continued her work in public service at the Colorado State Capitol. Under strong leaders such as former Speaker Andrew Romanoff, former Majority Leader Alice Madden and former State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, she gained direct experience in state level policy making. Leslie served as a Senior Policy Advisor, specializing in social services, criminal justice, mental health, specific issues relating to senior citizens, and anti-poverty issues. After leaving government service, Leslie became a Program Officer with the Gill Foundation where she led philanthropic initiatives focusing on LGBT equality and alliance building in communities of color.

Leslie has dedicated her life and career to supporting equality and the well-being of all people. She serves on multiple community boards and commissions including as a gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Judicial Performance Commission and as a mayoral appointee to Denver’s Cultural Affairs Commission. Leslie is also co-founder of New Era Colorado, the state’s leading organization focused on the engagement of young people in our community and served as Former President of Colorado Black Women for Political Action.

Finishing her race with 87% of the vote, Leslie is Colorado’s first African-American LGTBQ legislator.