Leslie Sanchez
Respected Author, Political Strategist and former White House Executive Director
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $7,000–$15,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: Texas
RELATED TOPICS: Broadcast & Media, Education & Literacy, Hispanic Speakers, Political Perspective, Women in Media
Leslie Sanchez is an acclaimed author, political analyst and former director of a White House education initiative. Known for her straightforward style and in-depth understanding of the American social, cultural and political landscape, she was an on-camera member of CNN's award-winning 2008 election coverage team, making her the first Hispanic American hired as a political contributor at the network. Leslie has conducted interviews with many of the world’s leading personalities, from global recording artists to legendary sports heroes to leaders in business and politics. She is founder and CEO of Impacto Group LLC, a premium communications and market research firm, she works with companies, nonprofits and government agencies that seek guidance on the social and economic trends affecting women and the emerging U.S. Hispanic community. She is the author of Los Republicanos: Why Hispanics and Republicans Need Each Other and You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah, Michelle, Hillary and the Shaping of the New American Woman.
Since 2003, Leslie Sanchez has served as a leader in public opinion research specializing in presidential and statewide elections as well as the women’s and Hispanic-Latino marketplace. Her career has been spent at the forefront of predictive data analytics that shift opinion, shape policy and aid the decision-making process for Fortune 500 companies, universities and colleges as well as global non-profit organizations.
For her work, Hispanic Business magazine called her one of the nation’s “100 Most Influential Hispanics,” and she was named “Texas Powerbroker” by the Houston Chronicle for being among the most influential Texans in Washington.
She is the author of two critically-acclaimed books: Los Republicanos, which accurately predicted key shifts of Latino vote prior to 2008; and You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah (Palin), Michelle (Obama), Hillary (Clinton) and the Shaping of the New American Woman, which examines the unique challenges women face on their Road to the White House.
Leslie started her career selling P.F. Collier encyclopedias door-to-door. Once in Washington, she served as deputy press secretary at the Republican National Committee where she was one of the principal architects of the organization’s first-ever multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at Hispanic voters. Soon after, Leslie was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as executive director of the White House Initiative on Hispanic Education. Under her leadership, the initiative successfully built a grassroots network of 20,000 parents, educators and students, and issued two Presidential Commission reports aimed at closing the academic achievement gap.
Leslie appears on a wide range of major media outlets, including This Week (ABC), Face the Nation (CBS), Today (NBC), The Early Show (CBS), The News Hour (PBS), CNBC, Fox Business, Fox News Channel and Univision. In 2008 she was an on-camera member of CNN's award-winning election coverage team, making her one of only two Hispanic Americans hired as political contributors at major news networks, and the first at CNN.
During the 2014 midterm elections, Leslie served as an on-air political analyst of U.S. global election coverage for BBC and Yahoo News
Leslie has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from The George Washington University. She has also served on the board of Providence Health Foundation in Washington, DC and is a director of Nativity School, a high-performing inner-city school in Los Angeles.
For her work, Hispanic Business magazine called her one of the nation’s “100 Most Influential Hispanics,” and she was named “Texas Powerbroker” by the Houston Chronicle for being among the most influential Texans in Washington.
She is the author of two critically-acclaimed books: Los Republicanos, which accurately predicted key shifts of Latino vote prior to 2008; and You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah (Palin), Michelle (Obama), Hillary (Clinton) and the Shaping of the New American Woman, which examines the unique challenges women face on their Road to the White House.
Leslie started her career selling P.F. Collier encyclopedias door-to-door. Once in Washington, she served as deputy press secretary at the Republican National Committee where she was one of the principal architects of the organization’s first-ever multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at Hispanic voters. Soon after, Leslie was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as executive director of the White House Initiative on Hispanic Education. Under her leadership, the initiative successfully built a grassroots network of 20,000 parents, educators and students, and issued two Presidential Commission reports aimed at closing the academic achievement gap.
Leslie appears on a wide range of major media outlets, including This Week (ABC), Face the Nation (CBS), Today (NBC), The Early Show (CBS), The News Hour (PBS), CNBC, Fox Business, Fox News Channel and Univision. In 2008 she was an on-camera member of CNN's award-winning election coverage team, making her one of only two Hispanic Americans hired as political contributors at major news networks, and the first at CNN.
During the 2014 midterm elections, Leslie served as an on-air political analyst of U.S. global election coverage for BBC and Yahoo News
Leslie has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from The George Washington University. She has also served on the board of Providence Health Foundation in Washington, DC and is a director of Nativity School, a high-performing inner-city school in Los Angeles.
- Discover America's True Swing Voters: Hispanics
Based on her book Los Republicanos: Why Hispanics and Republicans Need Each Other, Leslie emphasizes that Hispanics aren't just changing America at its edges they are the new powerhouse poised to decide the nation's political future for generations. - Opportunities and Challenges in Hispanic Education
Education is not the problem, says Leslie Sanchez, it's the solution. Nevertheless, the current system is not working for everyone, not just by failing to teach the 3 R's but in the ways that fail to develop new generations of Americans, united in the idea of a common country and a common ethic. An educated population is a secure, prosperous and knowledgeable one that can compete effectively with China and India in the coming global marketplace. - Reaching America's Latinos
The diversity of the marketplace makes the challenge of networking effectively more difficult. Leslie, drawing from her real life experience on both sides of the desk, gives guidance on how to make and keep meaningful cross-cultural contacts instead of increasing tensions through misunderstanding. - You've Come a Long Way, Maybe: The Progress of Women in Politics
The prevalence of serious women candidates in the 2008 primary and presidential elections doesn't mean that women have finally achieved parity with men in politics. Drawing on lessons of her forthcoming book, Leslie Sanchez explains how the development of the post-modern women's movement has, on both ends of the political spectrum, changed politics in America and how politics in America have changed women. - The Changes in Washington
The historic 2008 Presidential election ushered in a new era of activist government in Washington. From the reregulation of the financial markets to an expanded role for government in health care to tens of billions being spent on economic stimulus, President Barack Obama and the Democrats in control in Congress are changing the rules of the game. Drawing on her experience at the Republican National Committee as well as her work as president of one of the country?s leading women- owned market research firms, Leslie Sanchez explains the country's reaction to the new day in Washington and whether the pendulum has really swung as far as people think.
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