Leslie Hortum manages Spencer Stuart’s Washington, D.C. office and is a member of the firm’s Education, Nonprofit & Public Policy Practice, focusing on senior-level roles in associations, public policy and government affairs.
Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Leslie led the association/public policy practice for another international search firm. At the same time, she also managed the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Before entering the search industry, Leslie spent 20 years in association management, culminating in her appointment as the first woman senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business lobby. In that capacity, she was responsible for rebuilding relationships with the 3,000 state and local chambers and 1,000 trade associations that make up the Chamber Federation. She also served as executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Workforce Preparation. From 1984 to 1997, Leslie served in a number of roles at the American Trucking Associations, beginning as chief of staff and ending her time there as senior vice president and chairman of the management committee.
Leslie serves on several nonprofit boards, including the corporate advisory board of So Others Might Eat (SOME), a Washington-based services center supporting the homeless of the nation’s Capitol, the advisory board of Strategic Partnerships, the board of directors for the Bryce Harlow Foundation, the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Sunrise Senior Living Foundation.
Leslie received a B.A. in economics from Mary Washington College and attended the Advanced Management School at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.