Phone: (503) 407-3585
About Us
Kathy Leslie, APR
Kathy Leslie, APR specializes in communication and public engagement strategies, community building, social research, conflict mediation, meeting and group facilitation, strategic planning, and systems thinking.
Leslie is president of Leslie Consulting & Associates, a company she founded to support educators in their quest to build trust and strong alliances with their communities. She is also the past board chair and current board member and trainer for the White Water Institute, a non-profit organization that uses a river experience to apply principles of living systems to human systems to guide and navigate change.
Leslie has been a teacher at all levels of education from preschool through university, a public relations administrator in three school districts in the Northwest-Gresham, Spokane and Beaverton and an independent senior consultant for KSA Plus Communications.
Leslie is past president of the National School Public Relations Association and has received the NSPRA President’s Award for her lifetime contributions to the field of educational public relations.
Leslie has facilitated workshops, consulted and given speeches in communications and engagement strategies internationally and in nearly every state for educational organizations, government agencies, and private sector businesses. Recently published by Rowman and Littlefield, Leslie with Dr. Judy Taccogna wrote The Politics of Authentic Engagement and its companion workbook both available on Amazon.
Leslie has also written for national educational journals and co-authored the NSPRA workshop kits Lighting the Fire: A Process for Building Staff Morale and Excellence; Staff Recognition: Unlocking the Potential for Success and Team Building 2000: Managing Change Together. Leslie co-authored Chalkboard Project’s Running Start: Reaching the Hard-To Reach, a Toolkit for Parents and Trainers of Parents.
Leslie holds bachelor degrees in communications and education, a Master’s degree in business, and certification in educational administration.
Leslie is a world traveler having visited 7 continents and more than 70 countries. She enjoys robust conversations, spending time with her children and grandchildren, hiking, whitewater rafting, golfing, and swimming. She lives in Beaverton, Oregon.
Patty Farrell
Farrell has 40 years of experience in communications and community engagement, including seven years in school public relations. She served as director of communications and community relations for the Reynolds School District and for Portland Public Schools. She also worked for public relations consulting firms in Portland and New York City, providing counsel for a variety of clients, including Starbucks, Tektronix, Nike, Intel and Portland General Electric. Patty received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in communications and business from the University of Portland. She has conducted visioning workshops for several organizations and is an expert in strategic planning and issues management.