Lesley Zafran

Lesley Zafran was born in Miami, FL but spent much of her life in London where she graduated from the University of London while working in the educational publishing world.  After returning to Miami she joined Hastings & Hastings for nine years as a personnel consultant/recruiter and then became VP/Manager of the office.  Lesley then turned to her passion for education, and has spent the last thirty years working with schools, including a six-year appointment as President of the highly respected Donna Klein Jewish Academy.   She also sat on the first executive board for RAVSAK – a national board that supported Jewish day schools across the country.  Lesley managed their development efforts, mentored school presidents and was a presenter and facilitator at annual conferences.  She ran an online forum for school lay leaders and organized and led webinars for them.  In 2013, Lesley decided to leverage her expertise in strategic planning and board governance and started LesleyZ Consulting, specializing in the nonprofit and social justice space.  Lesley also works with High School students, teaching interviewing and communication skills for college admissions and potential employment.   She started with SWSG as a consultant and was invited to join the Executive Board in 2015.   She is now an Emeritus Board member.   Lesley is a published author of children’s books – the ‘Fantastic Florence’ series stars Florence – a bright orange wise and loving magical bag who supports and helps children struggling with both the ordinary and more difficult challenges of growing up.  Lesley is married to Bruce, an Ob/Gyn, and has two children – Alexander and Emma.

“I started with SWSG as a consultant but from the time my daughter decided to become a college mentor and told me about the organization I fell in love with it and knew I had to be a part of it.  I love the multi-generational model of SWSG which offers girls the critical opportunity to create dreams and possibilities for their futures while giving our college mentors a chance to inspire them while they themselves glean wisdom from our Strong Leaders.  I’m proud and grateful that SWSG is particularly mindful of serving girls who may not have these opportunities in their daily environment.  I can’t wait for other cities to have the chance to have SWSG for their girls!”