Leslie SYDNOR

Leslie is the 243^rd living Black woman architect in the US. Her career has been diverse, ranging from designing low-income housing in New York City to airport infrastructure in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and public schools across southern California. For the past decade, she has worked as a construction manager and is currently the design manager for Los Angeles City College, which is part of the largest community college district in the country. As the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2023, Leslie provided her leadership skills to one of the largest chapters in the United States, collaborating with other built environment organizations across the Los Angeles region to bring thoughtful design to diverse communities.

Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Yale University and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is also a teacher at Cal Poly Pomona and serves on the advisory board for the construction management degree program at Woodbury University. Leslie is passionate about the education of future generations and the visibility of underrepresented communities and has served as a jury member at several universities, including the University of Southern California, the University of New Mexico, Woodbury University, and Cal Poly Pomona.