Leslie Consulting & Associates

What Leslie Consulting & Associates does

Leslie Consulting & Associates, LLC is a privately-held professional services consulting firm founded in 2007 by Kathy Leslie, APR and headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. The firm specializes in strategic communications, community engagement, professional development, and facilitation services delivered primarily to K-12 educational organizations, state and regional departments of education, education associations and nonprofits, government agencies, and select private sector clients. Core offerings include customized workshops and professional development programs, communications and systems audits (qualitative research via interviews, focus groups, and document review), strategic planning and facilitation, conflict mediation, executive coaching, and crisis management consulting.

The firm's underlying technology is minimal: there is no proprietary software platform, API, or digital product. Value is delivered through human expertise, proprietary methodologies (such as The Politics of Authentic Engagement framework and the Running Start parent engagement toolkit), and a published book (Rowman and Littlefield) distributed through Amazon. The business model is professional services on a quote-based, customized-engagement basis, with multi-year contracts and supplemental book revenue. Geographic reach is nationwide across the U.S. and international, with marquee clients including multiple state departments of education, large urban school districts (Portland, Beaverton, Seattle, Milwaukee), national associations (NSPRA, NSBA), and foundations (Rockefeller, Wallace). The firm operates with a small team of approximately 1-10 employees, anchored by founder reputation, the APR credential, and a past NSPRA presidency plus NSPRA President's Award.

Name

Leslie Consulting & Associates

Legal name

Leslie Consulting & Associates, LLC

Website

https://leslieconsult.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leslie Consulting & Associates is a Beaverton, Oregon-based professional services firm founded in 2007 that provides strategic communications, community engagement, professional development workshops, and facilitation primarily to K-12 schools, state education departments, education associations, and government agencies across the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Education consulting services
• Strategic communications consulting
• Community engagement consulting
• Professional development workshops
• Stakeholder engagement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaverton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Customized consulting engagements for educational organizations, government agencies, and private sector businesses. Services include strategic communications, community engagement, facilitation, coaching, and professional development workshops.
2. Workshop and Professional Development: Fee-for-service workshops delivered to organizations on topics including authentic engagement, parent involvement, school site council capacity, team building, and crisis communications.
3. Published Book Sales: Sales of The Politics of Authentic Engagement book and companion workbook through Amazon and other retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leslie Consulting & Associates provides customized consulting services focused on strategic communications, authentic engagement, and community building, primarily for K-12 schools, school districts, state education departments, and government agencies. Core service lines include professional development workshops, communications and systems audits, strategic planning facilitation, conflict mediation, executive coaching, and crisis communications. The firm also publishes The Politics of Authentic Engagement book and companion workbook as supporting thought-leadership materials.

Product overview

Leslie Consulting & Associates offers a portfolio of consulting services focused on strategic communications and community engagement for educational organizations and businesses. The core offerings include Professional Development and Workshops (customized training programs), Communications Audit Services (qualitative research), Strategic Planning and Facilitation, Conflict Mediation, Client Coaching, and Crisis Management. The company also publishes The Politics of Authentic Engagement book and companion workbook. These services are delivered through individual consulting engagements, workshop facilitation, and downloadable sample resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Development and Workshops Customized workshop programs and professional development training for educators, administrators, and organizational leaders. Topics include authentic engagement, strategic communications, team building, parent involvement, school site council capacity, and crisis communications. Workshops are facilitated on-site at client locations.
• Communications Audit Services Qualitative research service that assesses stakeholder knowledge, perceptions, and communication preferences through interviews, focus groups, and reviews of organizational communications. Used by educational and other organizations to diagnose communication effectiveness before designing improvement plans.
• Strategic Planning and Facilitation Consulting services for strategic planning, meeting facilitation, and community-based planning processes. Helps organizations develop goals, decision-making frameworks, and outreach strategies through facilitated sessions.
• Conflict Mediation Mediation services that help organizations navigate contentious situations, handle criticism, and overcome barriers to effective communication among stakeholders.
• Client Coaching One-on-one coaching services for leaders to develop communication skills, engagement strategies, and leadership capabilities.
• Crisis Management Crisis communication consulting that helps organizations prepare for and respond to emergencies and contentious public situations.
• The Politics of Authentic Engagement (Book and Companion Workbook) Book co-authored by Kathy Leslie and Judy Taccogna, published by Rowman and Littlefield, providing practical approaches for leaders to address the changing landscape of schooling, build dynamic relationships in support of schools, help parents/families support their children's achievement, and create a culture of engagement. A companion workbook provides handouts, worksheets, and processes. Sold through Amazon and other retail channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved stakeholder engagement and community-school relationships
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• White Water InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKathy Leslie serves as 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. This is a board affiliation and training partnership rather than a commercial business partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Education Northwest: Education Northwest is a nonprofit education research and consulting organization serving K–12 districts, state agencies, and foundations in the Pacific Northwest. It directly overlaps with Leslie Consulting's audience and service areas (workshops, professional development, stakeholder engagement).
• Education Resource Strategies (ERS): ERS is a nonprofit consulting organization that helps school districts improve performance, operations, and stakeholder outcomes. It overlaps with Leslie Consulting's strategic planning and district improvement offerings.
• Battelle for Kids: Battelle for Kids is a national nonprofit that partners with K–12 districts and state agencies on leadership development, educator effectiveness, and community engagement — closely matching Leslie Consulting's target market and service mix.
• McREL International: McREL International provides research-based professional development, coaching, and consulting to K–12 educators and leaders. Its professional development and leadership offerings directly parallel Leslie Consulting's workshop and coaching services.
• District Management Group: District Management Group partners with K–12 school districts on strategy, operations, and community engagement consulting. It is a comparable boutique peer serving overlapping school district clients on strategy and stakeholder engagement work.
• Hattaway Communications: Hattaway Communications is a strategic communications consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations engage stakeholders and build public will. It competes with Leslie Consulting on the strategic communications and engagement services side.
• KSA Plus Communications: KSA Plus Communications is an education-focused PR and communications consulting firm. It is the firm where founder Kathy Leslie previously served as an independent senior consultant, making it a directly comparable peer in the same niche.

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: WestEd is a large, established nonprofit education research and consulting organization serving districts, states, and federal agencies. It is broader in scope than Leslie Consulting but competes for the same professional development and engagement engagements.

Others

• NSPRA (National School Public Relations Association): NSPRA is the professional association for school PR practitioners and a current Leslie Consulting client/partner rather than a competitor. It is adjacent and ecosystem-relevant because it shapes the standards, recognition, and referrals in the niche.
• White Water Institute: White Water Institute is the nonprofit where Kathy Leslie serves as a board member and trainer, applying living systems principles to organizational change. It is thematically related (leadership, systems thinking) and partly enmeshed with Leslie Consulting through the founder.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leslie Consulting & Associates