Shannon Leskin Named NCAJ Executive Director

Shannon Leskin is the new executive director of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. The NCAJ Board of Governors voted on Monday to approve the Executive Director Search Committee’s recommendation to hire Leskin. She accepted the position and began in the role immediately. 

Leskin has served as NCAJ’s interim executive director since the prior executive director departed in June. NCAJ Immediate Past President John McCabe, who led the search committee, said Leskin’s steady guidance during the interim period is a strong example of her leadership style. 

“Over the last four-and-a-half months, Shannon has proved to be a strong, unifying, and forward-thinking leader,” McCabe said. “She has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to NCAJ’s vision of protecting people, preventing injustice, and promoting fairness. She is deeply respected by our members and our professional team, and we are excited to have her as our new executive director.” 

NCAJ President Valerie Johnson, who served on the search committee, said Leskin impressed the committee with her wealth of experience in the nonprofit realm.

“Shannon’s vast experience as a manager and leader is evident in her work throughout her years at NCAJ.” Johnson said. “She understands our mission and knows how to help us further that mission. As a creative and dedicated leader, Shannon Leskin is the right choice to lead NCAJ.”  

Leskin said she was truly honored to be chosen for the position.

“This organization of dedicated members and professional staff work diligently to further the mission in new, bold and exciting ways,” she said. “Working together in harmony, we will lead NCAJ into the future.”  

Experience With National Nonprofit Organizations

Leskin is a management and governance expert with over 40 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Over the course of her career, Leskin has worked with nationally known nonprofit institutions in the arts, health and education sectors including The Smithsonian Institution, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, The United Way of America and Duke University.

She began her tenure at NCAJ as compliance and operations administrator in 2019, overseeing compliance and operations for all NCAJ entities and working closely with the executive director on budgetary and financial management. 

Leskin earned a bachelor of fine arts in theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University. Since moving from Los Angeles to the Triangle 27 years ago, she has served in board leadership positions for NC Child, Triangle Day School, Mallarme Chamber Players, SEEDS and The Rotary Club of Durham.

The executive director leads the NCAJ staff in its mission to empower a strong community of trial lawyers with duties that include heading up the group’s advocacy and fundraising efforts, promoting growth in membership and overseeing the continuing legal education programming. The executive director also serves as treasurer of the NCAJ Political Action Committee.

The search for NCAJ’s newest executive director began in June shortly after Kim Crouch, NCAJ’s previous executive director, announced her resignation. Crouch had led the organization since 2017. Leskin served as interim executive director during the transition.

Triangle-based consulting firm moss+ross assisted the NCAJ search committee in conducting the nationwide search to fill the executive director position. Moss + ross conducted in-depth interviews with stakeholders, leaders and staff to create a comprehensive job prospectus that was posted on networks across the nation.

The search committee interviewed semi-finalists in September and narrowed the search to two finalists in early October.