Meet Leslie Harwood
I’ve called Blacksburg home for most of the past 26 years. Like so many people who fall in love with this community, I first came here as a student at Virginia Tech…and never really left. Over the years, Blacksburg became more than just the place where I went to school. It became my home, my community, and the place where I chose to build my life.
Like many Hokies, my career sometimes took me to other places. But no matter where I went, Blacksburg was always home, and I always came back.
That’s a story shared by many people in our community: students who came here for school and stayed, alumni who built careers elsewhere but returned to retire, and neighbors who chose Blacksburg again when it came time to raise families.
I have seen what other places have to offer. And every time, I have been reminded why Blacksburg is so special and why it’s worth working to make this community the best it can be.
I am a triple Hokie, having earned three degrees from Virginia Tech, and I spent more than a decade working for the university and collaborating with researchers, community partners, and government leaders to solve complex challenges.
But long before I ever considered running for office, I was simply what I still consider myself today: a citizen who cares deeply about Blacksburg.
Rooted in the Community
Over the years, I have served my community through volunteer work and local engagement.
Growing up in Southwest Virginia, my years in 4-H helped shape my lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and community—a foundation that continues to guide how I approach both my professional work and my role as a citizen of Blacksburg.
I have volunteered with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Montgomery County Christmas Store, helping families in our region who need support. Most recently, I served as Volunteer Coordinator for Pete Macedo’s 2025 campaign for Mayor of Blacksburg, organizing neighbors and community members who wanted to be part of positive change.
Through that work, I spent countless hours talking with residents across Blacksburg—listening to their concerns, their hopes for the future, and their frustrations with how decisions were being made.
What I heard again and again was simple:
People love this town.
But too many feel their voices are no longer being heard.
A Problem Solver by Profession
In my professional life, I have spent more than a decade managing complex programs and large multidisciplinary projects.
As a program manager and strategic consultant, I have led large initiatives involving federal and state government agencies, universities, and private partners—coordinating teams, budgets, timelines, and stakeholders to turn big ideas into real outcomes.
Throughout my career, I have worked on large, multi-million-dollar programs where dozens of projects had to move forward together as part of a coordinated strategy. These efforts required careful planning, constant communication, and the ability to bring the right people together to solve complex problems.
My experience has taught me something important:
Complex problems aren’t solved by one person or one idea.
They’re solved by bringing the right people together, asking the right questions, and working toward a shared goal.
That is the perspective I want to bring to Town Council.
Building a national research program from the ground up
While serving as Program Manager for the Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) National University Transportation Center at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, I helped build the program’s structure from its earliest stages. I helped develop the processes, teams, and partnerships needed to manage a five-year, $28 million federally funded research program involving universities across the country and dozens of coordinated projects focused on improving transportation safety.
Turning around a large portfolio of stalled projects
Later, while working at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, I inherited a portfolio of more than 30 research projects that had been struggling to move forward. By reorganizing timelines, improving communication between research teams, and establishing clearer project milestones, I helped get the majority of those projects back on track and/or completed.
Managing complex programs with many moving parts
Across my career, I have helped manage programs involving dozens of simultaneous projects, multiple institutions, and millions of dollars in funding, where the success of each project depended on coordination with the others. Keeping these efforts moving required careful planning, clear communication, and the ability to solve problems as they arose.
A Vision for Blacksburg’s Future
My campaign focuses on a simple idea: strong communities are built through transparency, collaboration, and thoughtful planning.
My priorities include:
Greater transparency and communication so residents understand decisions before they are made
Thoughtful long-term planning that considers the future of our community
Repairing and strengthening the relationship between Blacksburg and Virginia Tech
Encouraging new ideas and community involvement in solving local challenges
Bringing diverse voices and perspectives into Town Council discussions
I believe Blacksburg’s best solutions will come from working together—as neighbors, students, families, professionals, and retirees who all share this community.
A Citizen First
I am not a career politician.
I’m a neighbor, a volunteer, a professional problem-solver, and someone who deeply believes in the future of the place she calls home.
I’m running because I believe Blacksburg deserves leadership that listens, thinks broadly, and works collaboratively to build a stronger community for everyone who lives here today—and for those who will call it home tomorrow.
Because the future of Blacksburg should be written by the people who care about it most.