Leslie Cronin

Leslie Cronin comes to Creative Fundraising Advisors as an independent contractor with broad experience in education and nonprofits. She taught English literature and composition at several colleges and universities, including University of Memphis, Memphis College of Art, Rhodes College, Widener University in Chester, PA and the Community College of Philadelphia. She also taught English at selective independent schools Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. 

In 2005, she assumed the role of Senior Development Writer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, overseeing all aspects of communication coming out of the museum’s development department. Writing exhibition descriptions, grant applications, correspondence with major donors, acknowledgements, and even event invitations, Leslie formed the conviction that each word must be perfectly suited to the organization’s identity, mission and the task at hand.

Leslie later brought her experience in development to a new role, serving first as board member and then vice president of the school board of St. Stephen’s Epicopal School in Houston. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the formulation of the school’s 20-year plan, including its successful accreditation as an International Baccalaureate institution. She worked closely with a wide variety of consultants on urban planning, architecture, and a fundraising feasibility study. Her insight into the client experience helps her every day in her work as a consultant for CFA.

Leslie believes nonprofits have the capacity to transform the world. In crafting cases for support, she writes as a committed advocate for each client and their goals. Leslie holds two Masters degrees, one an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the other an MA in English literature from Temple University. She is mother to two grown children, a voracious reader, and a competitive equestrian. She lives in a seaside village on Cape Cod with her husband, author Justin Cronin, and her rescue dog, Lonesome Dove.