Leslie Thurman is a director of Global Programming and Events at the Milken Institute. She curates and leads public and private convenings across eight global locations for stakeholders, investors, philanthropists, government officials, and media. Previously, she led Advancement and Partnerships at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the film industry’s most important cultural institution. Prior to the Academy, Thurman ran major gifts and events at International Medical Corps, a $350 million global humanitarian organization providing emergency response, maternal and family health, water, and sanitation programs in 30 countries. As Director of Employee Initiatives and Communications at Warner Bros., Thurman directed community outreach, cause marketing partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and volunteerism. She also headed up the William Morris Agency Foundation and a $20M annual philanthropic portfolio and co-led the medical research program at the W.M. Keck Foundation, where she was responsible for a $15 million annual portfolio of projects. She earned a Master of Arts at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of California, Berkeley.