Leslie Thornton Photo

Leslie T. Thornton

Retired Utility Executive

Leslie T. Thornton is a retired utility company executive and former law firm partner at two Washington D.C. based national law firms. In the Clinton administration, she served in various senior roles including Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of Education and Deputy Advisor for the 1996 Presidential Debates. She started with WGL Holdings, Inc. in 2011 and served in elevated roles including Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, and Merger Transition Counsel, before retiring in 2018. During her WGL tenure, Ms. Thornton earned her Master of Laws degree in National Security Law with a cybersecurity focus. Since 2005, she has been a member of the board of directors of Perdoceo Education Corporation. Ms. Thornton also serves on the boards of trustees for the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and the D.C. Public Defender, and is on the advisory boards of the Association of Corporate Counsel Leadership Academy and Aiden Technologies, Inc. Ms. Thornton was a Board Leadership Fellow for the National Association of Corporate Directors. She is a frequent speaker on governance, compliance, cybersecurity and data protection, and diversity and inclusion.