Michaela M Leslie-Rule
AUTHOR

Michaela M Leslie-Rule

Education & Learning
Tap the gear icon above to manage new release emails.
Michaela Leslie-Rule is a researcher and cultural strategist. For more than two decades, she has supported communities, non-profit leaders, and philanthropic institutions to advance racial and gender justice by leveraging the power of narrative. She employs participatory methodologies that center community members' lived experiences and expertise to catalyze, document, and measure social, cultural, and organizational change. In partnership with community members, she has designed and led audience research and narrative change projects across the United States, Europe, and East and Central Africa. She is a deep believer in the power of story and collaboration to create long-lasting social transformation. Michaela is the first Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to focus on the use of narrative change to improve students' learning experiences. Before joining the Foundation, she co-led three multi-year research projects focused on understanding students’ educational experiences. Her research explored occupational identity formation, educational and career pathways, and math identity and mindset among middle school students, parents and caregivers, and math teachers. Michaela is a founding member of the Spiritual Technologies Project, a collaboration between filmmakers, composers, musicians, and other culture bearers exploring Black elders' unique knowledge in the American South. She also co-developed the Emmy™-nominated Fundamental film series, produced by Global Fund for Women and directed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy. She is the founder of Fig and Sass, a research and communications firm based in Seattle, WA; a former Senior Advisor at Wonder: Strategies for Good, a network of independent communications strategists who use values-based messaging to advance change on sensitive social issues; and a frequent collaborator with Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, a public opinions research firm based in Oakland, CA. Michaela is the author of a forthcoming book about how young people think and feel about education, work, and career, entitled How We See Us: Young People Imagining a Path to Their Futures, published by Harvard Education Press (Summer 2025). She earned dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Public Administration at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Michaela lives in Seattle with her family.
Read more Read less

Try Audible membership today. Start enjoying the benefits.

Try Audible for free with an audiobook of your choice.
Try Premium Plus free
Automatically renews at AUD $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Most Popular

Product list
  • How We See Us: Young People Imagining a Path to Their Futures cover art

    Non-member price: $19.49

    Pre-order: Free with 30-day trial