Leslie Aun

Vice President of Communications and Public Engagement

Leslie Aun brings more than two decades of global experience from both the corporate and nonprofit sectors to NED, where she serves as Vice President of Communications and Public Engagement, with oversight for all external communications activities.

A native of the Washington D.C. area, she began her career as a print and broadcast journalist with local media outlets, including The Times-Journal Newspapers, The Washington Business Journal, WTOP Radio, and WUSA Channel 9.  She went on to hold senior-level communication positions at MCI Communications, Sodexo, Special Olympics International, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and Venture Philanthropy Partners.

As vice president of communications for the World Wildlife Fund, she was managing director of Earth Hour, the largest public awareness event for climate change in history, winning the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award of Excellence.  She has also provided strategic communications services for leading not-for-profits as a consultant, including NPR, Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, Discovery Learning Alliance, and National Institutes of Health.

Most recently, Ms. Aun was vice president of communications and marketing for Population Reference Bureau, a non-profit that uses population data to improve the health and well-being of people around the world.

A former adjunct faculty member and frequent lecturer at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies, Ms. Aun has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including Pennsylvania State University’s Sustainability Institute and the Alliance for Housing Solutions. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia’s College of Arts and Sciences and lives in Arlington with her husband Buzz McClain.