Obama Foundation Announces Ralph Leslie as Chief Financial Officer

July 25, 2017 at 11:02 AM CDT

Chicago, IL – Today, the Obama Foundation announced Ralph Leslie as Chief Financial Officer. As Chief Financial Officer, Ralph will oversee the financial planning for the Obama Foundation, including its accounting and budget operations.

“We are thrilled to have Ralph join our team and bring his expertise and impressive background to the Obama Foundation. Through his work with some of the most well-known companies in the world, Ralph is a terrific addition to our team at this important and exciting time,” said David Simas, Chief Executive Officer of the Obama Foundation.

“As a lifelong Chicagoan, it is a great honor to join the Obama Foundation as it works to become an institution within the South Side community and beyond,” said Ralph Leslie, Chief Financial Officer of the Obama Foundation. “The Obama Foundation has an ambitious set of goals – from establishing the Obama Presidential Center to developing programming available to the community, the country and the world. I look forward to working with the entire Obama Foundation team to make those goals a reality.”

About Ralph Leslie

Ralph R. Leslie has 25+ years’ experience in financial management, administration, and strategy. Most recently Ralph served as Chief Financial Officer at Navy Pier Inc. (NPI). At NPI, Ralph oversaw all aspects of Accounting and Finance, Human Resources and Purchasing.  Ralph also had administrative oversight of Navy Pier’s conference, meeting, and banquet businesses, as well as financial oversight of the construction. Ralph previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with the Ounce of Prevention Fund, a national non-for-profit focused on early childhood education. Prior to joining the Ounce, Ralph was Director of Finance for the beverage division of PepsiCo where he managed finance for one of the largest markets in the Pepsi system. He started his career as an auditor with Cargill, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN and held leadership roles in finance, strategy, and business development.

Ralph earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Chicago State University. He later earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. Additionally, he completed post graduate business courses at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.  

Ralph has also been an instructor at South Suburban College in South Holland, IL where he taught management and marketing courses. Ralph is a member of the Board of Directors of Easter Seals of Metropolitan Chicago and serves on the finance committee. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Contact: Kate Berner, kberner@skdknick.com