Assistant Director Leslie Love

Leslie Love joined the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute as assistant director in November 2024, bringing more than two decades of experience in higher education administration, fiscal management, and organizational leadership at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Before joining the Institute, Love served as Senior Business Manager for SIU's Office for Access & Accommodations, where she coordinated fiscal operations for the office and the Achieve Program, managed budgets and long-term financial planning, oversaw personnel processes, maintained complex data systems, and served as a liaison to university departments and external partners. She previously spent more than a decade as Office Administrator and Administrative Aide for the Achieve Program, where she led business operations, supervised staff, managed departmental policies and procedures, and supported the program's continued growth and success.

Earlier in her career, Love held administrative positions within SIU's Psychology Department, including Graduate Admissions Coordinator, Office Manager, Accounting Clerk, and Records Manager, developing expertise in admissions, fiscal oversight, personnel administration, event coordination, and student support. She also served as Office Manager for the School of Business at Eastern Illinois University.

A Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate, Love earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classics with minors in Criminology and Criminal Justice, History, and Mythology.