Leslie Ponzo

Ambassador & Connector

As a child, Leslie dreamed of becoming a Broadway star. Now, though she’s not gracing a stage, she’s a star to her friends and family, and she still busts out the occasional tap dance every now and then. A NJ native with a background in theater, dance, and teaching, she serves as a bold, optimistic Ambassador for The Connected Parent.

As a long-time educator and the mother of a daughter with PCDH19 Epilepsy, Leslie has experienced the mentoring process from both sides. She knows only too well the many questions parents can have when told their child needs to be evaluated or diagnosed, and how overwhelming all those questions can feel. If there’s anything she’s learned from her own experience, it’s that the journeys of life can be challenging but empowering. In her work supporting students and their families, she strives for empathy and understanding, and that’s something she hopes to bring to this community as well.

In her free time, Leslie enjoys reading, exercising, and streaming movies and TV while snuggling with her three daughters—when she can get them to, that is. Even if their snuggling days are almost over, she still enjoys hitting up Disney World with her family: a yearly pilgrimage.