Leslie Garcia

Leslie began working at OMNI as a Research Associate in June 2023. She is a Technical Assistance Specialist for Virginia’s Substance Abuse Block Grant and State Opioid Response (SOR) prevention projects. Leslie is an experienced non-profit professional with a demonstrated history of working in project management and various phases of research studies. Prior to joining OMNI, Leslie was a Project Coordinator for the Social Environment and Health Program at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, where she coordinated the launch of a transdisciplinary research study on the effects of racial inequalities in sleep deficiencies. She was also part of the project management office at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, where she served as a Senior Project Associate for three research studies. Prior to leaping into research, she was the Special Projects Manager with the Chicano Federation and the county of San Diego’s San Diego Latino Health Coalition initiative where she launched an emergency public health campaign for lowering COVID-19 infections, collecting data, and distributing resources in the Latino community. Leslie was born and raised in San Diego and is a first-generation Mexican American. Growing up in a low-income community from hard-working immigrant parents, she was aware at a young age of the social inequities and lack of opportunities in communities of color. Having benefited from the educational offerings of nonprofits in San Diego early on, she understood that education was the only way to break her family's poverty cycle. She is passionate about building her work to serve future generations and underserved communities. Choosing to pursue organizations that impact society positively, she is happy to have found the OMNI Institute and be a part of the OMNI team. In her free time, Leslie enjoys discovering the best food spots and going on walks with her boyfriend and dog.