Leslie Tom

Leslie Tom is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. She came to this position by way of Wayne State University’s Detroit Revitalization Fellowship in 2015.

Originally from Tucson, Leslie has degrees in architecture and Information Management Systems from the University of Arizona and Information School at UC Berkeley, respectively. Leslie spent over 15 years in Research & Design in both architecture & software industries. She leverages this broad skillset towards implementing / messaging for both social and technical aspects of our Climate Crisis.

In 2019, she led both The Wright Museum and Michigan Science Center to win the American Alliance of Museum’s (AAM) Sustainability Excellence Award. She currently Chairs AAM’s Environment & Climate: Knowledge Committee and the Detroit 2030 District Venues and Museums sub-committee. She participates locally as a Community Action Team member for the West Riverfront Conservancy, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition (MAJIC) Narrative Working Group, and volunteers with the City of Detroit’s Green Task Force, USGBC’s Sustainability Forum Organizing Committee, and Detroit’s Water & Sewerage Department’s Stormwater Hub.

Tom is  leading The Wright Museum to envision itself as a Green Museum of the Future, to include People, Planet, Profit and Programs —through elevating narratives of the African diaspora art, humanities and history.

MuseumNext Green Museums Summit
Tuesday, 29th March 2022

Embedding Environmental Sustainability from the Top Down and Bottom Up
Leadership from The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will address how we are holistically embedding Sustainability throughout our entire museum. Our unique leadership expertise spans from law, anthropology, public history, visual studies, to architecture, service design and computer science; developing frameworks to co-create a Green Museum of the Future. Learn how we’re using Storytelling as a multidisciplinary tool to create a Green Manifesto and Climate Action Plan to embed Sustainability in our strategic goals, learning engagements, and infrastructure to attract and retain audiences, staff, volunteers and vendors to create a truly regenerative museum for the next generation.

Full Schedule Here