Executive Director

Tiesa Leggett began her career as a broadcast news journalist before transitioning into the fields of public relations and public affairs. She utilized her proven skillset in strategic planning, budgeting, program development and policy creation, to create a brand of effective advocacy building.

Ms. Leggett served as a school’s project coordinator for Blue Zones Project Fort Worth, by Healthways, a Sharecare company.  Blue Zones Project is an initiative created to make healthy choices easier by impacting environment, policy, and social networks. Tiesa was able to influence policy changes and successfully lobbied for school leadership to install salad bars inside of schools and sweets from home reduced, despite Texas law. She worked in partnership with school boards in Fort Worth and wrote resolutions, grants, and supported in empowering students to choose healthier food options. A believer of sustainability, Tiesa built coalitions and strategically positioned Blue Zones with area nonprofits to continue the effort of connecting older adults with children. She acquired a $90,000 federal grant to sustain community engagement in Southeast Fort Worth for a Walking School Bus, an initiative that keeps both older adults and children active and engaged with each other. The National Team, including Dan Buettner was so impressed, he featured her case study in his book, Blue Zones to Happiness.

Ms. Leggett worked as a healthcare lead for the Sodexo Marketing/Sales Distribution Center in Irving, Texas. Tiesa was the first employee from the new team to identify and close a $5.5M opportunity. She was chosen to present to global executives to talk about leveraging influential relationships and helping hospitals navigate COVID-19 regulations. She also served as the first African American woman to hold the position as the Vice President of Advocacy for the North Texas Commission. She then went on to run for Fort Worth City Council- while she did not win, was appointed to the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, and she currently serves as the Zoning Commissioner for District 8.

After that, she led the Unlock Potential program for opportunity youth,  by the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice – an international social justice nonprofit. Ms. Leggett was recently brought on as the first Justice Reform Foundation Executive Director. The Justice Reform Foundation focuses on justice reforms, bail reform, and education for reintroduction into society by supporting with re-entry policy advocacy.

Ms. Leggett graduated from the University of North Texas at Denton from the Mayborn School of Journalism and holds a Master of Science degree with a focus on sustainability from the University of Texas at Arlington.  She was recognized as 40 Under 40 by the Fort Worth Business Press, appointed to the Blue-Ribbon Citizens Committee, established by the Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court, to review the future needs of the JPS Health Network, and recognized as a Future Leader by the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce.  When she is not serving the community, you can find her blogging, collaborating on multiple civic projects, and hanging out with her family.