Chief Executive Officer
LESLIE ABBEY, ESQ. (she/her) is an organizational leader and entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to supporting families and youth, advancing social justice, and leveraging data-driven strategies to improve social service outcomes. As CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen, Leslie successfully spearheaded the execution of the organization’s 2022–2024 strategy plan to support 1,000 Breadwinners across New York City and expand programming across the boroughs. This goal was not only achieved but exceeded, with Hot Bread Kitchen supporting over 1,300 Breadwinners. Under Leslie’s leadership, the organization has transitioned into a new three-year strategy aimed at deepening impact and expanding access, which has already resulted in support for 700+ breadwinners. Her leadership continues to drive economic mobility and opportunity through careers in the food industry.
Leslie holds a J.D. from NYU School of Law and a B.A. with Honors from Swarthmore College.
Before joining Hot Bread Kitchen in 2022, Leslie served as Deputy Executive Director and COO of Covenant House New York, the city’s largest provider for youth experiencing homelessness. She also held senior roles at Lantern Community Services and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, where she led system-wide child welfare reforms. She began her career at the Legal Aid Society, representing children in Family Court and class action matters.
A year after graduating law school, Leslie co-founded Family Legal Care (formerly LIFT), which continues to support over 30,000 Family Court litigants annually. In 2022, she co-founded Anthos|Home, which is implementing an innovative model to improve New York City’s housing voucher system, moving over 700 individuals into permanent housing in the past two years.
Leslie serves on the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College, the Board of Trustees of NYU School of Law, the Board of Directors of Anthos|Home, the Board of Trustees of JCCA, and the Board of Directors of the NYC Employment and Training Coalition. She is also a member of Golden Seeds and the Women’s Forum of New York.
A native New Yorker with a lifelong love of food, Leslie and her husband live in Manhattan, where they have raised two children and now share their home with a rescue puppy.
