Meet Dr. Leslie Hafer - LSPAA's June Spotlight
LSPAA Alumni Spotlight
Meet Dr. Leslie Hafer, Class of 2020
LSP Alum's Current Position/Title
St. Petersburg College, Provost, St. Pete/Gibbs Campus and Allstate Center
LSP involvement since graduation
Being in the 2020 class, we did not have a typical LSP experience. We were fortunate to have gone to Tallahassee before everything shut down, so we had bonded as a class. I made so many good friends that I did not want the experience to end. I joined the LSP planning committee in 2021 and jumped at the opportunity to serve as the LSP Chair for the Class of 2024.
What is your professional job and what do you do in it?
I am a higher education administrator. As a provost, with SPC, I serve as the Chief Campus Officer for the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus, Allstate Center, Fire Training Center, and the Bay Pines STEM Center. I also represent the college in several different community boards and associations. At SPC, we are focused on better jobs and better lives.
Have you visited your class project since its completion? If yes, how did it feel to revisit your work?
I was part of the 2020 class and we did not have a traditional class project experience. We were able to provide funding to our initial class project recipient (Family Resources), but due to COVID we could not complete the physical improvements as a class. We adopted the Fighting Chance Fund and raised money to support small businesses in St. Petersburg during COVID. Our class prepped the site and provided some funding to Gibbs High School to paint a mural on the side of the Morean Arts Center. I do visit that mural often and remember how fun it was to be together as a class on that day.
What are your free time hobbies?
I love to travel and this past December I had the opportunity to visit Italy for the first time. It was a magical trip and I hope to go back someday. I enjoy spending time with family, playing golf, and meeting friends at local St Pete restaurants and breweries.
What's next for you?
I am looking forward to reengaging with other non-profits that I serve in the community. I hope to be more involved with LSPAA and the Chamber of Commerce.
Anything else you’d like to share?
LSP has given me professional connections, opened doors to new opportunities, and provided me with lifelong friendships. I am forever grateful for my LSP experience as a class member, planning committee member, and class chair. The planning committee volunteers who give their time, talents, and treasures every year to make this program happen are amazing, and I am proud to have been a part of it all.
From LSPAA:
Thank you to Dr. Leslie Hafer, LSP Class of 2020, and Chair of the Class of 2024, for continuing to be a leader in St. Petersburg!