I'm a local.
photo of Lu by Stacy Phlliips
I grew up just east of Atlanta in Tucker, GA and spent my school days in DeKalb County at Idlewood Elementary and Shamrock High School. I worked in high school at Chick-fil-A and was a member of the charter scholarship class of the Chick-Fil-A WinShape Center at Berry College. I traveled to Quebec City, Quebec to study French, completed Architectural coursework at The Georgia Institute of Technology, moved to New York City, was admitted to the Cooper Union, worked for world-renown architect Peter Eisenman, and a Flatiron District fashion photographer.
Upon returning to Atlanta in 1993, I worked in film as a location scout and location manager on various film and video projects including Bud Greenspan's Olympic Official Film in 1996, which proved to be a very good year, as I married Don Grant in November. I "retired" from film in 1999 when I had my first child, Lucy. I was involved with the founding of both the Neighborhood Charter School in Grant Park and the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool and served several years on the boards of each school. I put in numerous hours of volunteering at both schools, had my second child, William in 2003, volunteered some more and then as many busy moms do, I began to ponder the state of our family's diet.
After much noodling and consultation with my nutritionist-friend Emily, I developed something called The Nutrition Tracking Board which launch a business called Chickin Feed (it's all about feeding "chickins"—my affectionate term for little children). Chickin Feed's mission is to raise a nutritionally literate generation by providing little "chickins" and their families fun tools to make good choices and build healthy habits. A remarkable alignment of planets landed me a featured spot on The Rachael Ray Show in 2008 as the first in the "Incredible People" series. With the help of an amazing coalition of talented friends, we've shipped Nutrition Tracking Boards around the world, published a book called The Chickin Feed Primer, a useful companion for modern families, produced an amazingly funny CD called The FARM GRUB Revue and morphed our nutrition tracking tool into the very effective Track'n PlaceMat.
Chickin Feed has given me the wonderful opportunity to volunteer in schools throughout Georgia, and to serve as an advocate of eating REAL FOOD. I've also become an advocate for Farm to School programs through work with Georgia Organics, Atlanta Farm to School, the Grant Park Farmers Market and other organizations.
In 2010 when my daughter, Lucy, was in sixth grade, my husband and I began to ponder high school choices. We organized an informal group of parents to plan a sustainable option for students moving to high school from the the 8th grade at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School in southeast Atlanta. This group became the foundation for SEACS (Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools). As the redistricting process unfolded in 2012, we strongly advocated for the cluster model of schools so that our children could build educational community with their K-12 peers in Southeast Atlanta.
With my "put your money where your mouth is" philosophy, I began to get involved with Jackson High School two years in advance of my daughter's attendance. I have spent many hours volunteering, recruiting, building communication and community engagement so that Maynard Jackson High School can one day become a school of choice for southeast Atlanta families. I have served on the Local School Council at Jackson High, helping to promote the International Baccalaureate Programme and advocated for progressive-minded thinking during the architectural renovation process. I have also worked hard to encourage common sense decisions at the district level with regards to improving our local schools.
I bring a wide variety of skills to serve on the Atlanta Board of Education. While not necessarily the most traditional skill set, it definitely supports the most important—the ability to work collaboratively with others to support a larger vision. I will work tirelessly, intelligently, and with integrity to always keep the focus where it belongs . . . on our children.
I am happy to answer any questions you might have--just email me at leslie@electlesliegrant.com— and I truly hope that you will trust me with your vote on Tuesday, November 5, 2013.
Upon returning to Atlanta in 1993, I worked in film as a location scout and location manager on various film and video projects including Bud Greenspan's Olympic Official Film in 1996, which proved to be a very good year, as I married Don Grant in November. I "retired" from film in 1999 when I had my first child, Lucy. I was involved with the founding of both the Neighborhood Charter School in Grant Park and the Grant Park Cooperative Preschool and served several years on the boards of each school. I put in numerous hours of volunteering at both schools, had my second child, William in 2003, volunteered some more and then as many busy moms do, I began to ponder the state of our family's diet.
After much noodling and consultation with my nutritionist-friend Emily, I developed something called The Nutrition Tracking Board which launch a business called Chickin Feed (it's all about feeding "chickins"—my affectionate term for little children). Chickin Feed's mission is to raise a nutritionally literate generation by providing little "chickins" and their families fun tools to make good choices and build healthy habits. A remarkable alignment of planets landed me a featured spot on The Rachael Ray Show in 2008 as the first in the "Incredible People" series. With the help of an amazing coalition of talented friends, we've shipped Nutrition Tracking Boards around the world, published a book called The Chickin Feed Primer, a useful companion for modern families, produced an amazingly funny CD called The FARM GRUB Revue and morphed our nutrition tracking tool into the very effective Track'n PlaceMat.
Chickin Feed has given me the wonderful opportunity to volunteer in schools throughout Georgia, and to serve as an advocate of eating REAL FOOD. I've also become an advocate for Farm to School programs through work with Georgia Organics, Atlanta Farm to School, the Grant Park Farmers Market and other organizations.
In 2010 when my daughter, Lucy, was in sixth grade, my husband and I began to ponder high school choices. We organized an informal group of parents to plan a sustainable option for students moving to high school from the the 8th grade at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School in southeast Atlanta. This group became the foundation for SEACS (Southeast Atlanta Communities for Schools). As the redistricting process unfolded in 2012, we strongly advocated for the cluster model of schools so that our children could build educational community with their K-12 peers in Southeast Atlanta.
With my "put your money where your mouth is" philosophy, I began to get involved with Jackson High School two years in advance of my daughter's attendance. I have spent many hours volunteering, recruiting, building communication and community engagement so that Maynard Jackson High School can one day become a school of choice for southeast Atlanta families. I have served on the Local School Council at Jackson High, helping to promote the International Baccalaureate Programme and advocated for progressive-minded thinking during the architectural renovation process. I have also worked hard to encourage common sense decisions at the district level with regards to improving our local schools.
I bring a wide variety of skills to serve on the Atlanta Board of Education. While not necessarily the most traditional skill set, it definitely supports the most important—the ability to work collaboratively with others to support a larger vision. I will work tirelessly, intelligently, and with integrity to always keep the focus where it belongs . . . on our children.
I am happy to answer any questions you might have--just email me at leslie@electlesliegrant.com— and I truly hope that you will trust me with your vote on Tuesday, November 5, 2013.