Georgia Ports Authority

Leslie Thomas serves as assistant manager of government and community outreach at the Georgia Ports Authority. In this role, she builds and strengthens relationships with community and government partners, showcasing the GPA’s vital role in driving economic growth while improving quality of life for Georgians. She is a proud Savannah native with a lifelong passion for youth development, public health, and community engagement, and she holds a bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State University and a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University.

Leslie career in public service began at Fort Valley State University’s Cooperative Extension, where she served as a 4-H program coordinator supporting youth in Peach and Houston counties through programs focused on healthy living, agriculture, and civic leadership. Then, as the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in Savannah, she led the federally funded Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. In that role she delivered hands-on nutrition, wellness, and life-skills education designed to improve food access, healthy behaviors, and workforce readiness in underserved communities.