Leslie Rosenthal Jacobs (born 1959, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an education reform advocate, business executive, and philanthropist.
While President of Rosenthal Agency, Jacobs worked with the business community and the legislature to create the Louisiana Workers Compensation Corporation (LWCC) and served on its inaugural board of directors.
She began as a business partner with an elementary school, served as an elected member of the Orleans Parish School Board, and then, as a member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for twelve years, first appointed by Governor Foster (R) and then re-appointed by Governor Blanco (D).
[14] After Hurricane Katrina, Jacobs worked with Governor Blanco and State Superintendent Cecil Picard to place most of the Orleans public schools into the Recovery School District and to recruit high quality charter operators, like the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), to come to New Orleans and be part of the rebuilding.
[17] Doug Harris, Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics at Tulane University wrote in a 2018 report: "To summarize, the reforms increased outcomes on average and seem to have improved equity as well.
Black and low-income students saw higher test scores, high graduation rates, and college results.
"[18] President Barack Obama has praised the rejuvenation of Orleans Parish schools as a model for the rest of the country, stating: "And because a lot of your public schools opened themselves up to new ideas and innovative reforms, we're actually seeing an improvement in overall achievement that is making the city a model for reform nationwide.
YouthForce is an education, business, and civic collaboration that prepares New Orleans public school students for successful pursuit of high-wage, high-demand career pathways and facilitates systems change to ensure equitable outcomes.
Belltower is a nonprofit organization committed to expanding postsecondary success for New Orleans public school graduates.
The Startup Fund's mission is to create jobs and economic prosperity for the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region by providing seed capital and business assistance to early-stage firms that demonstrate significant growth potential.
[26] When nominating Jacobs for this award, Governor Foster stated, "The conversation about education in Louisiana is no longer about who to blame for our failures, but about making sure each child learns and each school succeeds and recognizing their improvement.