Women in Leadership Program

Leslie Honicker

Active Term: 12/2024 - 12/2025

Areas of Expertise

• Inspiring Emotional Intelligence
  
• Mentoring and Building a Culture of Mentorship
  
• Advocacy, Actions & Accountability

State Agronomist

Student

After earning a Master of Science Degree in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Kentucky in 2015, Leslie Honicker began federal service as a Soil Conservationist in a local field office with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Within a few years, Leslie provided agronomic leadership for the entirety of Tennessee on behalf of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with the implementation of nearly $120 million in conservation programming across Tennessee in 2024 alone. 

​Leslie’s ability to act as a liaison between academia, farmers, and government officials led to her appointment as an Embassy Science Fellow with the US Department of State in Vietnam in 2022, where she oversaw sustainable agriculture programs. In addition to her duties with NRCS, Leslie serves as an advisor to the US Embassy in Vietnam on behalf of the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) for the US Department of State’s Global Fertilizer Challenge. Leslie represents the US Government in meetings with foreign governments, international research institutions, and the United Nations to support developing nation food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

---