About Leslie
Leslie Beggs
for MJC/YCCD Board 2024
Leslie grew up here in Modesto, attending Sherwood, Somerset, and Beyer High before heading to MJC for two years and then transferring to Clemson University, where she earned a B.A. & M.A. in English literature. She returned to Modesto in 1991 to raise her sons near family when her husband accepted a tenure-track position on MJC’s English faculty. (Dr. Jim Beggs retired from MJC in 2021 after 30 years of teaching.)
Her roots in our community run deep. Three generations of her family have attended MJC. Her father was the first in his Italian immigrant family to attend college, and went on to become a civil engineer. Her siblings, sons and many relatives are also proud former MJC students.
As a teenager, Leslie took her first lifeguarding class at the age of 14 in the MJC pool, and her sons spent hours running around the MJC track as members of the Modesto Thunderbolts track team. And while her husband taught thousands of college students over the years, she supported improving education in our community through local, regional and state volunteer roles, while occasionally teaching English part-time.
Since voters first elected her in 2016, Leslie has taken a leadership role on the Board as a champion for maintaining high academic standards and putting student success at the forefront of the Chancellor’s annual Goals, rather than merely trying to keep enrollment numbers up: “Every entering student is important to us and to our community. If students drop out before achieving their stated goals, we need to know why, so that our colleges can customize the support our students need to commit to their goals.”
She has championed joining with regional businesses to develop new or retooled programs that meet local industry needs, such as a recent partnership between MJC’s Industrial Electronics Program and Frito-Lay PepsiCo, in which employees were trained on-site and received MJC Electro-Mechanic Certificates at completion, along with significant raises.
Leslie was an early and enthusiastic supporter of MJC’s Call to Innovation grant, which resulted in a series of interdisciplinary projects in which students, often working in teams with faculty members, gained workforce, problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills.
She’s likewise been a steadfast supporter of expanding student opportunities to get degrees and certificates in high-paying, high-demand fields such as Nursing, Fire Science & Tech Ed.
Over the years, she has brought a creative mind, open ear and independent voice to the board. She has opened her door to all stakeholders, and sought input from a range of sources – including students, parents, residents and taxpayers – to ensure that every voice is heard.
She remains a faithful protector of due process, free speech and academic freedom, advocating for respect for dissenting viewpoints and the ability to civilly agree to disagree.
On the financial side, she’s been adamant about reining in bureaucratic excesses and needless spending.
Leslie enjoys reading, playwriting, walking, gardening, traveling, Zumba and other dance classes, and spending time with her grandchildren.
LESLIE'S RÉSUMÉ
Leslie@BeggsforBoard.com
EDUCATION
M.A. in English, 1987, Clemson University, Clemson, SC. Thesis: The Zeal of Thy Work: Vocation as Sacred in the Works of Dorothy L. Sayers
B.A. in English, 1981, Clemson University, cum laude; Rank: 94 of 1071 graduates. Minor: Psychology
Attended Modesto Junior College, 1977–1979. University Transfer sequence; 62 units; 3.84 cum. GPA.
COLLEGE MEMBERSHIPS & HONORS
Nominated by chairman of the Languages Department for the President’s Honors Colloquium, Clemson University
Short story chosen for campus literary magazine
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Sigma Tau Epsilon (the honor society of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
Pi Delta Phi Socie̒te̒ d’Honneur Francaise
Also member of: Society of English Graduate Students 1981–1982; English Club, 1979–1981; Clemson
Dancers, 1980; Clemson Players, 1981.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct English Instructor, Modesto Junior College, 2013–2016. Taught one 5–unit developmental English 49 or 50 class each semester.
Adjunct English Instructor, Modesto Junior College, Fall 2002–Spring 2003. Taught one section of English 101 each semester.
Adjunct English Instructor, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee, 1985–1991. Taught freshman composition courses.
Adjunct English Instructor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. Took over three English 101 classes on Sept 21st when another instructor resigned.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, Fall 1981–Spring 1982. Taught two sections of English composition each semester.
RELATED EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Representative, Yosemite Faculty Association, Fall 2015–Spring 2016.
Piano Faculty, Modesto Suzuki Association, 2005–present.
Home Educator, through Hart-Ransom Charter School and Whitmore Charter School. I taught my son’s accelerated English courses at home in 2008–2013 from 7th–11th grade. (In 12th grade he moved on to English 103 at MJC.)
Community Columnist/Freelance Contractor, The Modesto Bee, 2002–present. Also was part of a weekly meeting of Bee opinion columnists and editors for many years. Write occasional columns—very occasional—for the local newspaper, on topics ranging from education to Gary Condit to hate crimes and free speech.
Board of Directors, California Association for the Gifted (CAG), 2002–2004. In addition to helping put on regional workshops and the annual statewide conferences for teachers and parents of gifted children, I was also a member of the board committee responsible for writing CAG’s position papers on various issues in gifted education.
Chairperson, GATE District Advisory Committee (parent group), Modesto City Schools, 1997–1999. Planned meetings and conferences for parents and GATE–identified children at three magnet sites, working with the MCS GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Director.
Editorial Assistant for Charlotte Magazine, Charlotte Business Quarterly, and Carolina Business & Finance, 1983–1985. Duties included editing in all stages, writing assigned articles, compiling monthly column of Charlotte events, screening manuscripts, figuring monthly budget for writers and photographers, and occasionally covering city planning meetings and other newsworthy happenings.
OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICE
Teacher, Adult Connections Class, Modesto Covenant Church, Spring 2014 term, and sub. Also host a weekly meeting that discusses faith, philosophy and current cultural issues, 2003–present.
Equal Rights Commissioner, Stanislaus County, February 2005–present.
Member, Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury, 2005–2006.
Visiting Editor, The Modesto Bee, 2001. One of two community members chosen to launch the Bee's "Visiting Editor" program, serving a three-month term in which we attended the newspaper's editorial meetings, interviewed county/city leaders, and offered input on current issues. Wrote columns during this period, and was asked to continue contributing local opinion pieces as a "Community Columnist."
Downey High 1882 (Accreditation) Committee, 2000–2002
PTA President, Sonoma School, 1997–1999; PTA Secretary 1999–2001.
PTA Historian, Modesto Council PTA, 2000–2001.