Leigh Forrester, a native of Northern Virginia and graduate of Sweet Briar College, moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in 1996.     Leigh began her career working in the travel industry and it was on a trip to the Soviet Union in 1981 that she met her husband, John.  After the birth of their son, Ian, and their daughter, Catherine, Leigh changed fields and has since worked in development/fundraising, more than 16 years.  Locally Leigh has worked for the North Florida School of Special Education, Episcopal High School, and the College of Business at UNF. Leigh enjoys volunteering and has served on boards or been actively involved with the Friends of Guana River State Park (Board), Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (President, Visual Arts Parents Advisory Committee), Neese High School, St. Vincent’s Foundation, Association of Fundraising Professionals (Board), and Bright Holidays.   Leigh served as President of the Arlington Council of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2008 and 2009 and enjoys her continued involvement with the Arlington Council board and her membership in the Professional Women’s Council.

Leigh is co-founder of Career Frontiers of NE Florida, Inc., a post-secondary vocational training program for young adults age 18-35 with developmental and/or physical disabilities.  Career Frontiers of NE Florida, Inc provides real life job skills through a small business, Bark ‘N Howl Bakery.   The Bark ‘N Howl Bakery program provides training in kitchen safety, baking, inventory control, packaging, processing internet orders, customer service, shipping and marketing.   Ultimately, Career Frontiers plans to establish retail location(s) for additional job skills training such as basic merchandising, money skills and customer service, and thereby enhance its vocational training program.