Meet Junior League of Tulsa (JLT) member Lesley Hess! She’s the woman behind the League’s eBlasts—the biweekly emails that communicate JLT’s many activities and events to the membership. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Lesley is a senior cybersecurity engineer for Lunarline, Inc.—a small company based out of Washington, D.C. Read on to learn more about Lesley and her many contributions to the League.

JLT: What brought you to Tulsa?
Lesley: I’m originally from Tulsa. I lived in San Diego, California, for seven years and then wanted a change, so I moved to Portland, Oregon, for a couple years. It turns out moving from perpetual sun to perpetual rain was not for me! I work remotely, so I decided to rediscover Tulsa.

JLT: How long have you been involved with the Junior League of Tulsa?
Lesley: I transferred into the League in December of 2014.

JLT: Why do you enjoy being involved in the League?
Lesley: The League hits a lot of areas for me. First is community impact. I’ve lived in three cities with different community issues and challenges, and seeing the impact of the League is amazing. Secondly, as a transfer, it allows me to dive straight into learning my community and fosters the opportunity to make friends. Thirdly, it allows me to develop skills I would not otherwise have the chance to learn. Lastly, I enjoy surrounding myself with strong, likeminded women because it helps me continually grow as a person.

JLT: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?
Lesley: League-wise I would say my biggest challenge was chairing the À la Carte Committee in the Junior League of San Diego as a second-year active. I had little exposure to fund development and event planning before that placement. On top of that, our marketing committee liaison quit the League, so I had to get creative for our four fundraisers, but we successfully met all of our fundraising goals, plus initiated the first-annual Golf Classic Tournament.

JLT: What’s one of the most important life lessons you’ve learned so far?
Lesley: To keep perspective. I had a period in my life where I went through a great deal of personal tragedy, but what it did was allow me to see the world from a different lens—to focus on the things that matter and stop caring about everything else.

JLT: What advice do you have for other League members?
Lesley: Two things: 1) Don’t forget about your Transfers! In my experience, being a Transfer is more difficult than being a Provisional. It’s harder to find your place, so be extra inclusive if you meet one. 2) You get out of the League what you put into it, so make the most of the training, social, volunteer, etc. opportunities.

JLT: What is your favorite League memory?
Lesley: I’ve had a lot of great memories in every League I’ve been a part of, but I think my favorite time would have to be my provisional year. I have lifelong friends from that group.

JLT: What’s your favorite Tulsa pastime?
Lesley: Eating at STG and then attending Roughnecks games in the summer/fall.

JLT: Complete this sentence. On the weekends you can find me …
Lesley: Cherry Street, downtown, Brookside, or anywhere delicious food and craft cocktails are present!