Leigh Quarles, MPH, serves as a Network Officer for the Endowment, where she provides grant management and strategic support for initiatives focused on health and social equity. In her role, she collaborates with partners to drive impactful strategies that address systemic disparities and improve community health and well-being.
Before joining the Endowment, Leigh was an Impact Strategist at the Health Forward Foundation in Kansas City, MO. There, she focused on strengthening the capacity and effectiveness of partners to deliver whole-person, equity-centered care. She also advanced innovation and infrastructure in community health, promoted inclusive and culturally responsive workforces, and advocated for policies that improved health outcomes.
A dedicated public health practitioner and researcher, Leigh has devoted her career to addressing social determinants of health. Her professional journey includes roles with the Missouri Area Health Education Center, the Community Engagement Resource at Columbia University Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York University, the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, and The University of Kansas Medical Center.
Leigh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Outside of work, Leigh is a proud mom to two children and shares her home with a “small zoo” of two large dogs, a fluffy cat, and a bird. She enjoys walking her dogs along the beaches of Bald Head Island, searching for shark teeth.
Leigh Quarles
Network Officer – Social and Health Equity & Education
lquarles@theendowment.org
910-903-7990
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-quarles-97ab3016/