Melanie Leslie has served as dean of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law since 2015 and is the first Cardozo graduate and the first woman to lead the school. A prominent scholar in trusts and estates, fiduciary obligations, and nonprofit governance, Dean Leslie has championed innovation in legal education, diversity and inclusion, and the expansion of experiential learning. Under her leadership, Cardozo has launched new academic centers and enhanced its national reputation.