Leslie Labruto

Growing up in New Jersey with a single mom, her grandmother, and two older sisters, Leslie was inspired by her grandmother’s stories of working in a light bulb factory. Drawn to building things, she studied civil and mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt and then earned a Master’s in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London. Leslie went on to lead clean-energy work globally at the Clinton Foundation and Acumen. Today, at the Environmental Defense Fund, she shapes how markets finance energy transition around the world.