LOS ANGELES, March 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA) is pleased to announce that Leslie Motter, President & Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish America, has joined its invitation-only peer mentorship organization of accomplished women leaders.
Leslie Motter is a distinguished C-suite executive with more than 30 years of experience leading enterprise-wide strategy, finance, operations, human resources, and large-scale transformation initiatives across Fortune 100 corporations and nationally recognized nonprofit organizations. As CEO of Make-A-Wish America, the nonprofit organization with 57 chapters nationwide that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical needs, she provides vision and leadership to strengthen governance, organizational culture, and operational excellence in service of the foundation’s mission.
Under Leslie’s leadership, Make-A-Wish has been recognized by Morning Consult as the #2 Most Trusted Nonprofit in the United States and the #1 Most Trusted Nonprofit Brand Locally Across All 50 States for four consecutive years. Her tenure has been marked by strategic modernization efforts that have strengthened infrastructure, enhanced operational efficiency, and positioned the organization for long-term sustainability and growth.
Prior to becoming CEO in 2022, Leslie served as Chief Operating Officer of Make-A-Wish America, where she oversaw finance, technology, legal, and human resources. During this time, she led enterprise-wide modernization initiatives, digitized core systems, and implemented cloud-based solutions to improve scalability and performance. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at American Express, Aetna, Prudential, and Vanguard, where she drove transformation, optimized operations, and supported sustained revenue growth.
“Leslie embodies the kind of values-driven leadership that defines EWA,” said Larraine Segil, Founder and CEO of Exceptional Women Alliance. “Her ability to lead complex organizations with both operational rigor and deep humanity reflects the character and excellence we look for in our EWAs. We are honored to welcome her into this extraordinary community of women leaders.”
Leslie has also served on multiple nonprofit boards, including the International Women’s Forum of Arizona, UMOM New Day Center, Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, and the Thunderbird School of Global Management Leadership Council. Her leadership has been widely recognized, including being named to Forbes’ “50 Over 50” list, receiving Valley Leadership’s Leader of the Year honor, and earning distinctions such as Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business and ATHENA Finalist.
“Exceptional Women Alliance brings together those who lead with vision and integrity. I’m honored to be joining a community full of such inspiring women who are committed to lifting each other up to expand our collective impact,” said Leslie Motter.
Leslie holds a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior from the University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences from the University of Connecticut.
Through her acceptance in EWA, Leslie joins a global community of high-achieving women leaders committed to mentorship, generosity, and advancing one another’s leadership and impact.
About Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA)
The Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA) is an invitation-only peer mentorship organization where high-level Exceptional Women from across multiple industries are hand-selected and invested in, to grow, learn, share, and succeed. In addition to the achievement of significant success, the criteria for acceptance include character traits that are defining of the EWA Culture – Kindness, the Spirit of Generosity, Transparency, Gratitude, and Willingness to Share their knowledge. The Foundation is a powerhouse of peer-to-peer mentoring that provides guidance, deep connection, and leadership, propelling each woman to sustainable success—one woman at a time. The life-long program enables each participant to be connected as alumnae in the ever-expanding EWA global community, as their fellow women leaders continue to move into positions of significance.
Learn more at www.exceptionalwomenalliance.com
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SOURCE Exceptional Women Alliance
