Michaela Leslie-Rule is a researcher and cultural strategist. For over two decades, she has supported communities, non-profit leaders, and philanthropic institutions to advance racial and gender justice by leveraging the power of narrative. She employs participatory methodologies that center community members' lived experiences and expertise to catalyze, document, and measure social, cultural, and organizational change. In partnership with community members, she has designed and led audience research and narrative change projects across the United States, Europe, and East and Central Africa. She deeply believes in the power of stories – those we tell ourselves and those we tell others – to create long-lasting social transformation.

Over the past six years, Michaela has co-led three multi-year research projects for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and focused on understanding how narrative impacts Black and Hispanic students’ educational experiences. Her research explores occupational identity formation, educational and career pathways, and math identity and mindset among middle school students. 

Michaela is a founding member of the Spiritual Technologies Project, a collaboration between filmmakers, composers, musicians, and other culture bearers exploring Black elders' unique knowledge in the American South. She also co-developed the Emmy™-nominated Fundamental film series, produced by Global Fund for Women and directed by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, and the author of a forthcoming book entitled How We See Us: Young People Imagining a Path to Their Futures (Harvard Education Press, Spring 2025). Michaela is currently a Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where her work focuses on the impact of cultural narratives on how students experience and learn math in K-12. She is a former Senior Advisor at Wonder: Strategies for Good, a network of independent communications strategists who use values-based messaging to advance change on sensitive social issues; and a frequent collaborator with Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, a public opinions research firm based in Oakland, CA. Michaela earned dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Public Administration at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Michaela lives in Seattle with her family.