Diana Smith
Born and raised in Wallingford, Conn., Leslie Hawkins began taking annual camping trips with her family. She vividly remembers her first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains soaring on the horizon on a trip that took her to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Dinosaur National Monument, Devils Tower, and the Badlands.
Leslie attended Hood College in Frederick, Md., majoring in Spanish. After graduation, she joined VISTA. Assigned to focus on the housing issues of migrant workers in Western Kansas, Leslie became interested in the health care of that community. This prompted her to complete a graduate program in health care administration and an administrative residency at the VA hospital in Indianapolis, ultimately receiving her master’s degree.
Leslie’s long career in health care administration started at Concord Hospital in New Hampshire and eventually took her to Inter-Community Memorial Hospital in upstate New York where she rose to the position of CEO. When the New York State Health Department announced plans to close 13 rural hospitals, including hers, Leslie helped rally her community, collecting more than 10,000 signatures and successfully petitioning the governor to keep the hospital open.
Her career took her to Bar Harbor, Maine, where she was president and CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital; Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, Maine; and, finally, to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, Wash., until her retirement in 2017.
Although Leslie always thought she would retire on the East Coast, she decided to visit Tucson. When she saw the Santa Catalina mountains, she knew she had found her home and immediately made an offer on a house in SaddleBrooke.
When Martha Hockworth stepped down from leading the fitness walks in 2020, Leslie assumed the role, continuing to lead walks nearly every weekday. Leslie also serves on the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club Trip Committee, organizing the pre-trip dinners.
When she’s not walking, Leslie participates in two book clubs and is active in her church, Rotary Club, and WOOO. She was previously on the board of the SaddleBrooke Dog Park and is a volunteer coordinator for new member orientation, along with Raisin, her 14-year-old Chocolate Lab. Leslie also enjoys documentaries such as The American Revolution, by Ken Burns.
Leslie has traveled extensively with her sister and friends and has visited Australia, New Zealand, Sicily, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and the Baltic States. She enjoys skiing, particularly in Big Sky, Mammoth, and the Canadian Rockies, and she just returned from a trip to Austria.
Leslie’s energy and passion have carried her well throughout her life, from her service to low-income communities to civic activism to keeping a community hospital afloat to her many volunteer commitments, including her outstanding service to the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club. If you haven’t had a chance to meet her, look no further than her daily fitness walks in SaddleBrooke where you would be warmly welcomed to join in.