During the public session of last month’s Board of Trustees meeting, Temple University appointed Leslie Anne Miller, LAW ’94, to its governing body. An attorney who has been a leader in her profession and community for more than 40 years, Miller will serve the remainder of a term on the board that concludes in 2027.   

“Leslie is a tremendous addition to the Board of Trustees, and I am excited to serve alongside her,” said Mitchell L. Morgan, FOX ’76, LAW ’80, chair of the board. “She has been an influential leader in the commonwealth and Philadelphia for decades, and in addition she has been deeply involved here at Temple, having served on the Board of Visitors for our Beasley School of Law. Her insight will be invaluable in helping to guide the university moving forward.” 

Miller’s career has been marked by a number of firsts.  

She was the first woman to be named partner in her law firm, and 1999 she became the first woman president of the 27,000-member Pennsylvania Bar Association. In 2003, she was appointed general counsel of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Governor Edward G. Rendell and was the first woman to hold that position. In this role, she was responsible for a staff of more than 450 attorneys and represented Governor Rendell and 32 executive and independent agencies in civil, transactional, regulatory, legislative and criminal justice matters.  

“Leslie has been a leader in the legal profession and in the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia community and is a tremendous addition to Temple’s Board of Trustees,” said President John Fry. “She also is deeply experienced in governance and leadership, having chaired the boards of major nonprofits including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mount Holyoke College and the Philadelphia Flower Show, as well as having served as the interim president of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Our board is stronger because of the addition of Leslie.” 

Miller’s accomplishments and commitment to service have been recognized on numerous occasions throughout her career, including by her selection as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, receipt of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award, the Woman One Award from Drexel University’s School of Medicine and induction into the Temple University Fox School of Business League for Entrepreneurial Women’s Hall of Fame.  

"It is an honor to join the board of trustees at such a crucial time for Temple University and higher education,” Miller stated. “Knowing President Fry as I have for many years, I am looking forward to working with him and the board to help fulfill his vision for Philadelphia’s public university, which I’m sure will result in the maximum positive impact on the city, region and commonwealth.” 

A cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Miller received an MA from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, a JD from the Dickinson School of Law and an LLM with honors from Temple’s Beasley School of Law. She also holds honorary degrees from Drexel University Kline School of Law, Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Health Professions and Wilson College. 

In addition to Miller’s appointment, Temple’s Board of Trustees also confirmed the reappointment of Commonwealth Trustee Bret S. Perkins, FOX ’91, to an additional term that will continue through October 2028. 

Temple University’s Board of Trustees consists of 36 voting members, 24 elected by their peers and 12 appointed by officials of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to its 36 members, the governor of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the secretary of education of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the mayor of the city of Philadelphia serve as ex-officio, non-voting trustees.  

Learn more about the Board of Trustees at Temple University.