Lesley is the General Secretary for the National Society for Education of Art and Design (NSEAD), the lead professional body for teachers of art, craft and design across the UK. Her work includes leading on Skills in the Making, a strand designed to improve the level of craft and design knowledge amongst schoolteachers.

Lesley has worked in education and outreach roles at the Design Museum, Islington Artefacts Library and the National Gallery, and led Making It Work at Reading Museum.