When the Junior League of Long Beach asked Lesley Boyer to join after she graduated college, her commitment to the League was never in question. Her mother was a founding Member of The Junior League of Long Beach, and many of the women she was surrounded by growing up were Junior League Members. The natural next step for Boyer was to fulfill this leadership role.

Since then, she has been on the Executive Board, chair of several committees, as well as Sustainer Council President. She has served as a Sustaining Advisor for over 20 years, which she considers the highlight of her Junior League career. “These women—educated, worldly, empathic leaders in tune with what is important in today, globally and locally—are an inspiration to me,” she says.

In her Junior League service, as well as service to other organizations, there have been challenging moments to navigate. When she accepted a board position but was faced with a temperamental colleague who expected her to do more work than she could handle, Boyer recruited several other members to support her and served out her term, as expected. When she was elected Vice President of a different organization without her permission, she agreed to hold the responsibility until a replacement was found and continued to volunteer for the organization afterward in other capacities. Throughout these moments, Boyer remained committed to serving responsibly and with strategic perspective, as The Junior League taught her.

“Anyone within hearing distance knows my love of and devotion to The Junior League of Long Beach,” Boyer says. “I mention my membership to someone almost every day.”