Leslie Hart has more than 30 years of in-depth marketing and communications experience in all channels of the kitchen and bath industry.

Trained as a journalist, she edited the B2B magazine during the industry’s metamorphosis from a building trade to a design and lifestyle industry.

Then she served as director of strategic marketing at Meredith Corporation, publishers of Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Home, Beautiful Kitchens & Baths and other leading consumer magazines. There she created integrated marketing programs for the Home Depot and Sub-Zero among others.

In 1993 she became senior vice president and then principal of Fry Communications, a full-service agency serving all channels of the kitchen and bath industry. She currently writes the Consumer Insights column for Kitchen & Bath Design News magazine.

Leslie, Nora DePalma, and Wendy Silverstein have worked together in different capacities for more than 20 years. They frequently collaborated during Nora’s tenure at NKBA, Leslie’s years at K+BB, and Wendy’s time at American HomeStyle.

Brands Served: St. Charles of New York, La Cornue, Gessi, Sub-Zero/Wolf, the Home Depot, Blanco, NKBA, BKBG, Avonite, BreezeDry, Sunrise, St. Thomas, Poggenpohl Pittsburgh

Born and Bred: Washington, D.C. in the shadow of the White House, then on to Pittsburgh, Pa. (loved those Pirates!)

Best Part of Your Job: Always learning something new

Most Memorable Industry Moment: My induction into the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Hall of Fame in 2000.

Ed Cred: Masters in Journalism, Syracuse University

Applause/Applause: NKBA Hall of Fame; Jesse Neal journalism award

Seen and Been Seen: Speaker/presenter industry conferences & seminars, including Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, KBDN Leader’s Conference, BKBG conference, NKBA New Zealand chapter, Luxembourg Kitchen & Bath Show, Corian tour in Japan, Eurocucina Milan, International Möblemesse, Cologne; ISH, Frankfurt; Cersaie, Bologna.

Most Memorable High School Moment: My first column “Junior Highlights” published in the Bethel Park Boro News; living as an exchange student in Colombia

Most Memorable College Moment: Junior year at the University of Madrid, summer school at the University of Munich

Favorite Things: Kevin (almost no hair), Brighton (miniature long hair dachshund) new nephews and nieces (getting hair) grown-up nieces and nephews (fixated on hair)