Bruce Lesley President, First Focus

Mr. Lesley has more than 30 years of public policy experience at all levels of government and a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives and well-being of children. Lesley has served for 13 years as the president of First Focus on Children and directs policy development and internal operations at the organization. He also serves as an assistant high school girls basketball coach in Montgomery County, Maryland.

During his 12 years on Capitol Hill, Lesley worked on health care, education, human services, and immigration issues in several different capacities. Prior to his work at First Focus on Children, he served as Senior Health Policy Advisor on the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees for U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman. He also worked for U.S. Senator Bob Graham on the Senate Finance Committee, served as minority Chief of Staff for the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and was a legislative aide in the offices of U.S. Representatives Ronald Coleman and Diana DeGette.

In addition to public service at the federal level, Lesley worked at the state and county levels of government on health and human services policy for Texas State Representative Mary Polk, El Paso County Judge Pat F. O’Rourke, and Texas Governor Ann Richards in the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations in Washington, D.C.

Lesley has also worked in the healthcare sector as the Director of Congressional Relations for the Children’s Hospital Association (also known as the National Association of Children’s Hospitals) and as Director of Government Relations for University Medical Center, a public hospital in El Paso, Texas.

Lesley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland University College, in College Park, Maryland. He also attended the University of Texas at El Paso and University of Texas at Austin.

Bruce resides in Maryland with his wife and has four adult children.

Resources by Bruce Lesley


Letter: Children are in crisis, children must be included in end-of-year budget decisions

| November 14, 2023 |

Today, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Minority Leader


Letter: In Opposition to the Debt Limit Bill (H.R. 2811)

| April 26, 2023 |

Today, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to reject the debt


Testimony: House Judiciary Committee Hearing on “Free Speech: The Biden Administration’s Chilling of Parents’ Fundamental Rights”

| March 22, 2023 |

Today, First Focus Campaign for Children submitted the following statement for the record to members of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.


Letter: In Opposition to H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act

| March 7, 2023 |

Today, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to Reps. Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott — the Chair and Ranking Member of the


The American Rescue plan puts us on a pathway to end child poverty within a generation if (and this is a big if…)

| March 11, 2021 |

Moments ago, President Biden signed legislation that will do more to improve the lives of children than any other law in nearly 25 years.


Letter: In support of the Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act

| December 8, 2020 |

First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser in support of the Minor Consent for Vaccinations


Letter: In Support of the Child Poverty Reduction Act (S. 4115/H.R. 7419)

| November 19, 2020 |

On November 19, 2020, the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group and First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to Congress signed by over


Letter: Urgent request to extend 2020 Census deadline

| October 15, 2020 |

First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to Senate leadership with an urgent request to include extended deadlines for 2020 Census processing


Letter: In support of the Women and Climate Change Act (H.R. 1880/S. 868)

| October 7, 2020 |

First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to the lead sponsors of the Women and Climate Change Act (H.R. 1880/S. 868), in


Letter: In support of the Legal Assistance to Prevent Evictions Act (S. 3305|H.R. 5884)

| September 23, 2020 |

First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to the lead sponsors of the Legal Assistance to Prevent Evictions Act (S. 3305|H.R. 5884),