ABOUT
Leigh was born and raised in Virginia Beach, graduating from Kellam High School. She was taught early the meaning of public service by her father who spent 27 years as a Virginia Beach firefighter, her mother who is a retired social worker, and her grandmother who was employed by the City of Virginia Beach for over 50 years. Leigh serves on the Board of Trustees for the VACo/VML Virginia Investment Pool (VIP) and is a member of the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia.
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Leigh
HENDERSON
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For Treasurer
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Experience Matters
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Service Counts
ABOUT LEIGH
Leigh was born and raised in Virginia Beach, graduating from Kellam High School. She was taught early the meaning of public service by her father who spent 27 years as a Virginia Beach firefighter, her mother who is a retired social worker, and her grandmother who was employed by the City of Virginia Beach for over 50 years. Leigh serves on the Board of Trustees for the VACo/VML Virginia Investment Pool (VIP) and is a member of the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia. She is the former Chairperson for the Beach Municipal Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee.
Leigh is married to Jeff Henderson, who is a paramedic with the City of Virginia Beach. They have 4 children: a son who is a veteran of the United States Army, a daughter who attends Johns Hopkins University, another daughter who attends Kellam High School, and a son who also attends Kellam High School and is in Boy Scouts. The younger two are currently involved in the Virginia Beach 4-H program, and Leigh assists them and volunteers at different events throughout the year.
EDUCATION
In 2000, Leigh graduated from Old Dominion University with two degrees - a Bachelor's of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor's of Science in Finance.
In 2004, she earned the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) Certification from the Association for Financial Professionals. Also in 2004, she obtained the title of Certified Master Governmental Deputy Treasurer from the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, and most recently she earned her Master Governmental Treasurer certificate.
EXPERIENCE
Leigh started her work with the Treasurer's Office as a lower level accountant in 2000. She worked her way through the ranks and after 8 years, became the Accounting and Investment Administrator, a position that she held for another 8 years. In 2017, the former Treasurer appointed her as the Chief Deputy Treasurer, where she remained until becoming the current Treasurer. She won the 2019 Special Election to become the first woman elected to the office of Treasurer.
Leigh has extensive experience with investing the City's funds in a manner which provides the highest returns only after the goals of maximum safety are met. She has been key in the improvements to collections by being a project leader in the implementation of software. She has been involved in every technology project in the office within the last 20 years to include the implementation and upgrades of the office's cashiering system, the online payment system, the replacement of the legacy real estate system, and the most recently implemented project to replace the billing & collections system for personal property, trust taxes, parking tickets and miscellaneous invoices.