Meet New IBOD Member Leslie Galbreath

“I think this organization is uniquely situated to really help women develop greater capacity in all parts of their lives. The music becomes a vehicle. It certainly has been for me, and I just believe that's what's going to happen. That's who we are.”

Growing up on a busy farm, Leslie Galbreath learned the importance of cooperation. “In my family, nobody got to sit down until everybody could sit down,” she said. “If somebody was still moving, you needed to be moving.” She hopes to bring that energetic collaboration to the Sweet Adelines International Board of Directors (IBOD). Galbreath was appointed to a one-year term beginning May 1, 2019.

Galbreath’s mother took her to a performance of St. Joseph’s Show Chorus—now called RiverSong—when she was still in college.

“I knew I didn’t have the resources at that moment, but I remember thinking, ‘I could do this,’” she said. “When my youngest daughter was six weeks old, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get out of the house! Now’s the time.’ I was looking for something more, something where I could sing.”

Galbreath joined RiverSong then and today sings with Skyline Chorus. She credits Sweet Adelines with helping her attain goals.

“I would not have a doctorate if I had not gone to IES and wandered into a Sharon Babb class,” said Galbreath. “I had so much fun in that class. I thought, ‘Clearly you’re not finished or at the apex of anything you’re doing. You’ve got to figure out how to make this work.’”

Galbreath completed a doctoral program in educational leadership and policy analysis through the University of Missouri. In her career, she has worked primarily in student support and development.

“I ran big tutoring programs, and my approach to everything is collaboration,” she said. “I did a lot of advising and ‘advicing,’ as I call it. I oversaw student acculturation programs, so that aligns very nicely with the membership development stuff that I did for Sweet Adelines. It’s all the same thing: bringing people into an unfamiliar environment and helping them succeed.”

Galbreath, who is a member of the international faculty and a leadership development specialist for Rocky Mountain Region 8, finds inspiration from watching new Sweet Adelines grow.

“I'm the Skyline newbie coordinator, and I get totally tickled when I watch these women come in the door and see this thing,” she said. “I think, ‘You have no idea what the future holds for you and the opportunities that will present themselves. You can't even!’ It’s this endless horizon, and opportunities just keep presenting themselves. Lots of it centers on music, but mostly it centers on personal development and helping people.”

The music drew her to Sweet Adelines, but the unexpected benefits are manifold.

“To have all that music wrapped around you and the women who are so committed and generous and loving and supportive… It's almost the only time you don't wear a title other than your name,” she said. “You're not a mom. You're not a wife. You're not a daughter. And that's pretty rare, especially for women.”

Galbreath is “truly honored and totally humbled” to serve on the IBOD.

“I think this organization is uniquely situated to really help women develop greater capacity in all parts of their lives,” she said. “The music becomes a vehicle. It certainly has been for me, and I just believe that's what's going to happen. That's who we are.”