Leslie E. Tower is Director of the Women’s Resource Center and Professor and Assessment Coordinator for the School of Social Work at West Virginia University. Her recent scholarship focuses on women's rights in institutions of higher education. She is also interested in supporting college students’ decisions to use menstrual cups, a potential tool in reducing period poverty and environmental waste. Tower is currently the external evaluator for a US DHHS-NIH-National Institute on Aging grant.
Tower has authored/co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, a scholarly book, and other scholarly publications. Her research has been funded by NSF, FDA, and USDA as well as private foundations.
Tower was co-principal investigator on the original WVU NSF ADVANCE grant. One of her publications from the project, entitled, Work/Life Satisfaction Policy in ADVANCE Universities, was highlighted in Science. She led the policy development component of the grant, resulting in numerous work-life integration policies: Lactation Network and Supportive Lactation Program; Paid parental for 9-month faculty; and Family Travel Program.
Tower was Chair/Co-Chair of the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (2012-2015), Track Chair of the CSWE APM Feminist Scholarship Track (2017-2022), and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Women & Social Work (AFFILIA) (2017-2020). Tower is the recipient of the 2023 CSWE Feminist Scholar Award.