Leslie Davis Burns, Ph.D.

As Professor Emerita at Oregon State University, Leslie taught global sourcing, retail merchandising, and corporate social responsibility. She is the author or co-author of over 75 research articles and ten books including the best-selling textbook The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing, 6th edition (2020, New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing). Her book, Stories of Fashion, Textiles, and Place: Evolving Sustainable Supply Chains (2022, London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts), follows the journeys of five companies with evolving sustainable supply chains in the global fashion and textile industry. Each of the profiled companies value, honor, and are all deeply rooted in the geography, culture, and people of a specific location and their success is attributable to their connection to that place. Her book, Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion (2019, NY: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing) presents a framework of successful strategies for fashion brands in creating sustainable supply chains.  As a leader in writing and teaching with case studies, Leslie was the inaugural Editor-in-Chief (2017-2020) of the online educational resource, Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases and in this role edited the book, Fashion Business Cases: A Student Guide to Student Learning (2020, New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing). Leslie has also taught short-courses for the University of Delaware’s Graduate Certificate Program in Socially Responsible and Sustainable Apparel Business and for the Executive MBA program at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Leslie has received numerous teaching, research, and leadership awards including both Educator of the Year and Distinguished Scholar from the International Textile and Apparel Association and the Bressler Senior Faculty Teaching Award, Women of Achievement Award, and LL Stewart Scholar Award from Oregon State University. With a passion around corporate social responsibility, Leslie passed Lead Auditor certification by the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production organization and was a founding member of Educators for Responsible Apparel Practices.  She has visited dozens of apparel and footwear factories in her travels throughout the world.

Leslie received her B.A. from Washington State University and her Ph.D. in Consumer Sciences and Retailing from Purdue University.