University President Thomas LeBlanc is giving a group of students direct access to the University’s top decision-makers.

LeBlanc has hosted a series of “Leader-2-leader” dinners at his F Street home this fall, inviting at least 60 student leaders to share a meal with members of the Board of Trustees. Student leaders said spending time with trustees and other students helped them think of new ways to better lead their own organizations.

“The dinners are focused on experiences in leadership and present an excellent opportunity for students and trustees to hear directly from one another,” University spokeswoman Lindsay Hamilton said in an email.

She declined to say which student leaders or trustees attended the dinners but said some heads of student organizations were sent invitations. She said “additional” events will be held in the future but declined to say how many dinners are planned for the spring semester.

She also declined to say what is discussed at the dinners or how trustees interacted with students before the dinners.

LeBlanc said at a Faculty Senate meeting last month that the trustees talked about how they became leaders and forged connections with students.

“It’s an opportunity for trustees to have more time with students, and I just think it makes us a better university,” he said at the meeting.

Student leaders who were invited to the dinners said the meals indicated that administrators, including the five board members, were open to helping students succeed in their organizations.

Student Association President Ashley Le said she attended a dinner in September and sat with trustee Madeleine Jacobs, the retired executive director and CEO of the American Chemical Society. Le said inviting students to a dinner demonstrated that administrators are interested in serving students and knowing them.

“It shows that we are focused on the shift in institutional culture, moving away from that transactional culture,” Le said.

After dinner, Le said Jacobs and Board of Trustees Chairman Nelson Carbonell sat on a panel and advised students to take advantage of their time in D.C. and at GW, but also told them to take care of themselves mentally and physically. LeBlanc told students in the fall that they should focus less on internships and more on being students.

Trianna Downing, the president of the youth mentorship organization Lemonade Day, said she met trustees Roslyn Brock, a top official at Bon Secours Mercy Health System, and Mark Chichester, a co-founder of Atlas Research. She said she liked that the panel was racially diverse, which is unusual at many of the official events she attends at GW.

She said both trustees gave her advice on networking and how to succeed in the corporate world.

“The two of them on the panel, it was finally nice to see two prominent African American leaders, and just know that they were very successful after their time at GW,” she said.

She said the group of about 20 students was just small enough to mingle with other student leaders and maintain a relaxed environment.

“Seeing that the Board of Trustees are really low key, granted they have all these experiences and all these talents, it was like having dinner with friends,” Downing said.

She said many of her friends expected her to ask trustees about some student concerns, like a broken financial aid system, but she said the event was more about learning tips to become a leader after college.

André Gonzalez, one of the co-founders of the School of Media and Public Affairs organization the Student Advocacy Mentoring and Programming Council, said he appreciated that administrators made an effort to meet with students and showed an interest in their organizations.

He said trustees said they wanted to address the problems facing GW, including making the University a welcoming place for all students, and asked for student leaders to share their own experiences. Last spring, students across campus raised concerns about diversity and inclusion on campus after a racist Snapchat post rocked campus.

“They wanted to make it clear that they are working to address problems and wanted to solicit input,” he said.