Meet Our Faculty

Leisha is the Director of the Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) program, an innovative training partnership with SPIA and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Leisha also leads the Virginia Public Sector Leader (VPSL) program, a theory-to-practice management and leadership program designed for state agencies and NGOs. Leisha directs the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Mentoring Program for CPAP Richmond, and facilitates graduate assistant-ships and internship opportunities. Experienced in nonprofit organizational development and policy advocacy, Leisha is a former President & CEO of a major regional nonprofit. where she successfully advocated Virginia’s General Assembly for community land trust development law. Leisha currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Virginia, on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Leadership Advisory Council, and is a Leadership Metro Richmond Graduate.
Her research interests include: policy and practice in government and NGO professional development; organizational theory and context; and, facilitative and participative leadership. Leisha is a doctoral student in public administration and policy, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Virginia Tech. Her BS in general business and merchandising is from the University of Montevallo.


