Bethy Leonardi is an assistant professor in Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice. After teaching middle and high school for 16 years, Bethy Leonardi returned to graduate school and received her PhD in Educational Foundations Policy and Practice from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2014. That year, along with Dr. Sara Staley, she co-founded A Queer Endeavor, a nationally recognized center for gender and sexual diversity in education, which is housed in CU Boulder’s School of Education. A Queer Endeavor is a grassroots, queer-run initiative that’s a significant influence on Dr.Leonardi’s scholarship and community-based work. In collaboration, Drs. Leonardi and Staley work in deep partnership with districts and school communities to develop knowledge, practices, processes, and resources so that the culture of school is not only safe from physical and or emotional danger, but also humanizing for LGBTQ+ youth, families, and staff.
Awards that Bethy has received for her scholarship and community-based work include the Best Should Teach Gold Award, the Kalpana Chawla Award, and the President’s Diversity Award (all from CU Boulder).
