Kelsey Leonard, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, specializing in Indigenous water rights. In 2010, she was the first member of the Shinnecock Nation to graduate from Harvard University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and anthropology. In 2012, she earned an Master of Science degree in water science, policy and management from St. Cross College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford. Her other degrees include a JD from Duquesne University School of Law, and a PhD in political science from McMaster University. Leonard represents the Shinnecock Nation on the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean, which is a partnership of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia to enhance the vitality of the region’s ocean ecosystem.
