Leah is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. She is the Director of the Department's Arts Emergency Management Certificate program, lead administrator for Kentucky's Heritage Emergency Response Network, and a certified Crisis Analysis and Mitigation Coach for the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER). Her research and teaching methods in arts emergency management have been featured by Americans for the Arts, Kentucky Arts Council, the KulturManagement Network, and at international academic conferences including the International Conference on Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts (STP&A), the Congress for European Network for Cultural Policy and Management (ENCATC), and the Arts Administration Educators Association (AAAE). Hamilton’s thesis, Arts Facility Emergency Preparedness in the State of Missouri, was awarded the Top Thesis Award and Academic Excellence Award by Drexel University in 2016. Prior to joining UK faculty, Leah served as Program Director and Instructor of the Arts Administration program at Drury University in Missouri. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of the leading arts agency in the Missouri Ozarks, the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Under Hamilton’s leadership, the Council stabilized its funding and expanded its programming and facilities at The Creamery Arts Center.In addition to her M.S. degree, Hamilton holds a PostGraduate Diploma in Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a Bachelor's in Music from the University of Kansas. Hamilton is a former Ambassadorial Scholar for the International Rotary Foundation, and was a founding member of the professional chamber ensemble, Octarium.