Stacy Leeds Email & Phone Number

Stacy Leeds is the Willard H. Pedrick Dean, Regents Professor, Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. Leeds is a scholar of Indigenous law and policy and an experienced leader in law, higher education, economic development and conflict resolution.Leeds was the first Indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean. She served as dean of University of Arkansas School of Law (2011-2018) and as the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, University of Arkansas (2017-2020). She has been a professor and administrator at University of Kansas and University of North Dakota, and a William H. Hastie Fellow at University of Wisconsin. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a recipient of the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award. She prioritizes public service at the national and local levels. She is a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice and former Chair of the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. She currently serves as a founding board member and treasurer of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, a congressionally-chartered non-profit. She is a founding corporate board member for Kituwah LLC (Eastern Band Cherokee). She has served as an outside director or board member for several entities including privately-held companies and non-profits.Leeds is passionate about food, agriculture and whole health. She is a co-founder of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, a founding board member of Akiptan (a Native CDFI providing capital to farmers and ranchers) and vice-chair of the board of trustee for the Native American Agriculture Fund (a private, charitable trust serving Native farmers and ranchers created from the historic Keepseagle v. Vilsack litigation settlement). An athlete and sports enthusiast, Leeds was inducted into the Muskogee Athletic Hall of Fame in her hometown in Oklahoma. She played varsity basketball and tennis at Wash U. In 2016, she completed a 950-mile journey as a Cherokee Nation Remember the Removal cyclist. She is currently training for her third (slow) marathon. She contributes to two blogs: IndigenousWell.com (a gathering place to experiment and share thoughts on life in Indian country, particularly health, wellness and sometimes politics) and ThinkTsalagi.org (a gathering place for Cherokee scholars and educators).

Listed skills include Government, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Public Speaking, Higher Education, and 34 others.