Our Founder

Leah Dozier Walker (She|Her)

Leader, educator, speaker, and DEI practitioner, Leah Dozier Walker possesses a diverse record of public service and is considered a national thought leader in education equity policy. With more than 20 years of experience, Leah has cultivated relationships with elected officials, advocates, corporate partners, education stakeholders, community based organizations, school division leaders, and non-profit executives. Resolute in her commitment to community impact, Leah remains devoted to public service and social justice impact.

A Record of Exceptional Public Service

Leah currently serves as the Sr. Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Waterford.org, a national education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy for children through equity, access, and parent empowerment. With more than twenty years of public sector experience, Leah has worked for; the Virginia Department of Education, Mayor Jones Administration in the City of Richmond, Governor Kaine at the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Virginia Democratic Caucus in the House of Delegates, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and its Foundation, Richmond City Council, and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

Professional Expertise

A transformational leader, Leah has successfully modernized communication strategies for executive branch agencies, provided DEI training and consultative services to corporate and non-profit clients, pioneered innovative outreach tactics, and elevated stakeholder engagement on signature initiatives and programs.

Professional Bio

Leah Dozier Walker, Founder & Principal Consultant

Resolute in her commitment to community impact, Leah Dozier Walker (she|her) has devoted her career to public service and social justice. Possessing a diverse record of exceptional public service throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, Leah has cultivated relationships with elected officials, advocates, corporate partners, education stakeholders, community based organizations, school division leaders, and non-profit leaders. An experienced fundraiser and event planner, Leah has successfully leveraged strategic partnerships and optimized stakeholder engagement to support organizational mission and goals.

As a sought after thought partner and public speaker, Leah is recognized for her communication savvy, oral presentations, community relations expertise and steadfast commitment to excellence. A transformational leader, she has successfully modernized communication strategies for executive branch agencies, pioneered innovative outreach tactics, and elevated discourse on signature initiatives and programs. Leah possesses a diverse record of public service and demonstrates vast experience navigating bureaucracy and facilitating consensus to achieve results.

Leah currently serves as Senior Vice President of Equity and Inclusion at Waterford.org. With more than twenty years of public sector experience, Leah has worked for; Mayor Dwight C. Jones Administration in the City of Richmond, Governor Timothy M. Kaine at the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Democratic Caucus in the Virginia House of Delegates, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and its Foundation, Richmond City Council, and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

Leah founded and serves as principal consultant of Modern Impact Solutions, a professional services practice providing an array of DEI, communications, and strategic advising consultation to corporate, non-profit, education, and public sector organizations and executives. Prior to this, Leah served as the first ever Director for Equity and Community Engagement at the Virginia Department of Education where she conceptualized the development and led the implementation of Virginia’s #EdEquityVA strategies and initiatives focused on eliminating disproportionality in student outcomes. Essential to this was authoring and designing Virginia’s equity framework (Navigating EdEquityVA Roadmap), creating the EdEquityVA Compass companion tool, and developing Virginia's Return to School Equity Audit Tool.

Beyond her professional endeavors, in 2019 Leah launched the Be Impacted Blog which strives to increase awareness of marginalized and underrepresented communities while elevating discourse on social impact strategies. Style Weekly named Leah to its annual "Power List" as one of the most influential people in education in the Richmond region in 2018 followed by Virginia Commonwealth University naming her to its annual "Alumni Power List" in 2019.

Leah was born and raised in Southern California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Hampton University, and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Leah lives in Richmond Virginia and is the proud mother of two daughters.

Professional Committees

Trustee: Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation
Expert Advisor: Equity in Virginia’s Public Education System: A Longitudinal Examination Spanning the Covid-19 Shutdown
National Stakeholder Committee Member: KnowledgeWorks - REMIQS (Robust & Equitable Measures to Inspire Quality Schools)
State Advisor: Intercultural Developmental Research Association's Equity Assistance Center (EAC)
Member: Strategic Engagement Advisory Council, School of Education - Virginia Commonwealth University
Member: Commonwealth Learning Partnership
Past Vice Chair: Governor’s Advisory Board for Service and Volunteerism
Past Member (ex-officio): Virginia Indian Advisory Board
Founder & Member: African American Superintendent's Advisory Council
Member: Virginia Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Education Practices Advisory Committee
Staff Lead & Report Co-Author: African American History Education Commission
Staff Lead & Member: Taskforce on Diversifying Virginia's Educator Pipeline.