Leah Van Winkle

Leah Van Winkle is a community development leader specializing in rural capacity-building and fostering inclusive leadership. She serves as Associate Director for Programming at the Brushy Fork Leadership Institute, where she supports cross-sector teams across Eastern Kentucky in advancing local economic and community development initiatives. Leah’s work focuses on strengthening local leadership, fostering collaboration, and helping communities design practical, self-determined solutions that build long-term resilience and opportunity. In addition to her development work, Leah has a background in community organizing and creative practice, using arts-based engagement and participatory methods to support relationship-building, local storytelling, and collective problem-solving. She brings a commitment to inclusive processes that elevate community voice and strengthen shared ownership of local change.