Leah Van Belle, Ph. D.

Dr. Leah van Belle serves as the Executive Director of 313Reads. A proud Detroiter and first-generation high school and college graduate, she was previously a classroom teacher, literacy coach, university faculty in urban teacher education, and consultant to the Michigan Department of Education on literacy education, literacy equity, and growing educator diversity. Passionate about the need for diverse educators in and out of school, Leah previously served as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Black Male Educators Alliance. Leah serves as the President of the Michigan Reading Association and on the state’s Early Literacy Task Force. Most importantly, she is the mama of a neurodiverse little human who is a student in a Detroit public school and is teaching her how to build with LEGOS. In return, she is teaching him about old school jazz.