Leah Russell

Leah Russell is Coordinator of the Near Westside Peacemaking Project, which provides community-based conflict resolution services for Onondaga County residents. Leah is lead facilitator of Take Back the Streets (TBTS), a community organizing campaign focused on improving health and safety in the Near Westside neighborhood of Syracuse. Leah coordinates the TBTS Service Providers Collaborative, as well as the resident-led Community Impact Team. Previously, she coordinated 1) the Tribal Access to Justice Innovation Project, which developed website content about emerging best practices in tribal justice systems, and 2) an ESL Drug Treatment Court program in the Syracuse Drug Treatment Court. Leah received her Master’s Degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Latin American Studies. Her past activist work includes: advocacy for farmworkers and immigrant communities, organization of academic workers to mobilize for collective bargaining rights, and mentoring at-risk and justice involved youth. For five years, Leah taught courses in the Curriculum & Instruction Department at SUNY Oswego. She has extensive international travel experience and is fluent in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.