Leah Dozier Walker

Driven by purpose and grounded in practice, Leah Dozier Walker is the founder and principal consultant of Modern Impact Solutions, a strategic advisory practice serving executives, boards, and institutions across higher education, local government, corporate social impact, and the nonprofit sector. Her work includes developing strategic plans for mission-driven organizations, advising public sector leaders on organizational alignment and strategy implementation, and guiding institutional transformation. Her distinctive strength lies in operationalizing vision—translating bold ideas into actionable strategies, aligned structures, and sustainable impact.

Before founding her consultancy, Leah served as the inaugural Director of Equity and Community Engagement at the Virginia Department of Education, where she shaped education policy and professional learning to promote culturally responsive teaching. She later served as Executive Vice President at Waterford.org, a national early education nonprofit reaching more than 300,000 children across 43 states each year, where she led Strategy & Inclusion and spearheaded initiatives to expand access and equity in early learning and childhood literacy.

A transformational leader, Leah has successfully driven strategic planning, managed cross-functional teams, pioneered responsive engagement strategies, and elevated public discourse around signature initiatives and programs. With more than twenty years of leadership across the human services portfolio, she has also served as a program administrator and policy advisor in the administrations of Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

Leah is deeply committed to education and community leadership, serving as a trustee of the Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation and on multiple advisory committees in education and human services. She has been recognized for her influence and leadership by Style Weekly and Virginia Commonwealth University, both of which named her to their annual “Power Lists.”

Leah is the author of Modern Impact: Uncommon Leaders — Leadership Practices that Build Lasting Impact, which explores the leadership practices necessary to navigate complexity, challenge convention, and create meaningful, enduring change.

A proud HBCU graduate, Leah is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University and a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She resides in central Virginia.