Leah Maxson is from Cincinnati, Ohio and holds a B.A in Deaf Education. She has taught in Ohio, Texas, Japan and Kenya. In Kenya, Leah served as a Deaf Education volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps where she implemented a visual curriculum for teaching HIV/AIDS awareness at a deaf school in the Rift Valley. She also organized field trips for upper primary students to visit secondary schools for the deaf, deaf-owned businesses, and deaf clubs throughout Kenya; as well as coordinated a two-week, girls' leadership camp that hosted over 70 deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing girls from all parts of Kenya.  

Her research experience includes participation in a federal grant project that collected data about transition services available to D/HH students in northern Ohio and informal interviews with family members and teachers in Kenya to learn more about the lives of Kenyan Deaf students.  

Leah was a leader on Gallaudet's South Africa 2011 Summer Study Tour to the International World Federation of the Deaf Congress and to several cities around the country.

Leah worked as a Research Assistant with the Disability Team at USAID and assisted them with a variety of projects. Leah focused on writing summaries of the on-going USAID projects under their Disability Fund and then added to the Website. During this time she helped analyze the usage of the Disability Website, and helped pull together language for Dec 3 photo exhibit at the Ronald Regan Building for International Day on Disability. Leah also assisted in the researching and writing of “The Congressional Budget

 Justification” (CBJ), the annual presentation to the Congress that justifies the entire Foreign Operations Budget Request. Leah also collected materials and created a guidance note for the US Office of  Foreign Disaster Assistance  regarding disability inclusion. 

Leah currently works as a Global Education and Accreditation Specialist at the Center for International Programs and Services.