Leah van Belle, Ph.D.

Dr. Leah van Belle serves as the Executive Director of 313Reads, a collective impact coalition of more than 70 partners working together toward literacy equity. A proud Detroiter and first-generation high school and college graduate, she earned her PhD in literacy, language, and culture at The University of Michigan. Her professional and community work have focused on literacy access and equity— as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, university faculty in urban teacher education, university clinical practice director, and consultant to the Michigan Department of Education on literacy education, literacy equity, and growing educator diversity. Leah serves on the Executive Board of the Michigan Reading Association as its Immediate Past President, on the state’s Early Literacy Task Force, and as a Board member of Detroit Parent Network. She is editor of The Michigan Reading Journal. 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 LEGO. Reading together at bedtime is one of their favorite parts of every day.