Leona Carter | Woman of Achievement & Courage
- Year: 2026
- Location: WomanUp and Celebrate Kalamazoo
Leona Carter is an educator, college advisor, entrepreneur, author, and speaker dedicated to helping people discover their purpose, recognize their potential, and create meaningful paths forward.
With more than 15 years of experience in education, coaching, leadership development, and strategic communication, Leona has empowered students, professionals, and organizations to build confidence, navigate change, and pursue new opportunities. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication.
In higher education, Leona works closely with students as they make important decisions about academics, careers, and their futures. Her approach blends practical guidance with encouragement, helping students overcome obstacles and connect their education to opportunities that align with their goals and strengths.
She is also the founder of Carter Strategies LLC, where she develops and facilitates leadership, communication, and professional development programs. A prolific author, Leona has written 14 books exploring personal growth, resilience, leadership, and purpose and is a keynote speaker who brings those same themes to audiences through engaging and empowering presentations.
Her belief in the power of communication and storytelling also led her to filmmaking. Her documentary, Framed Black, earned international recognition at the Student World Impact Film Festival, winning Best Film About a Social Issue after standing out among more than 13,000 submissions from 120 countries.
Whether advising a student, teaching future leaders, facilitating a workshop, writing a book, or speaking from the stage, Leona is driven by a belief in what people can become —and in the power of education, encouragement, and opportunity to help them get there. A proud mother of six adult children, all Kalamazoo Promise recipients, she brings that commitment to learning and possibility to her own family as well as the broader Kalamazoo community.
