LeeRay Costa is executive director of the Batten Leadership Institute and professor of gender and women’s studies, anthropology, and leadership studies at Hollins University (VA). She previously served as director of faculty development for five years, and department chair for 14 years. Costa’s current interests include engaging contemplative practices, spirituality, and creative expression in the service of leadership development, human flourishing, and transformative social change. She is the co-editor of Contemplative Practices and Acts of Resistance in Higher Education: Narratives Toward Wholeness (Routledge, 2024). Trained as a feminist cultural anthropologist, Costa has conducted ethnographic fieldwork on women’s activism and nongovernmental organizations in Thailand, on transgender youth (Male Bodies, Women’s Souls, co-authored with Andrew Matzner, 2007), and on the local food movement in Hawaii. Costa is a regular presenter at CIC’s Workshops for Department and Division Chairs.
LeeRay Costa
Director of Faculty Development and Professor and Chair, Gender and Women’s Studies Program, Hollins University (VA)
