With 10+ years of global work experience across the U.S.A, Europe and Asia in TV journalism and strategic communications for news outlets (Reuters, France 24), the private sector (Danone-Livelihoods), research organizations (CIFOR) and the United Nations (UN-REDD Programme) in the fields of international development, environment, climate change and sustainable food systems, Leona is an innovative problem-solver and natural network builder. Dynamic and multilingual (English, French, Mandarin Chinese), she is passionate about building impact-driven start-ups and leveraging the power of creative storytelling to accelerate positive change for the environment and rural communities.
Leona is devoted to helping purpose-fueled organizations find their unique voice, craft compelling narratives to reach their target audiences, and get their messages heard. She is deeply committed to giving the voiceless a voice through her reporting missions and documentary filmmaking. Her work has taken her across the world to report on issues such as deforestation in Guatemala, desertification in Niger, climate change impacts in Mongolia, indigenous community rights in Papua New Guinea, and the role of gender and migration patterns on land use in Nepal.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in TV journalism and French from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois, U.S.A., and a Master’s degree (cum laude) in international security with a regional focus on Asia from l’Institut d’Etudes politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs) in France.