Jennifer Leal
Lecturer, M.A. American Indian Studies
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Areas of Interest
- Indigenous Studies
- Tribal Judicial Systems
Contact Information
- Office: Bldg. 20, Rm. 133
- Phone: 805-756-1707
- Email: jleal16@calpoly.edu
About Jennifer Leal
Jennifer R. Leal is a descendant from the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California and Mono Lake Paiute tribal communities. In 2007, she started her tribal court career as a tribal court administrator at her tribe’s court, the Washoe Tribal Court, where she developed experience managing and operating a tribal court. From there, she continued working with tribal court education at nonprofit organizations and shortly worked in tribal government. In 2018, she founded her own consulting business where she addresses court administration training challenges facing tribal courts today and assists Tribes with court development projects. Since 2018, she has consistently presented on training topics related to tribal court administration and tribal court development at the National American Indian Court Judges’ Association Conference and will be a presenter in October 2024. She received both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in American Indian Studies from UCLA. Jennifer joined the Cal Poly Ethnic Studies Team as a lecturer in 2023.
Education
- M.A., American Indian Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
- B.A., American Indian Studies, University of California, Los Angeles