Leigh Anne McKingsley

Leigh Anne McKingsley, M.S.S.W., M.P.A., is the Senior Director of Disability and Justice Initiatives for The Arc of the United States where she founded and directs The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability (NCCJD), a clearinghouse for research, information, evaluation, training and technical assistance for criminal justice and disability professionals focused on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During her 29 years at The Arc, she created the first training curriculum for law enforcement on intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) in the mid 90’s, oversaw the creation of the Center’s signature training program “Pathways to Justice,” continues to author scholarly articles, curricula, and other publications, presents nationally and internationally, and regularly speaks to policymakers and national media outlets. She has been involved with the international Access to Justice Hub for almost a decade that seeks to build international collaboration on this issue. She manages a diverse portfolio of projects for the Center that includes both victim and suspect issues. As a survivor of incest continuing her own healing journey, she is passionate about teaching others the importance of self-advocacy, speaking out against all types of violence and protecting the rights of people with IDD in the criminal justice system as victims, witnesses, and suspects. She works from a home office in Arlington, Texas, has three college-aged children, three dogs and two cats that keep her very busy.