Beth Ginondidoy Leonard, originally from Shageluk, Alaska, now resides in Anchorage. She is the daughter of James and Jean (Aubrey) Dementi, with maternal grandparents Charles and Ruth (Weatherbee) Aubrey, and paternal grandparents Charlie Cikal and Lena (Phillips) Dementi. Beth is married to Michael Leonard and has one daughter.

A former Doyon Foundation Scholarship recipient, Beth holds a BA in Linguistics, an MEd in Language and Literacy, and a PhD in Cross-Cultural Studies.

Beth is currently a research professor at Alaska Pacific University (APU), an institution striving to achieve tribal university status. She teaches undergraduate courses such as Indigenous Well-Being and Ways of Knowing, Indigenous Knowledges and the Sciences, and Arctic Research is Relationship. Beth is also collaborating with APU faculty to develop a Bachelor of Arts program in Indigenous Studies.

From 2016 to 2020, she served as a professor of Alaska Native Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). In 2014, she was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Core Scholarship, spending five months at the School of Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. There, she conducted research and taught alongside Dr. Ocean Mercier, an associate professor of Māori Studies. Beth has also held several faculty positions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, including roles at the Alaska Native Language Center, the Alaska Native Studies Department, the Interior-Aleutians Campus, the School of Education, and the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies/Indigenous Studies PhD Program.

As a second-language learner and teacher of her heritage language, Deg Xinag, Beth has contributed extensively to language revitalization. She has worked as a content creator for the Doyon Languages Online Project and as a mentor in the Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP). She also serves on the Dene Cultural Advisory Committee for the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Beth is committed to supporting the Doyon Foundation’s mission and is passionate about helping current and future students achieve success.