Leah Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. Her research specializes in arts emergency management and cultural policy.

Leah has the following certifications related to disaster research, as awarded by the National Science Foundation-Natural Hazards EngineeringResearch Infrastructure's CONVERGE Initiative at the University of Colorado-Boulder:

● Conducting Emotionally Challenging Research
● Cultural Competence in Hazards and Disaster Research
● Broader Ethical Considerations for Hazards and Disaster Researchers
● Social Vulnerability and Disaster

She is a member of the second cohort for the Crisis Analysis and Mitigation (CAM) Coach Program led by the National Coalition for Arts' Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER). Her research and teaching methods in arts emergency management have been featured by Americans for the Arts, Kentucky Arts Council, Kentucky Humanities Council, Kentucky Council on Archives, the KulturManagement Network, and at international academic conferences including the International Conference on Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts (STP&A), the Congress for European Network for Cultural Policy and Management (ENCATC), and the Arts Administration Educators Association (AAAE).

Prior to her work at the University of Kentucky, Leah served as Director of the Arts Administration program at Drury University in Missouri. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of the leading arts agency in the Missouri Ozarks, the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Under Hamilton’s leadership, the Council stabilized its funding and expanded its programming and facilities at The Creamery Arts Center.

Hamilton holds a Master of Science degree in Arts Administration (Drexel University), a Post-Graduate Diploma in Music (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and a Bachelor in Music degree (University of Kansas). She is a former Ambassadorial Scholar for the International Rotary Foundation, and a founding member of the professional choral ensemble, Octarium.