Kristin Leigh, M. Ed

Co-Executive Director, Explora

Kristin has worked at Explora since 2001 in a variety of roles, serving as both Director of Education and Director of Development, in addition to Deputy Director, for many years. Kristin holds a Master in Education degree in Science Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University and began her career as a classroom teacher in Phoenix. She moved to Albuquerque and joined the team to open the new Explora in its permanent location. She has participated in the Informal Learning Certificate program from the Center for Informal Learning and Schools at the Exploratorium and is a Noyce Leadership Institute Alumni Fellow. She has worked on several National Science Foundation-funded projects, like Playful Invention and Exploration, Learning Places, Science Firsthand, and Portal to the Public (PoP), on which she served as co-PI. She has successfully secured millions of dollars in federal funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and serves as Project Director on several IMLS-funded projects. Kristin has been named a Woman of Influence by Albuquerque Business First and has received a Leading Edge Award for leadership from the Association for Science-Technology Center. Kristin sits on Mayor Tim Keller's One Albuquerque Kids Cabinet, and she's been a member of the Rotary Club of Albuquerque since 2013 and is a former RCA Board Member. 

Statement about being a Rotarian and why you're willing to serve:

Kristin has always placed community at the center of her life--whether it was leading the service club at her middle school; serving as the only teen board member of a nonprofit in her hometown of Las Vegas, NV; being an elementary school teacher in Phoenix; or working at Explora for the last 20 years. Rotary's focus on community and service aligns with her personal values, and she'd be honored to serve as RCA President, in order to uphold the special traditions of Rotary and find new ways of expanding our service and impact.