Dr. Leah van Belle serves as Director of Impact & Sustainability with Detroit Parent Network. A proud Detroiter and first-generation high school graduate, her professional and community work has focused on literacy access and equity— as a classroom teacher, literacy coach, faculty in urban teacher education, and consultant to the Michigan Department of Education. Leah is Past President of the Michigan Reading Association and on the state’s Early Literacy Task Force. She is part-time faculty at Eastern Michigan University and editor of The Michigan Reading Journal. She serves on the advisory committee for Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, and on the advisory board of Birdie’s Bookmobile, a community book bank growing access to books in Detroit. Most importantly, Leah is the mama of a neurodiverse little human who is a student in a Detroit public school. Reading together at bedtime is one of their favorite parts of every day. You can reach her at lvanbelle@detroitparentnetwork.org.
Recommended Citation
van Belle, Leah
(2025)
"Books That Belong: Diverse Stories for Michigan’s Literacy Equity Journey,"
Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 58:
Iss.
1, Article 12.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol58/iss1/12
