Dr. Alaina Chipman Leeks, the dynamic Founder and Executive Director of Atlanta Unbound Academy, seamlessly weaves her passion for urban education with her Bahamian heritage and Spelman College education.

She is a recipient of fellowships and grants from Charter School Growth Fund Seed Cohort, redefinED, Walton Family Fund, and was named a quarterfinalist for the Yass Prize. Alaina fortified the school's program amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a groundbreaking initiative, she partnered with Morehouse School of Medicine's USHA program, introducing middle school students to diverse science fields, aiming to increase African diaspora students pursuing science careers.

Beyond education, Alaina openly shares her parenthood journey, having twins via surrogacy. Empowering others through panels and media, she aims to dismantle societal stigmas surrounding surrogacy and fertility, particularly in communities where understanding on these matters is often skewed.

With expertise in leadership development and change management, Alaina is dedicated to creating and revitalizing initiatives, specifically promoting sustainability within Black spaces in the workplace. Her instructional leadership background sharpens her ability to build sustainable professional learning communities, addressing critical aspects of equity and long-term impact.

Alaina’s impactful doctoral work on scaling businesses using sensemaking as a theoretical framework showcases her passion and proficiency in research-based change management strategies, as evidenced in her Doctoral Capstone, "Scale Up: The Impact of Black-Owned Businesses on the Community's Generational Wealth."

Her contributions have earned her distinctions, including the Amtrak Pioneer Award in partnership with the Brooklyn Nets, recognition among the Top 40 Under 40 Promising Bahamians, and BlueSKY Magazine featuring the Next Generation of Creators, Innovators, and disruptors.

Alaina holds a bachelor's degree in child development from Spelman College, a master's degree from New York University, and a doctoral degree in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University's Peabody School of Education and Human Development.