Meet courtney lea
Courtney Lea is an educator, executive leader, creative strategist, and community builder whose life's work has always centered on developing people, cultivating potential, and creating pathways to opportunity. With a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Religious Studies from Occidental College, a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Courtney has devoted more than two decades to serving as a classroom teacher, school principal, superintendent, executive coach, and national nonprofit executive. Throughout her career, she has developed leaders, strengthened organizations, and helped communities navigate change, build capacity, and create lasting impact.
From this work, she developed expertise in leadership development, strategic planning, partnership cultivation, project management, coaching, program design, stakeholder engagement, fundraising, public speaking, and organizational growth: skills that now support her work in organizational leadership, creative consulting, artist development, and talent management.
The defining chapter of Courtney's journey, however, began not with a professional ascension but with a personal loss. Following the death of her daughter, Mychael, an aspiring public defender and relentless advocate for justice, Courtney's understanding of purpose was profoundly reshaped. The vision that had guided her professional life remained intact, but the mission became deeply personal. Rather than continuing along a traditional executive path, she redirected a lifetime of leadership experience toward preserving and advancing her family's legacy through service, opportunity, creative healing, and community impact.
Today, Courtney serves as a mentor, advocate, strategist, and manager for the creative careers of her children. She supports Nailah Faye, a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and creative entrepreneur whose work centers creativity, self-expression, and personal storytelling. She also guides Benevolent Sol, a musician, producer, and creative artist whose work explores identity, humanity, healing, and self-expression through music and storytelling. Courtney leads the growth and development of Aid Through Art, an organization founded by Mychael and inspired by her commitment to supporting people impacted by housing instability, foster care involvement, and other systemic barriers. Through arts-centered programming, wellness initiatives, community engagement, and the Mychael's Gift Scholarship Program, Courtney continues the work Mychael envisioned. Whether building organizations, supporting artists, creating opportunities for young people, or carrying forward Mychael's legacy, she remains committed to storytelling, artistic expression, human connection, and community-centered transformation. In this chapter of her life, success is measured not only by the organizations she leads, but by the time spent supporting her children, the lives she empowers, the stories she helps bring into the world, and the legacy of opportunity, creativity, and service she is building for generations to come.