Leigh Huestis, BA, MBA, LL.B

Director, Office of Industry and Community Engagement, Acadia University

As Director of Acadia's Office of Industry and Community Engagement, Leigh is responsible for the university's industry liaison, start-up and commercialization activities, intellectual property management, and preparation and negotiation of a wide variety of research-related agreements.  She has also been involved in setting up several industry-focused institutes, labs and centers at Acadia, including the Acadia Institute for Data Analytics and the Rural Innovation Centre Acadia's incubation facility for start-up companies in the Annapolis Valley.  Leigh also sits on several Committees and Boards at Acadia and within the community.

Leigh has been a recipient of the Acadia President's Award for Innovation and a team finalist for a NS Discovery Award.  She holds an MBA from Saint Mary's University and a BA (English) and law (LL.B.) degree from Dalhousie University.  She joined Acadia University in 2003 after working in a variety of senior business development roles within the ICT industry in Atlantic Canada and as a Partner in a consulting company that provided business counselling and marketing solutions to a variety of IT organizations throughout Atlantic Canada.

In 2018, Leigh had the privilege to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's Emerging Leaders' Dialogue series in BC.

In her spare time, Leigh enjoys training for triathlons, gardening, travel and spending time with her family.