Leslie Minney is a program specialist with the Russia Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Leslie joined USIP full time after two years as a graduate student research assistant and coordinator focused on Ukraine with USIP’s peace processes and reconciliation team. Leslie specializes on the Ukrainian-Russian war and eastern Ukraine’s peace processes. She also supports research on the role of religion in this conflict. In addition, Leslie researches and analyzes Russia’s role and impact on peace and conflict dynamics around the world.

Leslie holds a master’s degree from American University in ethics, peace and global affairs with a special focus on environmental peacekeeping. Before starting her graduate career, she was an agribusiness advisor in the Peace Corps in the French-speaking region of eastern Cameroon. She holds bachelor’s degrees from the Ohio State University in international development and cultural anthropology, with concentrations in Sub-Saharan Africa and globalization studies.