Leesa Souto

Leesa Souto, Ph.D., currently serves as the Director of Operations at Applied Ecology, Inc., a position held since March 2023. With extensive experience in environmental research and education, Leesa served as the Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council from January 2013 to March 2023 and as Adjunct Faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology, teaching coastal planning and mitigation from August 2014 to August 2020. Previous roles include Research Faculty at the University of Central Florida, where research focused on urban ecology and environmental sociology, and Director of Public Education, facilitating Florida's nonpoint source pollution education program. Early career highlights include leading the development of Florida's Stormwater Education Toolkit as Director of Education at Midwest Research Institute and working as an Environmental Specialist with Brevard County Natural Resources. Academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology and a Master's in Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida, along with a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from Florida State University.