Sofya Leonova

Sofya Leonova manages key legislative initiatives, develops and executes strategies for engaging Congress in the Partnership’s work, and serves as an expert resource on laws and policies related to the federal workforce. Her interest in service spans her entire career, starting with anti-hunger work through the Congressional Hunger Center and continuing through her time as a staffer in the House of Representatives and a volunteer in refugee resettlement and environmental protection. One of her favorite public servants is William Ruckelshaus, who combined astute, principled judgment with great care for program implementation and responsiveness to the public. While he is most famous for refusing to facilitate President Nixon’s attempted coverup of the Watergate scandal, some of his greatest impact was as the first (and fifth) Administrator of the EPA where his work resulted in the removal of lead from gasoline, the ban on the use of the pesticide DDT and the widespread use of catalytic converters in cars to cut down on air pollution.