Stephanie Leonard Crosby

Stephanie Leonard Crosby has been an advocate for educational equity for over 30 years. Ms. Crosby retired from Robbinsdale Area Schools in 2020 as executive director of Human Resources where she served the students, families and staff in the community for 25 years. She was hired as the first African American school social worker in the district and then served as the first director of diversity and inclusion. During her 25-year tenure in Robbinsdale Area Schools, Ms. Crosby led the development of strategies for inclusion, diversity and employee engagement. She was responsible for ensuring positive learning environments for students and developing an integrated approach to building a diverse workforce. Ms. Crosby was the district’s chief negotiator, administering all collective bargaining agreements and providing oversight for all labor-management activities. Ms. Crosby negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding with the Teachers Union to retain probationary teachers who reflect the diversity of enrolled students in the district. Effective licensed teachers who are members of underrepresented populations are no longer the last hired and the first to be let go based on their seniority in Robbinsdale Area Schools. This was the first MOU established to address the need to have teachers hired that reflect the diversity of the students enrolled in any school district in the state of Minnesota.

Ms. Crosby has been engaged in the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP) racial educational equity and social justice endeavors for over 20 years. She served on the Executive Committee as a Board Officer in the capacity of secretary, treasurer and two terms as board chair. Ms. Crosby received the MnEEP Ron McKinley “All My Relations” award in 2018 for her long efforts and commitment to supporting the mission of MnEEP and for her efforts in Robbinsdale Area Schools.

Ms. Crosby holds a Bachelor of Sociology from Tuskegee (Institute) University, Master of Arts in Education, School Guidance and Counseling from Chicago State University and a Master of Social Work, from Augsburg University. She also holds a Certificate in Human Resources from the University of Minnesota. Stephanie and her husband, Henry, have two adult children and two grandsons.