The Best Colleague Imaginable, Charlotte Scholar And Leader, Jeffrey Leak, Leaves A Legacy Of Inspiration
By JENN CONWAY
Jeffrey Leak, a professor of English and Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte whose scholarship, leadership and mentorship helped shape nearly three decades of campus life, died June 29, 2026, after a two-year illness. He was 57.
Leak held numerous leadership roles that impacted nearly every corner of UNC Charlotte, including faculty governance, athletics, interdisciplinary programs, community engagement and student success.
He joined UNC Charlotte in August 1998, beginning a career marked by intellectual rigor, inclusive excellence and deep personal kindness through a tenure that touched thousands of students and colleagues.
An education that began in Charlotte’s libraries
Leak grew up in Charlotte near Beatties Ford Road and recalled riding his bike in the summer to the public library off of LaSalle St., where the librarians encouraged his curiosity and nurtured his love of reading, sometimes even including him on their lunch runs nearby to Hoyles or Mr. C’s.
“African American history and culture came alive in that welcoming space. From reading there, I always wanted to travel to the northeast where figures like Benjamin E. Mays and Zora Neale Hurston had gone,” Leak wrote in 2020. “These Black librarians took my curiosity and interests and, like the story of Jesus and the feeding of the fish to the multitudes, multiplied them.”
Leak earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Campbell University in 1990, followed by a master’s degree in English from the University of Delaware in 1992. He completed his doctorate in English at Emory University in 1997, then spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Vermont before coming home to Charlotte.
A campus leader who shaped programs and people
On campus and throughout the community, Leak knew and cared for everyone around him, connecting a vast network through the city. He was known for an open-door policy where students and colleagues felt heard and supported.
“No matter whom Leak met, he connected with them in some way,” said Janaka Lewis, professor of English and associate dean of curriculum and student success in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences. “He would remember, check in and look to support and elevate you. No matter who you were, he would affirm you and you felt special in your connection to him and to the Charlotte community.”
Leak served as interim associate dean of the Honors College from 2022 to 2024, overseeing operations, curriculum development, undergraduate research and donor engagement.
“Jeffrey was the best colleague imaginable. Long after I left English to lead the Honors College, he sent me students to mentor. He read much of my work in progress and I, his,” said Malin Pereira, dean of the Honors College. “Jeffrey was also a wonderful friend to me, and to many others. He had a way with people, a true gift to get along with anyone. He remembered names, family members and stories. People felt seen by him, because they were.”
He directed the American Studies Program from 2020 to 2022 and also helped lead the program’s transition into the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Leak was named an American Council on Education Fellow for 2019-20, one of the most prestigious leadership development programs in higher education. During his fellowship, he worked closely with the president of Johnson C. Smith University, facilitating strategic planning and evaluating academic programs.
He was also part of the inaugural class of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Emerging Leaders Program in 2016.
In 2015-16, Leak served as president of the Faculty Council at UNC Charlotte and as a member of Faculty Assembly at the system level.
Leak’s earlier administrative roles included directing the Center for the Study of the New South, where he revitalized the center after a dormant period and expanded community‑engaged programming on Southern history and culture. He also served as director of the McNair Scholars Program supporting first‑generation students pursuing doctoral pathways.
A scholar who illuminated Black literature and culture
Leak was a nationally recognized scholar of African American literature, with research interests spanning 20th- and 21st-century Black literature, autobiographies, and gender and cultural studies.
His publications include “Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas” in 2014, which earned him a national literary prize in 2015. He also wrote “Racial Myths and Masculinity in African American Literature” in 2005, and “Rac(e)ing to the Right: Selected Essays of George S. Schuyler” in 2001, along with other scholarly publications, including a chapter in “The Life and Literary Legacy of Jimmy Carter,” edited by Mark I. West and Frye Gaillard.
“One of the things that stood out to me about Jeffrey’s approach to teaching English classes is that he tried to help students see the connections between history and literature, and broader cultural things,” said West, professor of English. “He always included a historical dimension to it and helped students understand how history would be reflected in different types of literary works that he was teaching.”
Student-athlete support and weekly basketball games
For nine years, Leak served as UNC Charlotte’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA, advocating for student‑athlete welfare, academic integrity and compliance. He also chaired the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Intercollegiate Athletics, helping shape policy and uphold institutional values.
“I especially admired his work with UNC Charlotte Athletics and the student‑athletes whose lives he helped shape, guiding them to balance the demands of the classroom and the sports arena,” said Paula Eckard, professor of English and former chair. “He enriched the lives of everyone he met, and his legacy of inspiration and good will continue well into the future.”
Leak was also a fixture in Belk Gym, where he played basketball and cherished the community, competition and the conversations. His colleagues say those weekly games reflected the same generosity, insight and good humor he brought to his work.
“Even when we saw things differently, he was always respectful, genuinely listened, and was willing to thoughtfully share his own perspective,” Scott DeBruhl said. “He helped me see things from a different perspective. The world would be a better place if there were more men like Jeff.”
Marcus Adams remembered Leak’s skill and kindness. “Jeff was a terrific shooter and always was a tough matchup,” he wrote. “I appreciate him after the games checking up on me and my family and getting to hear about the adventures with his two kids.”
An irreplaceable community builder leaving a legacy
Leak will be remembered by everyone he met for the kindness he offered them and the support he extended to his entire connected network, which included his family, wife Reneé and children Jaelyn and Rylan.
“One of my favorite memories was his payday tradition,” said Jeremiah Morris ‘24. “He would come into class with a chocolate bar and jokingly tell us he was celebrating before his kids, especially his daughter, claimed the rest of his paycheck. It was such a simple moment, but it perfectly reflected his warmth, humor, and the joy he brought into every classroom. He truly had ‘big uncle’ energy.”
“Our students adored him. He was a mentor, a role model, and the kind of faculty member who would sit in his office and talk with students for as long as they needed,” said Kirk Melnikoff, professor of English and current department chair. “Students really responded to him, and his absence will resonate for many years to come.”
“Whether he was helping with program assessments, conducting teaching observations or sharing his vision and expertise, he was the epitome of generosity and professionalism,” said Eckard.
Students remember lessons he taught them, with a ripple effect being taught in their own classrooms, as many of Leak’s students are now educators themselves and teach in his legacy.
“Leak lectured with the passion and charisma of a minister and instructed with the wisdom and care of a loving parent while inspiring like an icon,” said L. Monique King, ’13, ’19. “The legacy lives on through me, my children and countless students he’s touched with knowledge, grace and compassion.”
As colleagues, students and friends reflected on Leak’s life, a shared truth emerged: his influence reached far beyond the classroom, the basketball court or any formal role he held. The stories they offered of Leak’s mentorship, kindness, humor and quiet guidance reveal a man who shaped people as deeply as he shaped programs, someone whose presence created community wherever he went.
“What struck me the most was his calm and unyielding commitment to his students and to the people and mission of this institution,” said Chris Boyer, dean of the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences. “It is easy to see why he was such a beloved and respected figure across our campus and our city.”
As the University mourns his loss, those memories form a lasting testament to the way he lived and the legacy he leaves behind. A celebration of Leak’s life will be held on Tuesday, July 7 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, with a visitation at 11 a.m. and the service at noon.