Robert H. Leonard is a performer, teacher, and scholar. He is Professor in the department of Theater Arts at Virginia Tech, where he also directs the Master of Fine Arts Program in Directing and Public Dialogue. He is the Founding Artistic Director of the Road Company, a nationally recognized theater ensemble (1972-1998) based in Tennessee. 

He served as a site visitor for WagonBurner Theater Troop for Performing Communities, and currently serves as a member of the national board of Theater Communications Group. He is co-author of Performing Communities: Grassroots Ensemble Theaters Deeply Rooted in Eight U.S. Communities (New Village Press, 2006), with Ann Kilkelly.

A founding member of Alternate ROOTS, the Network of Ensemble Theaters, and a co-director of the Community Arts Network, Leonard has worked extensively with directing, performance, and community arts. He lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.