Leiah Groom-Thomas
​​Director of Education

Dr. Leiah Groom-Thomas is the Director of Education for Final Third Foundation (F3). She oversees all aspects of F3’s Soccer and Literacy programming. Leiah’s expertise includes facilitating students’ reading development and scaling interventions to equalize access to quality education. Leiah is a senior researcher in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University where she conducts translational research focused at the intersection of education and policy. Most importantly, Leiah shares F3’s goal of providing meaningful learning experiences for all PK12 students in the community.
 
Leiah holds a Ph.D. in Education, a M.A in Reading and Literacy in Early and Middle Childhood, and a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and Development from The Ohio State University. Her background as a practitioner informs her work and scholarly interests. Leiah has worked with numerous educators, administrators, and school districts across the country for over a decade.
 
Prior to Stanford, Leiah was a Research Project Manager at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University and a Graduate Research Associate at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy at Ohio State. Prior to Ohio State, Leiah was an elementary teacher at Grace Christian School in Blacklick, Ohio, where she also assisted in organizing and operating various camp programs. Leiah currently lives in Upper Arlington with her husband, Jonathan.