Legacy Leadership
Why Study With Us? Because you were born with something the world needs - and we’re here to help you grow it, own it, and share it boldly.
At Legacy Leadership Academy, we equip learners of all ages with the tools to lead with purpose, tell powerful stories, and thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Our team also brings together powerhouse talent from the highest levels of education, politics, media, and tech and can arrange for additional guest speakers for both events and your courses.
Dusty Franklin is an outspoken advocate for accessible open-source AI and environmental conservation, Dusty has advanced local edge computing paradigms and privacy-centric decentralized systems since 2010 alongside inclusive grass-roots developer communities. He was among the first to deploy on-device LLMs and multimodal Vision Language Models (VLMs) with mobile availability at the edge without using the cloud – enabling remote users with secure, energy-efficient onboard compute that is not reliant on data centers or internet connectivity. With a focus on democratizing AI and its positive impacts, Dusty brings us the highest level of industry expertise with a concerned and well-informed perspective for the people, helping us make sure technology advancements are produced for genuine progress of the public good.
Jen Appel is an internationally recognized educator, learning specialist, writer, artist and curriculum designer who has worked with some of the world’s most influential business leaders and in countless top-tier schools. Having studied differentiating curriculum at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and certified in both Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum and Judith Hochman's Writing Revolution, Jen has led curriculum design initiatives in schools across the country and helps both businesses and individuals create both virtual and in-person learning systems. Je has also been a private teacher, tutor and coach for the past 30 years, spanning everything from public speaking, campaign consultancy, and branding to executive functioning, essay writing and the power of storytelling.
Together, we fuse visionary leadership with hands-on tools - empowering students of all ages and levels not just to learn, but to lead, innovate, and leave a legacy that matters.
Meet our Founder
Jen Appel is a filmmaker, educator, artist, and activist dedicated to unity, creative expression, and social impact. Her latest project, Traitor: A Story of Patriots, explores America’s unfinished revolution and the tension between division and belonging. Having studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts on a full acting scholarship, Jen discovered her love of directing and producing and founded Risk Productions in 1997 and has led purpose-driven work across film, theater, TV, and music, including co-producing the live-action segments of Blue’s Clues for Nickelodeon. She is also a visual artist and musician.
As Head of Curriculum Design at Legacy Leadership, Jen draws on over 25 years of experience in special and gifted education. She studied differentiation and diversity at Harvard and has taught at leading schools including The Collegiate School, Marymount, Buckley, and Fairfax County Public Schools. Her teaching blends remediation with inspiration, helping students uncover their gifts and build lasting confidence.
Jen oversees all educational content and programming at Legacy Leadership, where she also develops civic training tools that empower young leaders and expose the social media war shaping our democracy.
Her mission: build bridges, nurture genius, and create work that moves people, and culture, forward.
Explore her media projects at www.somewhereiread.com
Our Vision
Whether you’re just discovering your voice or stepping into a new chapter, we’re here to nurture your unique genius and help you turn passion into purpose. In a world that often tries to define success for you, we create space for you to define it for yourself - with confidence, clarity, and courage.
Our learning community welcomes students from all walks of life - leaders, creatives, activists, entrepreneurs, and anyone ready to grow, lead, and live with intention.
