Address Location: 302 Bailey
Mailbox Location: Pyle Box: 1302
Dr. Marlaina Leppert-Miller, Professor of Political Science, holds a Ph.D., an M.A., and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati, an M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a Spanish Studies Diploma from Madrid’s Complutense University. Marlaina teaches Global Politics, Human Rights and the Judicial Process, Political Economy of Globalization, and other Political Science courses, as well as International Criminal Justice, various Sociology courses, and Wilmington Signature Global: The Middle East.
Marlaina serves as faculty advisor for the WC Model Arab League, a diplomatic simulation and leadership development program giving students hands-on experience with the politics of the Middle East and Arab world. She incorporates many off-campus experiential learning opportunities into her courses including programs through the Holocaust and Humanity Education Center, the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, the Portman Center for Policy Solutions, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Ohio Statehouse. She often invites guest speakers to her classes. Students learn directly from public officials, diplomats, representatives from nongovernmental organizations, and activists. Marlaina also integrates service learning into courses, challenging students to learn more about global issues and empowering them to find creative solutions to poverty, human rights, or environmental issues.
Marlaina serves as a WC liaison for Braver Angels, a national citizens organization uniting conservative and progressive Americans in a working alliance to depolarize American politics. She employs skills and programming through this organization to promote and model civility and open and inclusive conversations on political and social issues on campus and within her classrooms. In addition, she is a member of EquaSion, Greater Cincinnati’s most inclusive interfaith organization, which embraces various forms of interfaith dialogue to strengthen religious pluralism in the region. Marlaina introduces students to EquaSion programming to build their intercultural understanding and support the Wilmington College values of community, diversity, and respect for all persons.
Her research interests include faith-based activism, nonviolent direct action, human rights issues, and women’s reproductive rights. Among her published works are her 2025 article “Cincinnati’s EquaSion: Bridging Spiritual Communities through Interfaith Dialogue” in Studies in Interreligious Dialogue; “Cincinnati’s EquaSion Can Multiply Understanding in a Divided World” in Movers and Makers in 2020; the 2024 article “Reclaiming Reproductive Rights: Ohio’s Citizen-Led Victory” and its 2025 follow-up “Upholding Reproductive Rights in Ohio and Beyond” in the journal Against the Current; and “Christian Peacemaker Teams in Israel/Palestine: Beyond Accompaniment” in the Journal of Global Peace and Conflict in 2017.
Marlaina raised her seven children in Lebanon, Ohio. To date, three of her children are WC graduates. She currently lives in Westerville, Ohio with her husband.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Political Science, 2014.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
M.A., Political Science, 2001.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
M.A., International Affairs, 1990.
Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
B.A., Political Science, 1987.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
Hispanic Studies Diploma, 1984.
Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
- International Relations
- Comparative Politics
- Human Rights