He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri where he attended Vashon High School.  While at Vashon, he was managing editor of the school newspaper and solo member of the choir. He received a Curators Scholarship to Lincoln University where he was Freshman Class President, President of the Baptist Student Union, Vice-President of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (National Music Fraternity) and  “Who’s Who Among Students in Colleges and Universities. Towards the end of his senior year he was the first African American scholarship recipient of the Missouri Library Commission to do graduate study.  Leo enrolled in Drexel University, Philadelphia, and eleven months later received his Master’s Degree in Library Science. The scholarship stipulated that he work in a rural area of Missouri for two years.  However, at that time, the State of Missouri did not hire African Americans to work in rural areas. So, in order to retain his services, he was placed in the Missouri State Library (located on High Street, Jefferson City) and service rural area clients, by mail, through the State Library.  

Following the State Library assignment, he moved to Detroit, Michigan and worked in the Detroit Public Library, Pontiac Public Schools, General Motors Legal Staff Library, New Detroit, Wayne Community College and completed course work for his doctorate at Wayne State University. He moved to the Washington, DC area and two yeas later received his Ed.D degree in Education Administration from Wayne State University.

 Since graduating from Lincoln, Leo has been active with the LU Alumni and served as President of the Detroit chapter; Vice-President of the DC chapter including lead chair of a testimonial banquet to honor The Fifth Dimension at the National Alumni Convention here in Washington, DC.