Dr. Junie Aubrey LeBlanc is a seasoned educator, mental health advocate, and nonprofit founder with more than 20 years of combined experience in biology and chemistry instruction, neuroscience research, and student mental health support. She currently serves as an instructor at Texas Woman’s University and as a neurocognitive coach at You-Can HHCS, where her commitment to academic excellence and student well-being guides her work.

Dr. LeBlanc holds an Associate Degree in Teacher Education, a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and a Master of Science in Biology with a concentration in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Midwestern State University. She also earned a second Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Prairie View A&M University, a doctoral degree in Psychology with a focus on cognition, and holds certifications as a Student Mental Health Specialist and Cognitive Coach.

Her professional background includes serving as a research associate at UT Southwestern Medical Center in the Department of Psychology, where she studied brain plasticity and collaborated with NASA on research examining the effects of radiation on astronaut cognition. Dr. LeBlanc has taught General Biology and Medical Microbiology lecture and laboratory courses at several institutions, including Lone Star College, Vernon Junior College, Midwestern State University, and Texas Woman’s University. She also spent nine years working with English as a Second Language (ESL) students, teaching biology and chemistry while intentionally incorporating social and coping skills to help students adjust to new environments. Through this work, she recognized that students must feel safe, supported, and accepted in order to reach optimal cognitive functioning.

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Her path to advocacy and nonprofit leadership was shaped by both personal and professional experiences. Early in her career, she witnessed the profound challenges faced by students impacted by unstable home environments, incarceration, and addiction. A defining moment occurred when two juveniles stole her children’s bicycles from the family garage. While her husband pursued the bikes, Dr. LeBlanc found herself focused on the youth, questioning the circumstances that had led them to that moment. It was then she realized she was called to act.

As she wrote in 2012:
“Some of these children have experienced losses that have suffocated any potential and zeal to be hopeful, to be resilient, to dedicate their efforts to push beyond unfortunate circumstances. I will advocate on their behalf someday, and I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

That “someday” became a reality with the founding of Standards Advocacy and Advocacy Group (SAAG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and youth who have lost one or both parents to drug addiction or incarceration. Dr. LeBlanc believes that a healthy society begins with a healthy family unit, and that breaking destructive cycles requires intentional support, structure, and compassion.

Through SAAG, she works to provide a safe, structured environment where young people can build emotional resilience, develop academic and life skills, and cultivate hope for a better future.