Brent Leggs is a preservationist, educator, and advocate for cultural heritage who leads national efforts to protect and honor sites of African American history. He is the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the largest preservation campaign ever undertaken on behalf of African American historic places. Leggs has developed a model for preservation that centers community, memory, and justice, helping to elevate overlooked narratives within the broader story of American history.

A senior vice president at the National Trust, Leggs has led preservation efforts for sites such as the home of Madam C. J. Walker, Nina Simone’s childhood residence, and the former Penn Center on St. Helena Island. He is the coauthor of Preserving African American Historic Places and a lecturer in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. Leggs holds degrees in architecture and historic preservation from the University of Kentucky.