Dr. Leena K. Augimeri (she/her) is a Senior Fellow at The Sonor Foundation. Her work examines the intersection of children and youth in care and their involvement with the criminal justice system. Her focus includes evaluating the impact of for-profit versus not-for-profit care models and mobilizing the philanthropic, governmental, business, and community sectors to help transform the child welfare system for crossover youth. 

Leena is a leading scientist-practitioner and thought leader, internationally recognized for transforming how communities prevent youth crime and support children’s mental health. For over 40 years, she has dedicated her career to advancing children's mental health, crime prevention, and promoting measurement-based care, and empowering organizations to bridge research with clinical practice. Her work integrates trauma-informed interventions, community referral pathways, and risk/need assessments into comprehensive frameworks that address the root causes of antisocial and disruptive behavior. 

Leena is the co-founder of SNAP (Stop Now And Plan), an evidence-based program established at the Child Development Institute (CDI) in Toronto and implemented worldwide . SNAP helps children and youth strengthen emotional regulation, self-control, and problem-solving skills. The program is noted as one of the most effective interventions for aggressive children under 12 years of age with serious violent and chronic potential, positively impacting thousands of children, youth, and their families globally. Under her leadership, SNAP expanded to include digitized programs: SNAP for Schools (universal prevention at the elementary level) and SNAP Youth Justice (for youth aged 12–18). Leena’s distinguished career at the Child Development Institute (CDI) in Toronto spanned nearly four decades, during which she held various leadership roles, including Director of Program Scaling & Strategic Partnerships, SNAP Scientific & Program Development, and the Centre for Children Committing Offences. Her contributions also included managing SNAP Clinical and directing Camp Wimodausis.  

Leena has led multi-million-dollar national implementation initiatives and raised over $25 million from grants and philanthropy to support her innovative work. Between 2017–2021, she directed one of Canada's largest implementation projects, bringing SNAP to 160 communities—60% above target—using a venture philanthropy framework. This initiative alone raised $12 million in 2.5 years and attracted an estimated $45 million in investments toward SNAP's growth, research, and knowledge dissemination. These efforts are projected to save over $1 billion in criminal justice and mental health costs. 

Leena has also pioneered innovative tools for early risk identification and management, including the Early Assessment Risk List (EARL) and the Structured Assessment of Protective Risk Factors – Child Version (SAPROF-CV). EARL was the first structured professional judgment (SPJ) tool for assessing children at risk of future violence. The most recent version, EARL-V3 (2021), integrates gender and cultural considerations. 

A sought-after advisor, Leena has chaired high-level bodies such as the Ontario Youth Justice Task Force - leading efforts to develop actionable recommendations for improving outcomes for youth and staff within the youth justice system.  She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and has contributed to numerous national and international working groups, published extensively, and delivered hundreds of presentations. Leena is the recipient of prestigious awards including the Prime Minister’s Regional Social Innovation Award, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Research Canada’s Leadership in Advocacy Award, the CAMH Difference Makers of 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health, the Child Welfare League of Canada’s Outstanding Achievement Research and Evaluation Award, and the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners’ Community-Based Program of the Year Award. 

Leena holds a BA (Honours) in Psychology and Crime & Deviance, an Med, Counselling Psychology for Community Settings, and a PhD, Counseling Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her work continues to be driven by her commitment to early intervention, emotion regulation, self-control, risk identification and management, and evidence-based program implementation. Her mission remains clear: to foster happier, healthier children, youth, and families, and build safer communities worldwide.