In 1992, Leon received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from
Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York City. In 1995, he received a Master of Architecture from
Yale University. From 1998 to 2003, he was visiting design professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture in New York City. In 2003 he was 2nd year design coordinator for Pratt in 2003. He is as an adjunct professor of advanced design since 2009. Since 2014 Leon is a capital and planning grants reviewer for the New York State Council of the Arts. In 1998, Leon submitted a proposal to design the
African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City. He was one of the five designers selected from 61 applicants. In 2005, he was designated the official designer for the monument. Rodney Leon was designer, and co-founder along with Nicole Hollant-Denis of the AARRIS Architects were chosen to build the $3 million permanent memorial. The memorial was built on the colonial-era burial ground of enslaved Africans in lower Manhattan, in New York City. The grave site was found in 1991. Leon is the designer of
The Ark of Return, a permanent memorial to victims of the
Atlantic slave trade. His design was chosen by
UNESCO as part of an international competition. It is installed at the
United Nations Plaza in
New York City, where it was unveiled on March 25, 2015 as part of the United Nations'
International Decade for People of African Descent and to commemorate the
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Secretary-General of the United Nations
Ban Ki-moon,
Sam Kutesa the President of the
United Nations General Assembly, and Prime Minister
Portia Simpson Miller of Jamaica were the ribbon cutters during the unveiling ceremony. Leon is a member of
American Institute of Architects (AIA), and
National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Leon and Nicole Hollant-Denis are the principal architects for Belle Rive Residential Resort in
Jacmel,
Haiti. It is a private resort style residential development with 94 townhouses, tower apartments, and a 120-room four start hotel and private club. == Architectural projects ==