Leeds served six years as the district judge for the
Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation and two years as district judge for the
Muscogee Nation. She was the first woman to ever serve as a Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice after her appointment in 2002. She served on the court until 2006. She campaigned for
Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 2007. From 2011 to 2018, Leeds served as the 12th Dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law. She formerly served as Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the
University of Kansas and the Director of Tribal Law and Government Center at KU. Previously Leeds taught law at the
University of North Dakota and served as Director of the Northern Plains Indian Law Center. She served as the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development (2017–2020), Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas, providing leadership for campus-wide engagement, collaboration, and outreach to citizens, businesses, governmental and nonprofit entities in Arkansas and beyond. Leeds worked closely with UA's ten colleges, schools and divisions to amplify the university's economic and social impact. Leeds was appointed Foundation Professor of Law and Leadership for the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in January 2018. Leeds was in
ASU Law’s Indian Legal Program. In November 2022, it was announced that Leeds would become the William H. Pedrick Dean of
ASU Law, the second woman to serve in this role. On March 9, 2026, the
University of Tulsa announced Leeds had been selected to be the 22nd president of the university, effective July 1, 2026. ==Honors==