Ryan Leonard is a fourth-generation native of Beaver in the Oklahoma Panhandle. An attorney and avid historian, Leonard began his career as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Don Nickles in Washington, D.C., returned to Oklahoma to serve as a state prosecutor in Canadian County, and presently is in the private practice of law in Oklahoma City. He is active in public and civic affairs across the state and serves as a commissioner representing Oklahoma on the national Uniform Law Commission.

Leonard and his wife, Carrie, are the proud parents of four children—Catie, Will, Matthew, and Mary Frances.