Leona Donaldson was born and raised in Osaka, Japan.  She earned two undergraduate degrees—one in Japanese Language and another in Human Development and Education—from universities in Japan. She later earned a Master's degree in Education from Portland State University with a concentration in teaching Japanese to English speakers, and subsequently pursued a PhD in Educational Leadership and Learning Technologies at Drexel University.

Prior to joining Samford, she taught graduate courses at Drexel, Japanese language and culture at the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, and five levels of Japanese at public high schools in Oregon. She began learning Japanese calligraphy (Shodo) at the age of four and has published many books on the subject in both English and Japanese. She enjoys teaching Shodo in both face-to-face classes and on her YouTube channel: Zen Mindfulness Shodo.