Leilani Mascio
Administrator for State Authorization
About Leilani
Leilani Mascio, Ed.D. (She/Her) is a qualitative researcher, sociologist, and proud Ball State Cardinal. As Administrator for State Authorization, Leilani guides compliance for online programs, handles market research, assists with the Teaching Innovation Blog, and manages the U.S. News Report data collection for online programs. She is also an adjunct instructor of sociology at Ball State University and Ivy Tech College. She serves as Honors affiliate faculty at Ball State, where she brings a critical lens to teaching and student engagement. Her work—whether analyzing student experiences, contributing to institutional research, or advocating for equitable education—centers on amplifying voices through qualitative inquiry.
Leilani started her career with Ball State in 2013 as the receptionist of the Career Center and she moved to the Division of Online and Strategic Learning in 2016. She earned her bachelors of science in both sociology and women & gender studies with a minor in psychology of human development and graduated summa cum laude. She continued on to pursue her masters in sociology and also earned graduate certificates in university and college teaching and in community college leadership. She most recently earned her doctorate in higher education with a cognate in sociology.
She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociological honors society, and she has presented her research at various conferences throughout the Midwest. She is passionate about higher education’s transformative power, and her Teaching Innovation Blog posts are often focused on the intersections of policy, pedagogy, and student success.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Leilani enjoys craftivism, reading, and hiking. She is currently pursuing a masters in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.
Publications
Mascio, Leilani Naomi and Kraus, Rachel (2026). "You're not leaving a religion; you're leaving a culture:" How women exit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sociological Focus, 59(4).
Mascio, Leilani Naomi (2026). “Bart Sells His Soul”: Using The Simpsons to Teach Social Construction and the Sociology of Religion. Sociological Teaching, 5, 1–22.
Mascio, Leilani Naomi and Smith, Ronald (2025) "A Content Analysis of Doubt: How Latter-day Saints Interact Online When One of Their Own Seeks Answers," Midwest Social Sciences Journal: Vol. 28: Iss. 1, Article 12.