Harold Leitenberg died at his home on Killarney Drive in Burlington, Vt., on March 20, 2026. Harold is survived by his three sons, David, Elliot and Joe, and their respective families, as well as his older brother, Milton Leitenberg.
Harold was born on May 31, 1939, and raised in the Coops, in the Bronx, the son of Julius and Libby Leitenberg. As a very young man in New York City, he had the good fortune to meet Barbara Krause, who became his loving spouse for 48 years, until her sad passing in 2008. Harold and Barbara left New York City to attend graduate school at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where they had their first child at 22 years of age. After receiving his PhD degree, Harold and Barbara moved to Burlington, Vt., in 1965, where Harold joined the faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of Vermont.
Harold was a pioneer in helping to develop the field of cognitive behavior therapy and was passionate about using rigorous evidence-based tools to develop and evaluate behavior therapy techniques. He helped to found the University of Vermont Behavior Therapy Center in 1972, which was renamed the Leitenberg Center of Evidenced-Based Practice in 2016 to honor his contributions. Professionally and personally, one of Harold’s proudest accomplishments was mentoring many PhD students who went on to successful careers and in some cases became colleagues at the University of Vermont. His mentorship skills were truly exceptional as he developed decades-long relationships with former students, many of whom provided friendship and companionship through the last days of his life.
One of Harold’s favorite pastimes was to be near, on or in the water. He traveled extensively to visit beaches around the world. But he always returned to Vermont, where he spent many happy hours on the shores of Lake Champlain at the beach on Killarney Drive, where he lived for 60 years. He was instrumental in developing the Killarney Drive Beach Association and the purchase of beach rights that are shared by all interested residents of the Killarney Drive community. In addition to his time on the beach, he spent many enjoyable days in his canoe communing with loons on lakes and ponds in Vermont, often in the company of his close friend Marc Kessler.
Our family is indebted to the outstanding professional and compassionate care provided over his last months of life by the hospice team from the University of Vermont and Harold’s caregivers, Lovell Rogers, Alex Komeyan and Patience Bannerman.
A celebration of Harold’s life is planned for Saturday, June 27, 2026, 2 p.m., at Meach Cove Farm, 291 Bostwick Farm Rd., Shelburne, VT.