The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation is beginning a new chapter of disability advocacy. Last fall, the Center celebrated its relocation to the Westchester campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Center’s founder, Tony Coelho ‘64.
This semester, the Center welcomes two new assistant directors who will help further advance the Center’s goals and advocacy. Monique Lemus is an experienced higher education professional who will support the Center’s Law Fellowship Program. Lemus comes to LMU from the University of Kansas, where she worked to increase student retention and support student success.
Given her experience working directly with students, Lemus was excited at the opportunity to work directly with The Coelho Center’s numerous law fellows. With a goal of increasing representation in the legal profession, the innovative Law Fellowship Program creates pipelines for students interested in a career in law or policy.
“The Coelho Center helps amplify disabled people’s voices in spaces where change is being made because lived experience matters,” said Lemus. “Our work is to get more disabled people in positions of decision-making authority and specifically as lawyers, judges, public office holders and policy professionals.”
Now in its sixth year, the Law Fellowship Program has about 170 students in its pipeline, including alumni and current fellows. Lemus hopes to foster connections within this large group of fellows and to celebrate the successes of past and present fellows. She is working on recruiting the next class of law fellows and conducting research with Coelho Center director Katherine Perez to address systematic barriers that law fellows have faced in applying to and once they are in law school.
While Lemus is new to LMU, The Coelho Center’s second assistant director is no stranger to the bluff. Sister Trish Doan received her Master’s in Theology at LMU and has returned to work on research at the intersection of disability and theology. Doan was inspired to learn more about disability because of her niece who has Autism.
“I think the religious community needs to be more sensitive and involved with supporting the disabled community,” said Doan. “Now that The Coelho Center has relocated from the Loyola Law School campus to the Westchester campus, we can also find ways to collaborate with other colleges on campus, as well as the Theology Department and local parishes.”
Doan said she was inspired to return to LMU because it is an institution that deeply values the whole person.
“At LMU, I rediscovered my heritage and was able to specialize in Asian theology,” said Doan. “Now I’m learning more about becoming an advocate for the disability community. I’m happy to be back and connected with the LMU community as well.”
Coelho Center Director, Katherine Perez feels like the addition of two Assistant Directors after being the sole staff person at the Center since its inauguration in fall 2018 is a game changer.
“I’m thrilled to be able to work collaboratively with our new staff to sustain and expand existing programming as well as create new opportunities for The Coelho Center’s reach such as expanding our work on immigration or creating new projects at the intersection of religion and disability,” said Perez. “Further, to do this work with Sister Trish and Monique is a dream because of their passion and experience!”