February 3, 2025
Source: Bazelon Center.
Today, the Bazelon Center announces the return of Jennifer Mathis, who will be the Deputy Director and will help lead the organization. Mathis returns to the Bazelon Center after serving for four years as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
“I am thrilled to return to the Bazelon Center and re-engage in its critically important work,” said Mathis. “The Center combines litigation, policy advocacy, and deep expertise in a wide range of issues affecting people with psychiatric disabilities in uniquely impactful ways. I am proud to be a part of that work once again.”
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Mathis worked at the Bazelon Center for 22 years supervising the Center’s policy advocacy and litigating complex lawsuits establishing the rights of individuals with mental disabilities. She helped litigate the seminal Olmstead case in the Supreme Court and has litigated ground-breaking integration cases in states across the country.
“We are so happy and very fortunate that Jennifer is returning to the Bazelon Center in an important leadership role. She accomplished a remarkable amount in her tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice and she will continue to have a large impact on federal policy and federal law,” said Holly O’Donnell, CEO of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
Megan E. Schuller, Legal Director at the Bazelon Center states, “Jennifer is widely recognized as one of our nation’s leading experts on the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities to live and work in the community. Her work has improved the lives of thousands of people with disabilities nationwide. Jennifer is returning at a critical time for our work, and her leadership will be invaluable to our ongoing efforts to ensure people with mental disabilities can safely live, learn, work, and fully participate in their communities with the supports and services they need to succeed.”
During the Obama Administration, Mathis spent a year as special assistant to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Commissioner Chai Feldblum. She helped draft regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) and the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA).
Mathis holds an A.B. from Harvard University, an M.A. from New York University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law (www.bazelon.org) is a national non-profit legal advocacy organization that advances equal opportunity for people with mental disabilities in all aspects of life.
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