Wayne Koelemeyer

I came to law school late in life, after a career in both social work and education. I began my adult life as a social worker working with homeless and court-involved youth in Chicago, Illinois. I moved to Tucson to enjoy the natural outdoor life and obtained an MA in education. I then served as a director of special education for 15 years in Tucson and Sahuarita, Arizona. I was extremely privileged to have the opportunity to start law school in 2016. My current goal is to stick around for as long as Arizona Law finds my services useful. 

I currently hold JD and LLM law degrees. I am working on a dissertation to complete my SJD degree. My primary interests in the law include education, human rights, social justice, Indigenous Rights, and family law. These fields work well together to create potential for the law to create a more perfect union. 

I have worked with the Child and Family Law Clinic with Professor Paul Bennet since 2018, representing the interests of children in court. I am informed by my role as a foster parent who specializes in keeping siblings together, so they have the best chance possible of rejoining their parents. 

I spent my entire 2L year in New Zealand studying comparative Indigenous Law and International Human Rights. My Maori professors at the University of Auckland had a profound impact on the direction of my professional life. Their compassion for people was awe inspiring.