Professors Cooper, Pérez named 'Women of the Year' -- again

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield) named Immigration Law Clinic Co-directors Holly Cooper ’98 and Amagda Pérez ’91 among 2018’s “Women of the Year” at a Sept. 21 event in Woodland.

Garamendi honored 50 women from his 3rd congressional district who were deemed to have made a significant impact on society via public service, business, education, local advocacy or military service.

“One of the highlights of my year, every year, is hosting this event to recognize the achievements of these distinguished women,” Garamendi said. “These leaders come from a variety of backgrounds, but every one of them has made a real difference to their communities and the people around them.”

It has been a year of honors for Cooper and Pérez. In March, they were named California Assembly District 4’s Women of the Year. In July, the nonprofit Youth-on-the-Move inducted the pair into its International Educators Hall of Fame.

Professor Holly S. Cooper has extensive litigation experience defending the rights of immigrants and is a nationally recognized expert on immigration detention issues and on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.

Professor Pérez earned her J.D. from King Hall in 1991, where she served as co-chair of La Raza Law Students Association, worked in the Immigration Law Clinic, and was honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service and Leadership Award. In 1994, she joined the King Hall faculty in the Immigration Law Clinic, and in 2007 was named its director. She is the recipient of the law school’s 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award. In addition to her work at King Hall, she serves as the executive director of California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, which provides free legal aid to immigrants in poor rural communities.