Stephanie Lemus grew up in the Pico-Union/Westlake area of Los Angeles with her Salvadoran immigrant mother and her two siblings. She attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she double-majored in Anthropology and Central American Studies, with a minor in Pan-African Studies.
After graduating from CSUN, she earned a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) where her primary research focused on the community of the Salvadoran diaspora in Los Angeles. In 2021, Stephanie earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California (USC) Rossier School of Education. She has worked with various non-profit organizations and groups for the past 12 years in community outreach, education, advocacy, healthcare, and public health.
Currently, Stephanie is an adjunct professor at CSUN's Central American Studies Department. She is also a strategy consultant at Uproot Talent, a search and talent advisory firm dedicated to attracting, hiring, and keeping executive leadership, and co-creating anti-oppressive cultures. She serves as Board President of El Rescate, an immigration legal services non-profit, board member of the Central American Policy Research Institute (CARPI), and committee member of the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Steering Committee.