Our Story

LEx Advocacy is a Rhode Island–based independent consulting firm advancing systems reform through lived-experience leadership and policy innovation. Founded by Christian J. Lachapelle-Miller, LExA aims to help social service and community organizations close the gap between policy and practice, create collaborative solutions that are inclusive, data-driven, and built to last.

Our History

LExA did not begin as a consulting firm, it began as a response to need.
In 2021, during one of the most challenging times for youth and families in Rhode Island, Christian J. Lachapelle-Miller and a dedicated team of a less than 10 people, founded Generous Heart, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to responding directly to community-level crises.

Through Generous Heart, Christian and his team mobilized resources, delivered essential supports to vulnerable youth and young adults, and built trust with individuals who were often unseen by traditional systems.

This realization, supported by Christian’s increasing involvement in state-level policy, interagency collaboration, and youth homelessness reform is what inspired the next evolution of our work.

“When we listen to the people who lived the problem, we discover the people who hold the solution.” 

In 2025, Generous Heart transitioned into Lived Expert Advocacy (LExA). A modern, strategic, and systems-focused organization built on the same heart-driven principles but equipped to operate at a statewide and institutional level.

What Changed

  • Broader scope: from direct support to policy, consulting, and systems transformation

  • New tools: strategic planning, systems mapping, lived-expert integration, training, and evaluation

  • Expanded audience: state agencies, nonprofits, coalitions, higher education, legislative bodies

  • Strengthened mission: not only to respond to harm, but to prevent it by redesigning the systems themselves

What Stayed the Same

  • Compassion

  • Integrity

  • Community-centered focus

  • Commitment to youth, families, and the people of Rhode Island served by these systems

  • Belief that lived experience is a valid credential of expertise