Lesley Varghese

Lesley Varghese has a diverse and extensive background in the legal field. Lesley is currently serving as the President/Chief Legal Officer at The SAFE Alliance since January 2023. Prior to this, Lesley worked as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Austin Mayor Steve Adler from January 2015 to January 2023. Lesley also held the role of Executive Director & General Counsel at the Asian American Resource Center, Inc. from November 2012 to October 2014. Before that, Lesley worked as an Attorney at Nixon Peabody from April 2008 to July 2012 and at Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 2006 to 2008. Lesley started their legal career at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. as a Case Clerk and eventually became an Attorney, working there from 1998 to 2006. Lesley also served as an Affiliate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin from 2012 to 2014.

Lesley Varghese obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Speech Communication Studies with concentrations in Journalism and Asian Studies. Lesley then pursued a Juris Doctorate degree at the American University Washington College of Law, completing the program from 2000 to 2003. In 2019, Lesley engaged in executive education at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, focusing on Senior Leadership.