Griselda Vega Samuel will be a Panelist on Women in Underrepresented Fields.


Griselda is the Regional Counsel, Midwest for the Chicago office of Mexican American Legal & Educational Fund (MALDEF). As Regional Counsel she is responsible for the daily operations and overall management of the regional office which covers the 6th, 7th, and 8th appellate circuits which includes the following states: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri Minnesota, Michigan Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Within MALDEF’s designated program areas – voting rights, employment, education, and immigrant rights – she works with the President and General Counsel, Director of Litigation, staff attorneys, and other Regional Counsels to determine the litigation and public policy advocacy priorities for the Midwest regional office. Most recently was the Senior Director of Anti-Trafficking Program (ATP) at Safe Horizon in Brooklyn, NY; and she is also an attorney with over 17 years of experience in working with low-income clients in the areas of litigation, policy-advocacy and education. ATP was the largest direct service providers on the East Coast, who provides comprehensive services, both legal and case management, to all victims of human trafficking. Ms. Vega Samuel’s advocacy work extends to both U.S. and international fronts, where she has worked on human trafficking legislation, as well as, worked on policy issues related to migrant labor rights, both within the U.S. and Mexican legal frameworks. Ms. Vega Samuel’s work in Mexico, with Global Workers Justice Alliance, allowed her to partner with organizations from diverse regions of Mexico, and developed a unified strategy, with region-specific goals around the issues of migration, human and labor rights. During her time there she also specialized in training and educating, bilingual and multi-cultural advocates and their communities, as well as presented at numerous conferences, including being a Rapporteur at the Global Forum on Migration and Development Conference for the United Nations. Ms. Vega graduated from the University of Iowa-College of Law, and is licensed in both Illinois and Washington State. Griselda is a native of Chicago, IL and her family hails from Celeya, Guanajuato, Mexico.

“I am excited to participate in the Elevate UChicago conference, and raise my voice with other dynamic women for our mutual empowerment.”

Elevate UChicago 2019: Cultivate is Sunday, April 14, 2019, from 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM, in Ida Noyes Hall. See you there.

Tickets: elevateuchicago.eventbrite.com