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Introducing Veena Iyer
Posted on Aug 22 2019
Veena Iyer, the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota’s new executive director, says three keys to understanding her are that she is a daughter of immigrants, a “really big nerd,” and full of energy and enthusiasm.
Her father immigrated from India to Minnesota in 1969. A few years later, he returned to India to marry her mother, and petitioned for her to join him in Minnesota. He was appalled that the process took so long—three months! Today, that seems like speedy processing. Veena’s husband is also a first-generation immigrant, and they met working at a community center for South Asian immigrants in Chicago. Immigration is at the center of Veena’s family story.
Veena credits her status as “a really big nerd” in part to her past as a high school debater. She says she is still really curious about everything, and loves to read widely, ask questions, and listen and learn from others. She loves to delve deeply into issues and to mentor individuals who are new to a particular issue, whether they be middle school debaters, newer lawyers, or her own two daughters. When on vacation, she and her husband visit libraries, possibly another nerd credit.
Her enthusiasm and energy show in her past work, including pro bono work as one of ILCM’s team of volunteer attorneys. She has also volunteered at Tubman and Standpoint, in addition to serving as as a shareholder and Diversity & Inclusion Chair at the Nilan Johnson Lewis law firm.
“I am really excited about the work of ILCM,” she says. “We live in a distressing time for immigrant and refugee communities in this country and in this community. We as a country can do better. ILCM is part of doing better every day. I am thankful for this amazing staff, and really grateful for the work of John and Lenore in building and directing ILCM.”
Veena graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in history, with honors, and earned her J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School. She speaks conversational Spanish and Tamil and basic Russian. She began her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, where she represented clients, created and managed a legal clinic for low-income immigrant students and conducted English and Spanish presentations for community members and service providers.
In Minnesota, she has served as president of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association and remains a member of its Advisory Board and Judicial Committee, as well as holding board positions at Minnesota Women Lawyers and Portico HealthNet. She has received many honors, including Minnesota Lawyer’s Diversity & Inclusion Award in 2018, and being named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list in 2019. She is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Illinois.
As we welcome Veena to ILCM, we look forward to opportunities for her to meet ILCM’s friends and allies in the months ahead.