Vanessa Cardenas

Senior Advisor at LULAC

Vanessa Cárdenas is a seasoned political strategist and policy expert on issues related to Latino political participation, immigration, demographic change, political communication, and women’s political empowerment. She is the President of CárdenasStrategies, LLC and Senior Advisor at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Vanessa has had the privilege of working with some of the most renowned progressive organizations. Most recently she was the National Coalitions Director at the Biden presidential campaign where she oversaw its constituency work. Prior to this, she held various roles at EMILY’s List, a political action committee (PAC) that helps elect pro-choice Democratic women. She also led “Climático” at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) where she supported efforts towards a global climate agreement. Vanessa also served in various roles at the Center for American Progress (CAP) including Director for Ethnic Media and later Vice President for Progress 2050, a project focused on the implications of demographic change. Vanessa’s first job in DC was with the National Immigration Forum where she joined local and national allies in the struggle for a fair and just immigration system.

Panel Information

Wednesday, February 17

2:05 PM EST

Is Immigration Reform Finally Attainable?

After decades of fighting for meaningful relief for the 11 million undocumented immigrants, we now have the best opportunity to realize the dream of immigration reform. Democrats are in control of Congress, and advocates have the opportunity to push through a generous legislative package. In this session, you will learn about what you can do to help make legalization a reality.