Krishanti O'Mara Vignarajah (born September 16, 1979) is an American lawyer serving as President and CEO of Global Refuge.[1][2][3][4][5] She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama[6][7][8][9] and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry.
At the White House, Vignarajah served as Policy Director for Michelle Obama and led the First Lady’s signature Let Girls Learn initiative. At the State Department, she coordinated development and implementation of multiple programs including those concerning refugees and migration, engagement with religious communities, the legal dimensions of U.S. foreign policy, and regional issues relating to Africa and the Middle East. She worked closely with USAID, Health & Human Services and the Department of Defense.
Vignarajah ran for governor of Maryland in the 2018 primary election, finishing fourth.[1] She gained "some national attention" because had she won, "she would have been the first woman, immigrant or person of color to be elected governor in the state".[1]
In 2019, she became president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.[1] During her tenure there, the refugee resettlement agency filed litigation against the Trump administration, challenging the legality of Executive Order 13888, which seeks to give state and local officials the authority to opt out of refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions.[13][14][15] In an interview with NPR, Vignarajah described the policy as "cruel and shortsighted," and noted that "refugees that have been waiting to be reunited with their families for years may be forced to settle hundreds of miles away."[16] Vignarajah also spoke out against the Executive Order in a Baltimore Sun OpEd entitled, "The courts should declare Trump's refugee order unconstitutional."[17] The lawsuit has thus far resulted in a preliminary injunction against the policy, barring its implementation temporarily.[18][19] In response, Vignarajah told NBC News, "This injunction provides critical relief. Those who have been waiting for years to reunite with their families and friends will no longer have to choose between their loved ones and the resettlement services that are so critical in their first months as new Americans."[20]
Vignarajah is married to Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. Their wedding was officiated by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.[21] They are the parents of two young daughters, Alana and Leya.[22]
In June 2020, Vignarajah went public with her breast cancer diagnosis.[23] In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, she said, "My hope is to do my part to lift some of the stigma and anxiety that sits around breast cancer."[24]
