Off the Record: Stories from the Sidelines of History with Opal Vadhan

Join us on Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m. for Off the Record with Opal Vadhan. Opal, former Senior Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris, also served as Executive Assistant, Trip Director, and a member of the advance team during her five years with former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Over her career, Opal has played a central behind-the-scenes role, known for her empathy, leadership, and ability to make others feel seen and heard. Opal will discuss her personal journey as a public servant, and the lasting lessons she's learned from working with the only two women in history to be nominated by a major party for President.

The program will be available on the Clinton Center’s YouTube channel the following day.

ASL interpretation is available during our events.

This series is a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum.

More about the speaker

Opal Vadhan began her career on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as a member of the national advance team. Following the campaign, she continued with Secretary Clinton as her Executive Assistant and Trip Director from 2017 to 2021. During that time, she was also a collaborator on "The Book of Gutsy Women," the New York Times bestselling book by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

In 2021, she joined the Biden-Harris administration as Special Assistant to the President and Personal Aide to Vice President Harris, supporting the Vice President throughout the administration and the historic 107-day presidential campaign.

A first-generation Indian American raised in Queens, New York, Vadhan earned a dual degree in Communications and Women & Gender Studies from Pace University in 2015. Her experience working in high-trust support roles for the only two women to receive the Democratic nomination for President offers rare insight into executive leadership, diplomacy, and the essential role of operational professionals in public service.

Beyond serving in government, Vadhan has a strong commitment to service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked full-time with World Central Kitchen, helping deliver more than eight million meals to New Yorkers in need. And she is the recipient of the Luminary Award from She’s the First, a non-profit supporting girls education in underserved communities.

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