The SAFE Alliance
Lesley Varghese has a diverse and extensive background in the legal field. Lesley is currently serving as the President/Chief Legal Officer at The SAFE Alliance since January 2023. Prior to this, Lesley worked as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Austin Mayor Steve Adler from January 2015 to January 2023. Lesley also held the role of Executive Director & General Counsel at the Asian American Resource Center, Inc. from November 2012 to October 2014. Before that, Lesley worked as an Attorney at Nixon Peabody from April 2008 to July 2012 and at Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 2006 to 2008. Lesley started their legal career at McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. as a Case Clerk and eventually became an Attorney, working there from 1998 to 2006. Lesley also served as an Affiliate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin from 2012 to 2014.
Lesley Varghese obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Speech Communication Studies with concentrations in Journalism and Asian Studies. Lesley then pursued a Juris Doctorate degree at the American University Washington College of Law, completing the program from 2000 to 2003. In 2019, Lesley engaged in executive education at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, focusing on Senior Leadership.
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The SAFE Alliance
The SAFE Alliance is a Central Texas nonprofit organization working to stop abuse for everyone. SAFE supports children, adults, and families who have experienced abuse by providing safety, stability, and healing. To more effectively put an end to child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking, SAFE provides shelter, counseling, legal assistance, sexual assault forensic exams, a charter school, and more. In addition to direct services, SAFE works to prevent violence before it occurs through parenting assistance and education, programs that promote healthy teen relationships, and working with communities disproportionately affected by abuse. Violence and abuse are a cycle, often transferred across generations. We work to break that cycle. As part of the SAFE Alliance, the SAFE INSTITUTE provides workplace training and consulting for companies to prevent sexual harassment and create safe, respectful work environments. SAFE is a merger of SafePlace and the Austin's Children's Shelter and has over 45 years of experience in the field of violence prevention and response. Learn more about our merger at safeaustin.org/merger With an annual budget of more than $20 million, more than 350 employees and thousands of volunteers, SAFE now has prevention and crisis programs operating across multiple campuses and in the schools, hospitals, courts, county and District Attorney’s offices. NEED HELP? SAFEline is a 24-hour confidential hotline for people seeking help with sexual or domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, or parenting support and is available by phone at 512.267.SAFE (7233), by text at 737.888.7233, or by online chat at safeaustin.org/chat.