First, but not Last: A Conversation with United States Attorney Vanessa Avery

My meeting with United States Attorney Vanessa Avery raised a lot of thought-provoking points. Avery is a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and attended New Haven Public Schools (Mongkol). She went on to attend Yale University for her undergraduate degree and received her legal education from Georgetown Law School; upon her graduation, she garnered further legal experience as a litigation attorney in a private firm (Vanessa Roberts Avery sworn in as United States attorney) Afterwards, she worked in the government sector as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division and for the CT Attorney General (Vanessa Roberts Avery sworn in as United States attorney). Avery was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022 to be the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, the first African-American woman to ever hold this position (Mongkol). I had the opportunity to reach out to Avery through a LinkedIn request and I am so grateful we were able to find a time to connect.

Throughout the hour-long conversation, I was able to learn extensively about Avery’s leadership story. She cites her journey to the position she is in today as one born from her circumstances. Growing up in New Haven in the 1980s, she wanted to shift the us versus them mentality commonly held in communities of color in regard to law enforcement.  Additionally, she expressed hope that in this coveted leadership position, she could advocate for the most marginalized voices. Avery spoke of relying on various mentors—both formal and informal—who guided her to experiences and pushed her outside her comfort zone. Today, she still utilizes their advice, always bringing her whole self to the table whilst simultaneously hearing from various perspectives brought before her. In describing leadership in her thinking, Avery prioritizes having the courage to do what is right, partially due to her position being such a representative role: she has to be aware of her approaches and how she is perceived in the community in which she operates. Collaboration and community engagement are both strategies she holds highly as a leader.

A particularly perceptive takeaway from this interview surrounded our conversations on mentorship. “Find people that sing your praises when you’re not in the room” Avery states. Additionally, I found her point regarding “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable” to be quite striking. In reference to sometimes being the only woman or the only person of color in the room, she claims confidence is key.  It is important for people hailing from similar backgrounds as Avery to see someone who looks like them in this position. Not only does Avery talk the talk, but she walks the walk, exemplified by her being sworn in at the high school she once attended. Her passion to do what she does and work hard to be the leader she wanted to see growing up is inspiring. This is definitely a conversation I will circle back to time and time again.

Citations

Mongkol, Chatwan. “New Haven’s Vanessa Avery Celebrates Her Appointment as First Black Female Connecticut U.S. Attorney.” New Haven Register, 24 Aug. 2022, www.nhregister.com/news/article/New-Haven-s-Vanessa-Avery-celebrates-her-17393129.php.

“Vanessa Roberts Avery Sworn in as United States Attorney.” District of Connecticut | Vanessa Roberts Avery Sworn in as United States Attorney | United States Department of Justice, 19 Apr. 2023, www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/vanessa-roberts-avery-sworn-united-states-attorney.

Photo Courtesy of the United States Department of Justice

Music Courtesy of the Free Music Archive