Amanda Baran

Amanda Baran is an attorney who engages in policy analysis and advocacy for immigrant and women's rights. She worked at the Department of Homeland Security for almost ten years where she held a number of significant positions including chief of public engagement at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and most recently, worked with the Department of Homeland Security Agency Review Team for the Biden-Harris Transition Team.

Prior, she was principal director of immigration policy for the Department's Office of Policy. In 2011, she served as Senior Advisor to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders where she focused on immigration, civil rights, and women's rights and engaged with community leaders across the country. Prior to joining the federal government, Baran was a Staff Attorney with Legal Momentum's Immigrant Women Program where she advocated for the Violence Against Women Act and trained a wide variety of stakeholders on issues related to immigrant women's access to health care, immigration benefits, family court, and public benefits. Baran began her legal career as a staff attorney at Legal Services of North West Texas where she represented victims of domestic violence. She received her law degree from the University of Houston and obtained dual degrees in government and English from the University of Texas at Austin.