Ana I. Vallejo
Assistant Dean of Experiential Learning & Administration
Email: avallejo@stu.edu
Phone: 305.623.2381
Mail:
St. Thomas University College of Law
Center for Professional Development
16401 NW 37th Ave
Miami Gardens, FL 33054
Education:
B.A. International Affairs and Political Science, Marquette University
LL.M. Intercultural Human Rights, St. Thomas University College of Law
J.D., St. Thomas University College of Law
Expertise:
Immigration Law and Practice
Human Rights
Trauma-Informed, Survivor-Centered Lawyering and Training
Law Office Management
Media Relations
Ana I. Vallejo
Ms. Ana I. Vallejo joined the St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law in 2023. She serves as Assistant Dean of Experiential Learning and Administration. Prior to re-joining St. Thomas, she was the Director and lead attorney at VIDA Legal Assistance, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the rights of immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking in persons and other violent crimes.
For 20 years, Ms. Vallejo has represented victims of the above-mentioned crimes. She has worked collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that immigrant survivors have access to justice. Ms. Vallejo has testified before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on forced labor in Florida’s agricultural industry. She has participated as faculty in international trainings and conferences for law enforcement and government officials sponsored by the Department of Justice in Panama, El Salvador, and Mexico. Also, she has served as a subject matter expert on trafficking in persons in programs organized or sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica as well as its International Visitors program. Additionally, she has presented in international conferences on the topic of access to justice for survivors of trafficking in persons in the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Spain, and Puerto Rico. Throughout her career she has supervised law students completing internships and externships at the organizations she has worked.
Prior to her work with victims of violent crimes in the U.S., Ms. Vallejo represented victims of human rights violations seeking asylum in the United States. She received a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in International Affairs from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a J.D. degree and a LL.M. degree in Intercultural Human Rights from St. Thomas University College of Law, Miami, Florida.
Articles:
Back to Freedom: From Surviving to Thriving, An Introduction, 7 INTERCULTURAL HUM. RTS. L. REV. 21 (2012).
