CCL Presents: Conversations with Opal Vadhan

The Clinton Community Library is proud to present Conversations, a brand new guest speaker series featuring a variety of notable public figures and engaging global voices. For our inaugural event, we’re thrilled to host Opal Vadhan, Senior Advisor to former Vice President Kamala Harris during her time in the White House, in addition to her historic 107-day presidential campaign. Ms. Vadhan also served as Executive Assistant and Trip Director to former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The CCL will host a 1-hour conversation with Ms. Vadhan discussing her time supporting the former Vice President and former Secretary of State, as well as intimate stories and lasting lessons she’s learned from working with the only two women in history to be nominated by a major party for President. The conversation will then be followed with a 30-minute Q&A. This event is sponsored by Mirbeau Inn & Spa and Upstate Films.

Opal Vadhan is a distinguished public servant and trusted advisor who has worked at the highest levels of American political leadership. She is a former Senior Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris and previously spent five years supporting Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. Over the past decade, Vadhan has played a central behind-the-scenes role, known for her empathy, leadership, and ability to make others feel seen and heard.

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.

Presented in partnership with Tivoli Free Library, Morton Memorial Library and Starr Library.
Sponsored by Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Rhinebeck & Upstate Films.