Vijaya Gadde is a legal expert helping Mercy Corps achieve its mission of helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

Vijaya joined Mercy Corps’ board of directors in 2018, having heard the organization spoken highly of by friends in the international development community. She serves on the joint audit and risk committee.

In her role, she feels most privileged to work with creative, dedicated and innovative teams around the world.

Vijaya was born in Hyderabad, India, but moved to the United States as a baby and spent most of her childhood in Texas and New Jersey. Now based in California, she is the former chief legal officer at Twitter.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. Prior to her role at Twitter, Vijaya worked on the legal team at Juniper Networks and was an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for nearly a decade.

In her free time, she can be found reading fiction or, more likely, chasing her toddler. She also enjoys traveling, cooking and hiking.