Team
Vanessa Hites is an attorney with a background in corporate, international, and civil rights legal affairs. She earned her law degree from the University of Chile, where her thesis examined the constitutional implications of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. During law school, she served as President of the Jewish Student Federation, reflecting an early commitment to leadership, public advocacy, and community engagement.
After beginning her career in the corporate legal sector, Vanessa transitioned to public advocacy, serving as Legal Advisor at the Israeli Embassy in Chile, where she worked on legal strategies addressing discriminatory legislation and public policy issues affecting Jewish communities and Israel-related matters.
Vanessa later obtained an LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University (NYU), where she was admitted with the Dean’s Graduate Award Scholarship and received the Chuna David and Rose Estreicher Memorial Prize, recognizing exceptional promise in the study of issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people.
She subsequently served at the Zachor Legal Institute as Legal Director for Education & Civil Rights, where she led legal and policy initiatives focused on combating discriminatory and biased instructional materials in K-12 education, advancing civil rights enforcement strategies, and supporting stakeholders confronting antisemitism and unlawful educational practices.
Vanessa’s academic and professional trajectory reflects a sustained commitment to civil rights advocacy, constitutional and international legal scholarship, and the development of legal strategies addressing discrimination in both domestic and global contexts.