Leger Fernández, Teresa, 1959-

<p>Teresa Isabel Leger Fernandez (/tɛˈrɛsɑː ˈlɛdʒər fɛrnɑːndɛs/ teh-RESS-ah LEDGE-ər fehr-NAHN-dess; born July 1, 1959) is an American attorney and politician representing New Mexico's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.</p>

<p>Leger Fernandez was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Her mother was a bilingual educator and her father, Ray Leger, served as a member of the New Mexico Senate. After graduating from West Las Vegas High School, Leger Fernandez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.</p>

<p>After graduating from law school, Leger Fernandez returned to New Mexico to work as an attorney, specializing in community-building and tribal advocacy. She was a White House Fellow during the Clinton Administration and later served on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation during the Obama Administration. She also worked as a liaison between the White House Office and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. For 30 years, Leger Fernandez has operated Leger Law and Strategy, LLC in Santa Fe. The firm focuses on community development, tribal advocacy, civil rights, and social justice. In 2017, she led a successful effort to implement ranked-choice voting in Santa Fe's municipal elections.</p>

<p>Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández represents New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District. In Washington, she holds a leadership role with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as Freshman Representative. Congresswoman Leger Fernández serves as chair of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States for the 117th Congress. She has also been appointed to the House Committee on Education and Labor, the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the Committee on House Administration.</p>

<p>She is a 17th generation Northern New Mexican. Before coming to Congress, Leger Fernández worked as an attorney and advocate, and won important legal battles to advance voting rights, promote tribal sovereignty, and protect our environment and acequia waters. She has helped secure nearly a billion dollars for, and then helped build, schools, rural health clinics, broadband, businesses, affordable housing and critical infrastructure for New Mexico. Leger Fernández was also a Clinton and Obama presidential appointee and worked as a White House Fellow on housing issues and as Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.</p>

LEGER FERNANDEZ, Teresa, a Representative from New Mexico; born in Las Vegas, San Miguel County, N. Mex., July 1, 1959; graduated from West Las Vegas High School, Las Vegas, N. Mex.; A.B., Yale University, New Haven, Conn., 1982; J.D. Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., 1987; lawyer, private practice; White House fellow during the William J. Clinton administration; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress (January 3, 2021-present).