Tara Murray

Background

About Tara Murray

I am a civil and human rights attorney, public advocate, and nonprofit executive dedicated to advancing racial and economic justice through strategic policy advocacy, high-impact litigation, and coalition building. Currently, I serve as Executive Director of the Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy at the National Urban League, where I lead federal policy strategy, legislative engagement, and grassroots mobilization efforts to promote racial equity, economic opportunity, and civil rights protections nationwide. My career spans impactful roles in government, nonprofit, and public interest law, including serving as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement in the Biden-Harris Administration. There, I led a team that facilitated engagement across 17 core constituency groups, advancing racial justice and equity initiatives while executing targeted messaging strategies in partnership with White House policy offices, federal agencies, and key components of the Executive Office of the President. I also managed stakeholder convenings to elevate critical issues impacting communities nationwide, ensuring alignment and strategic coordination. Before joining the federal government, I led my own law firm in Washington, D.C, specializing in civil rights litigation and advocacy, successfully challenging racial discrimination, unconstitutional policing, and systemic abuses in the criminal legal system. Earlier in my career, as Deputy Legal Director at Reprieve in London, I managed a diverse team of lawyers and investigators, led international litigation against unlawful detentions, and spearheaded groundbreaking investigations into the human impact of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa — work that catalyzed U.N. investigations and a U.S. Congressional hearing. I hold an LL.M. in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center, where I was an E. Barrett Prettyman Fellow, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. summa cum laude from Howard University. My leadership in public advocacy, legal strategy, and executive management has been profiled by CNN, BBC, The Times, Al Jazeera, and Le Monde. I am committed to leveraging my platform and expertise to drive systemic change, challenge inequities, and elevate the voices of those most vulnerable to injustice. Let’s connect — I welcome opportunities to collaborate, strategize, and advocate for transformative change.