Overview
Usha Bala Chilukuri Vance (born January 6, 1986) is an American lawyer and the wife of J.D. Vance, Vice President-elect of the United States. She will become the Second Lady of the United States on January 20, 2025. Notably, Usha will be the first Indian American, Telugu American, and Asian American to hold this title.
Early Life and Education
Born in a suburb of San Diego, California, Usha grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos, an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Her parents, Krish and Lakshmi Chilukuri, were both accomplished professionals. Her father is a mechanical engineer and lecturer at San Diego State University. Meanwhile, her mother serves as a molecular biologist and provost at the University of California, San Diego.
Usha graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 2003. She went on to attend Yale University, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2007 with a degree in history. In addition, she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. As a Gates Cambridge Scholar, she earned a Master of Philosophy in early modern history from Clare College, Cambridge, in 2010. Afterward, she returned to Yale Law School to pursue her Juris Doctor, which she completed in 2013.
Legal Career
Following law school, Usha began her legal career as a law clerk. From 2013 to 2014, she worked with Judge Amul Thapar on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. She later clerked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 2014 to 2015. Eventually, she joined Chief Justice John Roberts’ chambers, serving as a clerk on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2017 to 2018.
After being admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 2019, Usha joined Munger, Tolles & Olson. At the firm, she focused on civil litigation and appellate cases involving education, government, entertainment, and technology.
Role in the 2024 Campaign
In July 2024, Usha stepped away from her law firm to support her husband’s vice-presidential bid. She delivered the opening speech for J.D. Vance at the Republican National Convention. Throughout the campaign, she traveled frequently, offering strategic advice and demonstrating her commitment to public service.
Second Lady of the United States
As the incoming Second Lady, Usha Vance will make history. Her visibility during the campaign signaled a strong commitment to civic leadership. Going forward, she is expected to focus on education, civic engagement, and the needs of immigrant families.
Personal Life
Usha met J.D. Vance while both were students at Yale Law School. Their professor, Amy Chua, played a role in bringing them together. The couple married in 2014 and currently resides in Ohio with their three children.
In Popular Culture
In the 2020 film adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir by J.D. Vance, actress Freida Pinto portrayed Usha Vance.
Today, Usha Vance continues to shape her own identity within the public eye—as a lawyer, advisor, mother, and soon-to-be Second Lady. Her journey reflects the evolving face of American leadership and the power of service-driven partnership
