Vivek Bavda (D-IL-10)

Vivek Bavda Congressional Candidate Illinois District 10

Biography of Vivek Bavda from Vivek Bavda for Congress

A son of immigrants from India, Vivek was born in Columbus, Ohio. His family moved to the district in 1982, where he attended Winkleman Elementary School in Glenview. In 1987, the Bavda family moved to Mundelein where he enrolled at Hawthorn schools and later Libertyville High School.

It was then on to Northwestern University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. While at Northwestern, Vivek was recruited to work for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He implemented the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to prevent discrimination by banks against middle class loan applicants. He also worked in the statistics department, reducing the reporting and regulatory burden on banks. These jobs gave him a first-hand understanding of the financial challenges working families and community banks face. Later, Vivek worked for Munifinancial, a public finance consulting firm in Oakland, CA. He worked directly with local government officials to promote economic growth.

Vivek has a long history of involvement with Democratic politics and progressive issues. These include volunteering for events like the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Senator Dick Durbin’s Senate campaign in the same year, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s Congressional bid in 1998, as well as Vice President Gore’s Presidential effort in 2000. He worked for the Indo-American Democratic Organization, registering voters on Devon Avenue for the New Americans Democracy Project. He also completed an internship for U. S. Senator Barack Obama in Chicago.

As an educator from Teach For America in Compton, CA, Vivek saw firsthand the challenges our students face. He knows the education challenges we face as a nation, and believes that excellence can only be attained if it is demanded by well trained teachers at well funded schools.

Vivek worked in public affairs with Coro in St. Louis, Missouri, crafting reforms to the Family Focus program to help reunite broken families. With the ARCHS program, he sought to increase investment in communities, and create jobs. He helped create the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures and built coalitions to prevent a ban on stem cell research in Missouri. This ban would have slowed the research to find cures for cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, and Type 1 Diabetes. He also worked on arbitration and workman’s compensation cases for the National Letter Carriers Union.

Vivek is currently an attorney and holds a JD from The John Marshall Law School. He maintains a general private law practice, working on cases ranging from labor law, real estate, business, to estate law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.

Vivek lives in Mundelein and is a fan of Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Bulls. He enjoys golf, softball, and taking classes for personal enrichment.