Born in Williamsville, New York, Fazili is a native of Buffalo.[4] Fazili is the daughter of Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Fazili and Dr. Rafiqa Fazili, who immigrated to the United States from the Valley of Kashmir.[1] After attending Elmwood Franklin School, Fazili graduated from the Nichols School in 1996.[5][6]
Fazili started as a clinical lecturer at Yale Law School's community and economic development unit. She expanded the clinic's work to international microfinance and helped start a community development financial institution (CDFI) bank. She also worked at a CDFI bank called ShoreBank, said to be the first such bank in the US.[1]
Fazili served in the Obama administration as a senior policy adviser in the National Economic Council, where she covered retirement, consumer finance and community and economic development issues.[3][8] Afterwards, she worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as the Director of Engagement in its community and economic development department.[3]
As a deputy director of the National Economic Council in the Biden administration, Fazili will be focused on manufacturing, innovation and domestic competition.[9] In this capacity, she has been tasked with advising the White House on global supply chain issues.[4] Fazili left her position at the NEC in December 2022.[10]
Her sister, Yousra Fazili is a noted human rights lawyer who testified at the November 2019 US congressional hearing on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.[14] Fazili's cousin Mubeel Shah was among those detained by the Indian government the Public Safety Act (PSA) during the 2019–2021 lockdown in Jammu & Kashmir.[15]
^ abcd"Sameera Fazili, JD". Policies for Action (A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Programme). Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
