Lourena Gboeah
Lourena Gboeah is the Program Director for Upwardly Global New York, a national organization working to eliminate systemic employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals, while advancing the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy. A resettled refugee from Liberia, she came to the U.S. when she was only four years old. Her family fled war in Liberia and the continuous harassment from government soldiers and rebels. Lourena has over a decade of experience working with vulnerable and marginalized populations inclusive of the immigration and refugee resettlement space. Prior to her role with Upwardly Global, Lourena served as Associate Director of Student Services for the Year Up Philadelphia program, where she helped lead the development of overall program structures and advanced strategic partnerships with community-based organizations and social service agencies on mental health, housing, pregnancy/parenting, financial services, family issues, and substance abuse. Lourena currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Refugee Congress, a refugee-led organization that ensures that the lived expertise of forcibly displaced people is leveraged to promote policies and programs that protect the rights and well-being of all forcibly displaced people. Lourena also serves on the Board of Refugee Council USA, a coalition which mobilizes expertise, ideas, and influence to protect the rights of forcibly displaced people and build more welcoming societies. In 2023, she was selected to serve on the newly launched Advisory Board to the UNHCR Task Team on Engagement and Partnership with Organizations led by Displaced and Stateless Persons. Lourena holds a Bachelor of Science in management from Rutgers University, Newark Campus and a Master of Social Work from Temple University in Philadelphia.