Speaker Bios
Upwardly Global is an organization that works with refugees and immigrants, as well as employers, to dismantle employment barriers and create employment opportunities for refugees and immigrants within an inclusive workforce.
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.
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. She was recently 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.
Zuhal Salim is the Program Manager for Women’s Economic Power at Upwardly Global. She joined Upwardly Global in December 2021. She has ten years of national and international experience in women’s advancement, human rights, gender equity, and refugees. Zuhal was a Diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations in New York. Prior to that, she worked at the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan. Zuhal holds a Master’s in International Relations from New York University.
Moderator: Jeffrey Turgeon, Executive Director of the MassHire Central Region Workforce Board
The MassHire Central Region Workforce Board is a public/private partnership that identifies and leverages community resources to promote economic robustness throughout central Massachusetts. Furthermore, MassHire Central develops, coordinates, and and provides job readiness and career development programs and opportunities that serve employers, job seekers, youth, and community partners. Jeff will be chairing our talk and moderating the discussion, and we are so pleased to have his long experience to help us parse workforce integration and belonging.