Refugees and other displaced people who arrive in the United States with international education and qualifications often confront barriers in the U.S. that prevent them from securing employment at a level commensurate with their international experience. Despite their multilingual skills, cross-cultural competencies, and years of experience in their fields, many of the nearly 80,000 Afghans who have been evacuated to the U.S. in recent months face these challenges.

To address this issue, organizations working in education, workforce, and professional development have developed resources and programs specifically designed to support recent Afghan arrivals.

Join us to hear more from Talent Beyond Boundaries, Upwardly Global, and WES Global Talent Bridge about these recent initiatives and how clients can benefit from these targeted programs and resources.

Presenters

World Education Services

Edafe Okporo

Mobilization Director, Talent Beyond Boundaries

Edafe Okporo is an author and activist. As U.S. mobilization director for Talent Beyond Boundaries, he is one of the country’s most visible voices on the issue of displacement and he directs programs to win labor mobility pathways for refugees nationwide. A graduate of Enugu State University and the school of Business at NYU, he currently lives in New York City.

World Education Services

JINA KRAUSE-VILMAR

President and CEO, Upwardly Global

Jina Krause-Vilmar is the President and CEO of Upwardly Global, where she oversees the agency’s workforce operations in four regions. Under Jina’s leadership, the organization is implementing an ambitious strategy to bring clear outcomes, strong evidence, innovation through collaborative partnership with public and private sectors. Jina brings 15-years working in conflict zones and fragile states to create pathways and policies that advance women and refugees’ safety and economic inclusion. She works at the intersection of gender, migration and poverty. Her research and advocacy has reshaped the way humanitarian assistance centers and serves women in conflict. Jina has worked alongside governments, the United Nations and corporations, to craft and implement solutions to enable refugees and immigrants to integrate into local economies. Jina earned her MSc in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

World Education Services

SENAY GEBREMEDHIN

Program Manager, WES Global Talent Bridge

Senay Gebremedhin is a Global Talent Bridge Program Manager at World Education Services. In this position, he is responsible for developing and strengthening partnerships and collaborating on programmatic initiatives at the state and local level to support internationally trained professionals re-enter into their profession or continue their education in the U.S. Prior to joining WES Global Talent Bridge, Senay was a Program Specialist at the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) – one of nine national non-profit resettlement agencies. In that role, he coordinated ECDC's long-term refugee integration initiatives implemented through 13 affiliate offices from California to Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor's degree from James Madison University, where he studied Political Science and minored in Africana Studies.

World Education Services

DEBRA MEANS-WEST

Director, Resource and Network Development, WES Global Talent Bridge

Debra Means-West is the Director of Resource and Network Development at WES Global Talent Bridge. In her role, Debra is responsible for designing strategies and resources to engage, inform, support and grow GTB’s diverse network of both local and national partners in key areas such of workforce development, adult education, and policy.