Our History

Determined to find a better way, Jane spent many nights at her kitchen table sketching out a plan while taking a business course at Columbia University. That plan became Upwardly Global: an organization built to connect the two million work-authorized immigrants and refugees living in the U.S. with pathways back into their professions, while showing employers the benefits and value of inclusion.

When it came time to launch, Jane realized that the organization needed a name. “I wanted to express the mutual benefit of immigrant inclusion: economic mobility for immigrants and refugees, with the benefits of global mindsets — diversity, resilience, and innovation — for our country.”

Twenty-five years later, those words still ring true. Today, we have offices in four major cities and programs that reach job seekers nationwide. We’ve served thousands, and in doing so, shown how investing in immigrant talent strengthens businesses and powers communities.

Founded in 2000 by Jane Leu, Upwardly Global is the first organization focused on advancing the meaningful inclusion of immigrants and refugees with international credentials into the U.S. workforce.

The seed for Upwardly Global was planted thirty years ago when Jane, then working in refugee resettlement, visited what was considered a model employer for newcomers — a poultry plant in New York. The proud owner introduced her to two star employees: one had been an engineer in Iraq, the other a surgeon in Bosnia.

Jane left that tour with a haunting question: How many other skilled professionals were working in subsistence jobs that did not utilize their expertise? And what did it mean — for them, for their families, and for the U.S. — to waste so much talent?

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2000

 

Upwardly Global is founded by Jane Leu in San Francisco.

2004

 

Upwardly Global receives the Manhattan Institute Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

2006

 

Upwardly Global reaches $1 million in funding and expands to New York.

2009

 

150+ jobseekers are placed in skill-aligned, thriving wage jobs. Nikki Cicerani joins Upwardly Global as Executive Director and Jane Leu transitions to the Board of Directors.

2010

 

We receive the Migration Policy Institute’s E Pluribus Unum Award.

2012

 

We launch our national online learning platform.

2015

 

3,000+ job seekers placed in skill-aligned, thriving-wage jobs.

2018

 

Jina Krause-Vilmar joins as President and CEO.

2021

  • Upwardly Global aids Afghan newcomers during Operation Allies Welcome
  • We release our AI job pathways tool for jobseekers
  • Establish a partnership with the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA).

2022

 

We pilot a career readiness program for Ukrainian professionals displaced to Poland.

2023

  • 10,000+ jobseekers are placed in skill-aligned, thriving-wage jobs.
  • Receive honorable mentions in Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards and Ragan’s Crisis Communications Awards.
  • Partner with HiredScore to create AI technology to remove systemic hiring biases.
  • Join the Biden administration’s Task Force for New Americans.

2024

  • Launch the Unlocking Brighter Futures Together strategy
  • Receive a gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
  • Pilot AI upgrades for our e-learning platform, including a career navigation assistant and an AI-powered resume builder.

2025

 

Upwardly Global celebrates its 25th anniversary. 35,000+ jobseekers are placed in skill-aligned, thriving-wage jobs to date.