WORCESTER, MA, December 22, 2023 - Kaska B. Yawo has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Well regarded for his expertise in refugee services and nonprofit management, Mr. Yawo is recognized as the executive director and co-founder of African Community Education Inc., an organization that empowers refugee and immigrant youth and families through education. Since founding the nonprofit in 2006, he has been responsible for serving thousands of African refugees and immigrants in central Massachusetts and for helping 300 students graduate from high school. A pioneer in his field, Mr. Yawo is a State Department of Justice-accredited immigration representative specializing in family-based immigration and frequently addresses issues related to immigration reform on Capitol Hill.
Born in Liberia, Mr. Yawo fled civil unrest in his native country in 1998 and immigrated to the United States as a refugee himself. He went on to work with refugees and immigrants in his roles at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Catholic Charities, where he learned of the struggles many newly arriving students from Africa were experiencing in Worcester Public Schools. As a result, Mr. Yawo saw a need for educational support for African youth and families and was moved to take action with the limited resources he had.
In collaboration with then-medical student Olga Valdman, Mr. Yawo co-founded African Community Education and began recruiting students in Worcester through door-to-door outreach. Beginning with the creation of an after-school program, he built upon the organization's success, adding programs to assist students through mentoring, post-secondary support, career development, English as a Second Language, and other areas. Today, African Community Education has 21 full-time staff, 29 part-time staff, and an annual budget of more than $5 million. Earlier this year, Mr. Yawo oversaw the organization's move into a new 56,000-square-foot facility that will serve as a cultural hub for African and other immigrant communities in central Massachusetts.
Mr. Yawo holds a bachelor's degree in French and linguistics from the University of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and a master's degree in education and human management from Boston University. He has received various certifications and has taught courses on global health, immigration, and nonprofit management. Currently, he serves as a consultant to four Worcester-based universities, including Clark University, Becker College, Assumption College and Worcester State University.
Mr. Yawo has received several awards for his work, including the Social Innovation Leadership Award, a Key to the City of Worcester, and, most recently, the Non-Profit Business Leader of the Year Award. He was a 2022 inductee into the Worcester Business Journal Hall of Fame and was named to the 2020 Power 50 of the Year in Massachusetts. But of his many professional achievements, he is proudest of his role in helping immigrant children become successful.
Outside of work, Mr. Yawo enjoys spending time with his spouse and their two children and staying active in their church. In his free time, he plays sports and participates with the Liberian Association of Worcester County. Looking toward the future, Mr. Yawo has set his sights on enhancing connectivity between colleges and universities in the U.S. and Africa.
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