Lorena Kourousias

Lorena Kourousias is the Executive Director of Mixteca. A native of Mexico City, she took the position of Executive Director in May 2019. Ms. Kourousias has devoted much of her work to building a social movement that steers away from mainstream systems. She is passionate about her work and has a proven track record of serving underprivileged communities. Ms. Kourousias’ years of experience working with Latinx women have led her to a deep understanding of the multitude of challenges that are faced daily in regard to immigration status, culture, class and race.

A part of the founding leadership team at FORCE, a public art project of The Monument Quilt, Ms. Kourousias is a staunch advocate for public spaces including Latinx women's voices as survivors experiencing intersecting oppression.

Her story of re-establishing her professional career in New York City was a long, arduous process involving revalidating her credentials from Mexico. Ms. Kourousias mirrors her experience of learning a new language, assimilating to a new culture, and overcoming the immigration process and its associated physiological trauma with newly-arrived immigrants.

Ms. Kourousias earned a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Psychology from the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She also holds a Master's degree in Social Work from Hunter College at CUNY.

She has received numerous international and national awards and accolades for her outstanding work from local officials, organizations and the community at large.