News & Events

Boston, MA – Girl Security is pleased to announce that Jorhena Thomas, a career civil servant and former analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), educator, and advocate for equity in national security, has joined Girl Security as Director of Professional Advancement. Thomas will expand the organization’s portfolio of mentoring, sponsorship, and career advancement programming through strategic partnerships, equity-informed pipeline-to-workplace initiatives, and community building.

Thomas started her career as an Intelligence Analyst and Program Manager for the FBI, where she worked international terrorism and criminal matters, as well as oversaw the FBI’s intelligence program in the Western Hemisphere. She went on to serve in a range of security-related positions, including Deputy Director at the Washington Regional Threat Analysis Center, Chief of Staff to the District of Columbia Mayor for Public Safety, and Regional Security Manager for the Americas with CARE USA. Jorhena has also served as a Girl Security Instructor since 2020. She is also an award-winning faculty member in the Applied Intelligence Program at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.

“Jorhena will contribute exceptional direction, depth, and insight to Girl Security’s model and impact. She has an impressive career track record in national security, and perhaps as importantly, she has a record of impact with girls, women, and gender minorities in the organization. We’re excited to spotlight her leadership in this new role.”

Jorhena’s hiring follows that of Shannon Harrison, a lifelong high school educator and career counselor from the Bay Area and now Girl Security’s Director of Learning and Training, and Gina Bennett, a recently retired member of the CIA’s Senior Analytic Service, as Strategic Advisor to the organization. 

About Girl Security: Girl Security is on a mission to transform the most powerful sector in the world and create career pathways for girls, women, and gender minorities to shape solutions to our most pressing security challenges. Through an equity and trauma-informed model, Girl Security prioritizes historically underrepresented communities, youth from low-opportunity zones, and communities targeted by violence. Learn more at www.girlsecurity.org