Bio

Venessa Denise Karpeh was born in Monrovia, Liberia, but raised in Ghana and Cameroon by her grandparents She later moved to the U.S. to be reunited with her parents. Venessa earned a bachelors’ degree in Political Science and a masters’ degree in Public Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. Venessa began her professional career as a volunteer coordinator for a Mayoral candidate in 2015, before landing a part-time job as a secretary with the Delaware State Senate. In 2018, Venessa was selected as one of 30 state officials, from 18 States, for the Robert J. Thompson Eastern Leadership Academy, with the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. Utilizing the knowledge and resources she gained; Venessa began strategizing ways to take a “boots on the ground” approach to funnel additional resources to communities in need of assistance. This led her to join the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League Young Professionals — an organization that empowers underserved communities to achieve civic rights and their highest potential. In 2020, she was appointed Program Chair. Within this capacity, she utilized established relationships with lobbyists, organizations, and other grassroots initiatives – often through fundraising and advocacy efforts – to plan and execute quality programs and engagement efforts for residents in the State of Delaware. In 2021, She was a recipient of the National Urban League Young Professionals – New Black Power Award. Venessa currently resides in Wilmington, Delaware and works as a Senior Legislative Assistant to the Delaware State Senate Democratic Caucus, serving two legislators. She has dedicated her career to advocating for marginalized communities, families seeking access to resources, economic opportunities, and government policies that support them. In her spare time, Venessa enjoys supporting the work and advocacy efforts of other Liberians in the movement – Koimene Impact Foundation, Archive Liberia, Free in Color Arts, Monrovia Fashion Week, to name a few.