Carmen Georghe

Born in Mizil, Romania, Carmen Gheorghe is a devoted Roma activist who, in her tenure as the president of E-Romnja, received the distinguished International Women of Courage Award (IWOC) from the United States Department of State in 2022. The daughter of a factory worker and a homemaker, Carmen faced adversity early on with the loss of her mother at the age of 13. Undeterred, she pursued higher education, achieving a bachelor’s degree in public administration in 2006 and a master’s in Gender Studies in 2008. Her academic journey culminated in a Ph.D. in Political Science from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in
Bucharest. Carmen’s professional life between 2008 and 2019 was marked by her roles at the Agenția Națională pentru Romi (National Agency for Roma) and her subsequent endeavors as a project manager and trainer.

With a keen focus on LGBTQI+, gender, and Roma subjects, she collaborated with several non-governmental organizations in Romania, including the Impreuna Agency and the LGBTQI+ rights NGO ACCEPT. In 2012, an enlightening trip to the United States under the International Leadership Program influenced her deeply. Gaining insights into civil society engagement across five US states, Carmen returned to Romania to establish E-Romnja in 2013. With initial funding from the Dutch foundation Mama Cash and subsequent support from the Open Society Foundations and Norway, E-Romnja championed the rights of Roma women, especially in Romania’s poorest regions.

Carmen’s dedication was internationally recognized in 2022 when she was honored with the “International Women of Courage Award,” presented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jill Biden, making her the first Romanian recipient of this
accolade.