Gordon is the Founder and Executive Director of the African Community Center of Lowell. He holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from UMass Lowell and now serves as a board member for the UMass Lowell Greeley Scholar for Peace and Conflict Studies. He previously worked at the International Institute of New England Lowell branch helping with refugee resettlement as a youth case specialist and community cultural orientation instructor.

 

Gordon also has experience working with children with developmental disabilities. He volunteers his time as a fence viewer for the town of Dracut helping to resolve disputes around boundaries and occasionally mediates at Lowell District Court. He is on the Board of Trustees for Innovation Academy Charter School and is also the founder of the African Festival in Lowell, a free annual festival that attracts thousands of community members and partners to showcase diversity and inclusion. He recently was chosen as the recipient for the Cultural Heritage Excellence award by the Lowell National Historical Park, and has also been elected as the Co-Chair of UMass Lowell Greeley Scholar Committee. In May 2019, he was among the IINE 100 honorees which he received an award.

 

Gordon would like to thank his mentor Afua Addae Adoo from the UMASS Lowell Career Center, Jim Wilde of the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership, Steve Joncas of Joncas Associates, and Darcie Coleman, LICSW. He would also like to give a special thanks to his wife Beatrice Stevens and his three sons Isaac, Raysam and Tyler. This would not have been possible without their support.

​

Awards received by Gordon Donkoh-Halm

 

• NASW’s Public Citizen of the Year, 2023
• International Institute of New England’s 100 honorees, 2019
• UMass Lowell’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award, 2018
• National Park Service’s Excellence in Cultural Heritage, 2018
• The Lowell Sun’s 25 Most Fascinating People, 2008
• Community Teamwork Inc’s Local Heroes Award, 2006