Congolese Diaspora Impact Strategies offers expert advisory services to businesses, nonprofits, and foundations looking to enter Congolese and African markets and communities.
Strategic communications
Policy
Business
Critical Minerals
Lukogho Kasomo has a background in domestic and international policy and business development. She most recently served as a Business Development Manager for Mastercard. Lukogho started her career as a Legislative Staffer and Press Assistant for former U.S. Representative José E. Serrano of New York, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
After her tenure in Congress, Lukogho worked in business development and on grants and policy for firms in Nairobi and Accra before joining Raytheon Technologies in 2019. She executed government relations for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, guiding and supporting the organization’s overall strategy while acting as an expert resource on the International Affairs Budget for external partners. Lukogho has an MBA in International Business from Howard University and a B.A. in Political Science from San José State University.
She cofounded the Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit, a biannual convening in the U.S. for Congolese professionals in entrepreneurship, healthcare, philanthropy, and technology.
She is a 2018 U.S. Africa Business Fellowship alum, a CSIS Africa Policy Accelerator Board Member, and a member of Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security and the Truman National Security Project.
Jim N. Ngokwey is a Congolese-American entrepreneur who calls Philadelphia home. Jim cofounded Congolese Diaspora Impact Strategies (CDIS), an organization whose mission is to facilitate networking within the Congolese Diaspora in America, amplify the voices of Congolese experts, and support initiatives that enhance the socio-economic capital of the DRC and its Diaspora.
He is also the founder of the only coffee importer in America specializing in coffee from the DRC. Congolese coffee has been served in more than 30million cups in America due to his efforts. Jim is passionate about business and is committed to using his resources to increase drive economic development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Laura Kupe is a multilingual attorney with over 10 years of experience in national security and foreign policy across roles at the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. House of Representatives, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the White House. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, providing strategic counsel on homeland defense, civil-military relations, and the presidential transition. Laura is also a former Obama presidential appointee, having served at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Personnel Office. She also previously worked as Counsel on the House Homeland Security Committee and as a Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation.
Born in Germany to Congolese parents and raised in Luxembourg, Laura speaks German, French, and Luxembourgish. Recognized as a next-generation leader by organizations like The Root and the Munich Security Conference, Laura is a graduate of the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Law School.
