I am the  Executive Director of the Children’s Home Society of Idaho, a 113 – year- old organization that operates the Warm Springs Counseling Centre. I am a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaïre. I  was a university student when the country’s dictator launched a campaign of terror against students.

I resettled in Pocatello, Idaho in 1994 where I started over and completed my bachelor’s degree in social work at Idaho State University. Later I earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and went on to work for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

I worked as a UNDP deputy representative in Mauritania, Cabo Verde, and Gabon. I led development projects funded by the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and the European Commission in several countries in Africa and South East Asia. I also helped establish a government in South Sudan, now the world newest country.

After spending a dozen years with U.N., I returned to Idaho with my wife and daughter.