Mr. Kasongo and the American University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are linked by history. The university continues to benefit from Mr. Kasongo’s distinguished career in professional engineering and management, science and engineering professorship, and international exposure. Under his vigorous stewardship, American University of Kinshasa is well positioned to continue with its mission.

Mr. Kasongo has a bachelor of mechanical engineering degree from Universite’ Lovanium-Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Upon graduation, he was employed by the Congo Railroads, a corporation of 40,000 employees. This career started in the locomotives department where he was progressively advanced to be in charge of maintenance, planning, international aspects of machinery specifications, procurement, and acceptance testing. After his graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, in 1986, he returned to the Congo Railroads where his 17-year career led to several positions other, including Director of Material, Director of Electro-Mechanical systems, and Vice-President of Procurement and General Technical Control.

During these years of professional and management experience, Mr. Kasongo supervised and collaborated with international experts through the World Bank and several bilateral, industrial projects with various countries including the United States, Yugoslavia, Italy, South Africa, Germany, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Japan. A member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty at the American University of Kinshasa and Université de Lubumbashi, his teaching and research interests are in physics, thermodynamics, and energy conversion, including solar energy. In this latter capacity, his experience also includes teaching and research assistantships at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. He has aslo been consulting on higher education for Harvard University at the Harvard Institute for International Development.

Mr. Kasongo was greatly distressed about the quality of life that so many Africans must accept because of inadequacies in the areas of education, health care, and socio-economic development. Therefore, in recognition of marvelous and unlimited cultural, educational, and trade exchange opportunities between the International Community and Africa, his vision and proposal led to the establishment in 1994 of an American-style institution of higher learning, the American University of Kinshasa, also known as “Universite’ Franco-Americaine de Kinshasa”. Fullfilling his vision, the American University of Kinshasa is a forum, a bridge, and a marketplace to benefit all African citizens, young and old, as well as the International Community.

President Kasongo is also Chairman and Co-Founder with Dr. Robert McAlevy III of the American University of Kinshasa Foundation, a U.S. 501 (C) (3) Nonprofit Foundation based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established since 1998, the Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the University.

Finally, Dimandja Kasongo can speak or communicate in a few languages, including English, French, Portuguese, Average Spanish, Swahili, Lingala, and Kikusu-Mongo.