I was born in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), the youngest of seven children. In 1977, my family moved to Abidjan (Ivory Coast) where my father became an official for Unicef, a specialized United Nations agency focused on improving the lives of children and mothers in developing countries. In 1983, my family moved to Dakar (Senegal), followed by another move in 1988 to Brazzaville (Republic of Congo). It is through those experiences that I began to appreciate the differences in all human beings and value what those differences can bring to the table.

I graduated from High School in 1989 and chose to pursue a college education in the United States. After a short stint in New York, I enrolled at Illinois State University in 1990 where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 1994. That Fall, I enrolled in the Graduate School of Education at Illinois State University to pursue a Master's degree, which I completed in 1996. My wife Stacey and I are the parents of 4 children, Maya, Mariama, Amelie and Jonah, who are our pride and joy. All received an outstanding education in Unit 5 schools and are thriving. Maya is a nurse and pursuing a doctorate in nursing; Mariama is pursuing a law degree; Amélie is a biology major who plans on going to graduate school and Jonah is a high school student who balances academics and soccer as an MLS Next athlete.

I have been employed at Illinois State University since 1997, with the last nine years in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, where my work focuses on ensuring compliance with the University's Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination policy. I am fluent in three other languages (French, Swahili and Lingala) and also learned Spanish in High School. 

I was first appointed to the City Council in March of 2011 to serve out the term of the previous Alderman for Ward 3. I was then elected to the position in 2013 and reelected in 2017. In 2019, my peers on the city council unanimously voted for me to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. In April 2021, I was honored to be elected as Mayor of Bloomington, which is one of the greatest honors of my life. Bloomington has been on an upward trajectory over the past few years, and it would be an even greater honor to continue the work done together as a community and help Bloomington soar to greater heights.

My family and I have been residents of Bloomington since 2002. Prior to that, we lived on the Illinois State University campus for the better part of 11 years, first as students and then as young professionals.