Concordia welcomes Dikembe Mutombo to the Leadership Council

Today, Concordia is proud to announce the appointment of Dikembe Mutombo to its Leadership Council. 

Mutombo’s 18-year NBA career—during which he was an eight-time All-Star and a four-time recipient of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award—has made him a perennial fixture in professional sports. In 2015, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Over the course of his basketball career, Mutombo distinguished himself as a key leader in humanitarian efforts, a role he has assumed on a full-time basis since his retirement from the NBA. 

In 1997, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which aims to improve the health, education, and quality of life for people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Foundation is currently spearheading the construction of a school in the Congolese province of Kasai. Named in memory of Mutombo’s late father, the Samuel Mutombo Institute of Science and Entrepreneurship will open its doors late next year. Headquartered in Atlanta, the Foundation has also recently led crucial efforts to ensure that frontline workers in the state of Georgia remain food secure during COVID-19. 

At the 2013 Concordia Annual Summit, Mutombo was one of two panelists for a session entitled “Conflict Zones: Creating Partnerships to Deliver Basic Services in Africa.” During the session, he revealed that, in 2007, his foundation had opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, a 170-bed hospital in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa and the first modern hospital of its kind to operate in the DRC in 40 years. Mutombo returned to participate in the 2014 Annual Summit, where he joined Dr. Mehmet Oz to announce a joint health education initiative between HealthCorps and NBA Cares.

“Mr. Mutombo embodies the values that Concordia holds dear: leadership, integrity, and community service,” commented Concordia Co-Founders Nicholas Logothetis and Matthew Swift. “Mr. Mutombo’s unparalleled humanitarian expertise proves vital to our endeavors to build partnerships for social impact, and we’re beyond thrilled that he has accepted our invitation to join the Leadership Council.”

Upon accepting the invitation, Mutombo commented: “Concordia understands a key truth: durable social impact requires committed partnerships. I am honored to be appointed to the Leadership Council, and cannot wait to work alongside Concordia’s exceptional leaders as we harness the power of collaboration to support the world’s most vulnerable.” 

To view the full Concordia Leadership Council, click here.