Aristote Hekima, Founder.
Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Aristote Hekima is an American University and the University of Southern Maine graduate with a Master in Forensic Accounting and a Bachelor in Accounting. He originally joined KPMG in Washington D.C as an associate in their BTS practice straight out of graduate school before deciding to join Deloitte’s Financial Services Audit & Assurance practice in January 2021.
A Swahili, French, Lingala, and English speaker, Aristote is passionate about solving the most complex problems faced by some of Deloitte’s largest and respected global financial services clients, access to quality education for everyone, and the issues of African development. Hekima Foundation is his first philanthropic undertaking, which he launched in the summer of 2021 after passing the 4 sections of the CPA exam.
Humphrey Lotana, Secretary.
A Democratic Republic of the Congo native, Humphrey Lotana is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at Purdue University in the chemistry department where he is working on the discovery of the drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
Outside of his passion for biomedical research, Humphrey has been heavily involved in philanthropic work for many years including working for a nonprofit organization where he was helping to bridge the gap between students in a rural region of the DR. Congo and international donors. He also spent time volunteering in Portland Maine, where he provided free verbal and written translations for other French speaking immigrants.
Humphrey is extremely enthusiastic to provide his expertise to help and support the Hekima Foundation. He is an active member of the board of directors, and he is honored to be a part of this amazing team.
Romeo Kimpwene, Treasurer.
A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Romeo Kimpwene graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology and minors in Biochemistry and Interdisciplinary studies. He was for two consecutive years a fellow recipient of the INBRE (Idea Network Biomedical Research for excellence) scholarship, an Institutional Development award of the National Institute of Health (NIH) that promotes research in areas with low level funding. This allowed him to participate in diverse research internships at University of New England College of Pharmacy and Maine Medical Center Research Institute, to name a few.
In alignment with his passion for sciences, Romeo is currently employed at Envirologix. His future academic goals include furthering his education in medical research.