PORTLAND, OR, March 08, 2024 - Koffi Dessou has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
An accomplished social equity manager with years of expertise leading diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives, Dr. Dessou excels in his role with the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, where he began in a management role. As the social equity director, he leads training development on equity in practice and bias management, oversees all staff, and advises the executive team on policy equity. In addition to his work with the state, Dr. Dessou is a social equity trainer and coach through the eponymous Koffi Dessou Consulting, through which he has worked with Oregon Health Science University, the Oregon Secretary of State, the Oregon State Treasury, and various tri-county public health agencies in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties.
Due to his vast breadth of knowledge, Dr. Dessou is a part-time professor for Warner Pacific University and serves as the executive director of the Oyazu Foundation. Before obtaining his current roles in education, business, and the government, he worked as an assistant professor for the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Similarly, he held several positions with the City of Portland, including deputy director of the Office of Equity and Human Rights, program coordinator for equity training and education, inter-group dialogue program development specialist, and executive assistant. Throughout his tenure with the Portland government, Dr. Dessou developed a scope of work and deliverables, led a staff of 11 employees, provided higher-level training to city officials, and introduced a racial equity-centered results-based accountability training citywide for managers and bureau directors.
During the early stages of his career, Dr. Dessou gained valuable expertise as a political, economic, and commercial specialist and development program manager with the United States Department of State. During the early- and mid-1990s, he honed his management and administrative skills with the U.S. Embassy in Togo, West Africa and Hydro-Quebec International. An expert in his field, he earned a superior diploma in business administration, management, and operations from the University of Lomé in 1990 and a Bachelor of Science in management from the University of Phoenix in 2010. Subsequently, Dr. Dessou expanded his professional knowledge, completing an MBA in global management and a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Driven to remain abreast of changes in the field, Dr. Dessou is aligned with the Association for Talent Development, the Project Management Institute, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Society for Human Resource Management. In conjunction with his work, he dedicates himself to youth empowerment and development through REAP US and serves as president of the board of directors for Togo Community Organization of Oregon (Togo Core). While his career has been filled with highlights, Dr. Dessou takes the most pride in ensuring that his work continues to flourish after his departure and overseeing funding programs regulated by Congress through the United States Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State.
Though hard work and dedication have brought him far in his career, Dr. Dessou credits his success to his desire to escape poverty as a young man. Growing up in a rural village, he witnessed the hardship endured by children and women in his community and was inspired to uplift himself and his family from poverty. Looking toward the future, Dr. Dessou intends to integrate modern agricultural practices into his community, including a solar-powered interest system, which will empower the community and lay the groundwork for more economic opportunities in the area.
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