A powerful personal narrative about choosing an unconventional path—prioritizing family over career—and discovering unexpected success, fulfillment, and gratitude despite initial doubts and sacrifices.
Her Story
About Dédé
Dédé K. Sama, is a Togolese‑American consultant and strategic leader whose 26‑year multidisciplinary career spans aviation, retail, language access, systems administration, and public policy. As Founder and CEO of Language Services and Consulting, LLC, she strengthens institutions and communities through cross‑cultural communication, diaspora integration, and policy research.
An instructor in Global Studies at UNC Charlotte and a Public Policy Phd candidate, she brings a governance‑focused, systems‑driven lens to her work, grounded in stewardship, clarity, and long‑term transformation. Fluent in English, French, Ewe, and Mina, she also works actively as a translator and interpreter.
Dede previously served as Director of Programming at The African Think Tank, and she is the Co‑Founder of the Togolese Association of Charlotte and Founder of Kingdom Women, advancing immigrant integration, women’s leadership, and economic empowerment.
Her professional memberships span the American Translators Association, the African Studies Association, and the International Public Policy Association, reflecting a career rooted in service, excellence, and global impact.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dédé
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith, which taught me to hope against all odds; to grace, expressed through good Samaritans and mentors like Cindy Z., who became family early in my journey in the United States; to my grandmother and mother, who instilled excellence and confidence in me from a young age; and to my pastor, Rev. Freddy Shembo, who continues to be a grounding father figure through the growth pains of marriage, motherhood, and the pursuit of purpose.
My personal story as a Togolese-American is a testament that hope, resilience, and determination can elevate anyone from the lower valleys of life to higher ground. My diverse educational background, my commitment to stewarding every opportunity entrusted to me, and my consistent pursuit of excellence have all shaped the path I have been able to build
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Everything worth having requires work, perseverance and resilience, compassion as strength, learning lessons early, and excellence as a standard — This advice informs how I show up professionally.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women that if I could do this, they can too. I encourage them to seek out and accept mentorship, to commit to excellence and thorough preparation, and to take the time to understand how systems truly operate before trying to act within them. Ultimately, I want them to pursue long-term transformation and economic empowerment, both for themselves and their communities.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I focus deeply on bridging people and communities with public systems across sectors and borders. The challenges I encounter most often stem from cross‑cultural gaps — particularly supporting immigrants and diverse clients in understanding the value in leveraging available support systems — and from the complexity of integrating policies and structures that span multiple sectors. Yet within these challenges, I see profound opportunity: the chance to build more equitable ecosystems and design holistic programs that expand women’s economic freedom and strengthen community resilience.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Stewardship, transformation, vision, decisiveness, compassion, and excellence are the values that guide both my work and my personal life. Together, they shape how I lead, how I serve my clients and community, and how I continue to grow.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Dédé
The sweet reward of the unpopular choice
How sacrificing career ambitions for family became the most rewarding decision of my life.
Choosing the Unpopular Path
Coming to the United States was the long-imagined pathway out of my disadvantaged background. Many people depended on my success, but when I considered the impact of absent parents and the possibility that our children might repeat consequences I knew all too well, I was confronted with the most difficult decision of my life.
Building a new life far from everything familiar, without an established support system, was already hard. Doing it on one income was an even greater risk for foreign-born, working-class families.
Against my husband's advice, I chose to become a full-time mother while venturing out on my own as a consultant. Based on my analysis of the system and the labor market, it was clear to me that, in the long term, having one parent fully dedicated to the children's education would yield a higher return than having both parents pursue careers while relying on third parties for their development.
I was prepared to sacrifice my career and my comfort for the next ten years-or even the rest of my life. But looking back, I realize I took my husband's position in that decision for granted. Our marriage suffered, and weathering that storm often felt like the worst choice I could have made.
Along the way, I doubted the process. Many advised me to simply go back to work. Yet even in moments of scarcity, I felt in my heart that I was on the right path and that things would eventually get better.
And slowly, doors began to open-then momentum picked up.
What I did not expect was that, in less than ten years, my solopreneurship would grow into a full-fledged business, that I would be completing a doctoral degree, and that our children would become high achievers who make us profoundly proud.
I did not expect my husband to one day recognize my sacrifices and thank me.
Although our best life is still ahead of us, I am filled with gratitude, knowing how easily things could have turned out differently.
What I have learned is that unpopular and unsupported choices are not always wrong.
If we gather the courage to chart a new path, we may discover our best selves waiting at its end.
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