Laura Kupe is a multilingual attorney with over 10 years of experience in national security and foreign policy across roles at the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. House of Representatives, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the White House. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, providing strategic counsel on homeland defense, civil-military relations, and the presidential transition.
Kupe is a former Obama presidential appointee, having served at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House Personnel Office. She also previously worked as Counsel on the House Homeland Security Committee and as a Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation.Born in Germany to Congolese parents and raised in Luxembourg, Kupe speaks German, French, and Luxembourgish. She co-founded the Congolese Diaspora Impact Summit, which promotes tech, social impact, and entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Recognized as a next-generation leader by organizations, like The Root and the Munich Security Conference, Kupe is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School.