About Me

Damian L. Gagnon has campaigned for strengthened socially responsible commercial and development ties between the US and Africa for over 30 years. Gagnons history with Africa and its people began after he graduated from Assumption College in 1973 with a degree in Foreign Affairs when he enlisted in the Peace Corps and was sent to Francophone West Africa to dig wells in what is now Burkina Faso. When his service commitment with the Peace Corps ended, Gagnon joined the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, in Upper Voltas capital city, Ouagadougou, where he worked for a year before returning to the United States.



After receiving his MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Arizona, Gagnon went back to Africa at the request of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to aid the Government of Sierra Leone in the developing their new Rural Water Supply Program. Gagnon had successfully coordinated the RWSP for over six years when he was recruited by an international minerals export and investment company, Leon Tempelsman and Son in New York, to develop business in Africa.



While at Tempelsman, Gagnon not only served as West Africa representative, brokering mineral deals and maintaining professional relationships and dialogue with mine owners, workers, civil society, and governments. He also played a pioneering role in extending the companys social responsibility footprint, ensuring that the companys business was conducted according to the highest standards of transparency and ethical responsibility.



Following an economic downturn exacerbated by the events of September 11, 2001, Gagnon temporarily parted ways with Tempelsman and went to work for Iridium Satellite LLC, a company with a vision to deliver rural telephony service to Africa. Under Gagnons leadership, Iridium was able to successfully renew its operating licenses in Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone to bring satellite communications services to the most remote villages in those countries.



Once his contract with Iridium ended, Gagnon returned to the Tempelsman group to work for Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI), the largest publicly traded diamond company in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Gagnon has served since 2003 as LKIs Corporate Compliance and Social Responsibility Officer. Reminiscent of his social activist roots, Gagnon takes part in several different social responsibility programs working directly with the people of Africa. For example, he coordinates LKI's investment in partnership with USAID in the Municipal Development Program in the Chitato Municipality of Angola's Lunda Norte Province. Gagnon is an active member of the UN Global Compacts U.S. Dialogue Network,, working to align business operations and strategies with 10 universal principles of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption in the worlds largest corporate citizenship initiative. He is also a member of The Madison Dialogue which promotes collaboration among companies and civil society to encourage best practices in the diamond and gold mining sector. Gagnon represents LKI at the Council For Responsible Jewellery Practices which promotes responsible practices in the diamond and gold jewellery supply chain. When he is not working, Mr. Gagnon volunteers with his church in his hometown of Croton-On-Hudson, NY.