# LaToya Nkongolo

LaToya Nkongolo (born August 8, 1978) is an American politician who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 31st district. A member of the Republican Party, she unsuccessfully ran for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education in 2024, losing to incumbent school board member Dana Schallheim.

## Early life and career

Nkongolo was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 8, 1978. She graduated from Christiana High School, afterwards attending Delaware State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work, Springfield College, where she earned a master's in organizational management, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in social work.
Nkongolo has been a licensed therapist for over 25 years and runs her own mental health facility, Work Life Behavioral Health. previously worked as the family program supervisor for Anne Arundel Medical Center until 2014, when she was hired as the deputy executive director of Nick's Place, a drug and alcohol treatment center. She was involved with many of Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh's opioid abuse prevention campaigns and served on the transition team of Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman in 2018. As of 2024, Nkongolo is an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College and operates a family wellness workshop at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
In 2022, Nkongolo ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 31B on a platform of "Christian, conservative values" that included support for children's mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic and opposition to school shutdowns and COVID-19 pandemic-related mandates. She was defeated in the Republican primary election by the district's three incumbents, Nic Kipke, Brian Chisholm, and Rachel Muñoz. Following her defeat, Nkongolo helped organize a "Unite the Right" rally with Kimberly Klacik to support statewide Republican candidates, including Dan Cox, but withdrew from the event after the Baltimore Jewish Council said that the event's name marked the first time the name "Unite the Right" was used for an event since the Unite the Right rally in 2017.
In 2024, Nkongolo ran for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. During her campaign, she aligned herself closely with Moms for Liberty, supporting initiatives to restrict books in school libraries, increase parental control over school curriculum in areas regarding gender identity and sex education, and ban transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. At a fundraiser in June, Nkongolo characterized the school system as an "institution of grooming" and that its pro-LGBTQ policies are “causing mental illness”, also voicing opposition to gender neutral bathrooms and transgender athletes. In October 2024, she accused her opponent, Dana Schalleheim, who is Jewish, of using Yom Kippur as an excuse to avoid attending a candidate forum; Schallheim rejected Nkongolo's accusations, saying that she told forum moderators weeks in advance that she would not attend the forum and calling Nkongolo's claims "antisemitic". Schallheim defeated Nkongolo in the general election on November 5, 2024, and conceded the night of the election.

## Maryland House of Delegates

In December 2024, after Rachel Muñoz announced that she would resign from the Maryland House of Delegates, Nkongolo applied to fill the remainder of her term in the Maryland House of Delegates. The Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee voted to nominate Nkongolo to the seat on January 3, 2025. She was appointed by Governor Wes Moore and sworn in on January 10, 2025.

## Personal life

Nkongolo married her husband, Bamoyo, on February 14, 2002. Together, they have two children and live in Severna Park, Maryland.
On January 28, 2024, Nkongolo was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, as well as several vehicle-related charges due to the damaged condition of her car. She plead guilty to negligent driving while all alcohol-related charges were later dropped by state prosecutors.

## Electoral history

Maryland House of Delegates District 31 Republican primary results, 2022 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Nic Kipke (incumbent) | 8,764 | 33.0 |
| Republican | Brian Chisholm (incumbent) | 8,261 | 31.1 |
| Republican | Rachel Muñoz (incumbent) | 7,067 | 26.6 |
| Republican | LaToya Nkongolo | 2,465 | 9.3 |
Anne Arundel County Board of Education District 5 primary election, 2024 :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | 9,699 | 63.96% |
| LaToya Nkongolo | LaToya Nkongolo | 3,853 | 25.41% |
| Tareque O. Farruk | Tareque O. Farruk | 1,612 | 10.63% |
Anne Arundel County Board of Education District 5 election, 2024 :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | Dana Schallheim (incumbent) | 26,293 | 60.70% |
| LaToya Nkongolo | LaToya Nkongolo | 16,664 | 38.47% |
| Write-in | Write-in | 356 | 0.82% |