2024 Speakers

Alan Aqrawi is a Principal Delivery Manager in Responsible AI and multi-agentic red teaming initiatives at Accenture, where he leads cutting-edge AI safety projects for major tech clients such as Google and YouTube. With over 16 years of experience across AI, Responsible AI, and innovation management, he specialized in adversarial testing and agentic reasoning to mitigate risks in AI models. Holding degrees from Harvard University and the University of Bonn, Alan has published on advanced AI adversarial techniques and frequently speaks on AI ethics, safety, and innovation. Alan is passionate about harnessing AI responsibly to address real-world challenges.

Alexandrea Swanson is the managing director of #SheTransformsIT at the Federation of German Industries (BDI e.V.), an initiative dedicated to increasing the participation of women in IT and digitalization. During both her undergraduate and graduate studies, Ms. Swanson focused her research on women's participation in political systems and the labor market in the United States and Germany. Originally from Nebraska, she moved to Germany after completing her studies to pursue a Fulbright Scholarship. Alexandrea is a committed transatlanticist, with previous experience at the Goethe-Institut under Wunderbar Together, and the Amerikazentrum in Hamburg. In her spare time, she is a mentor at the Deutsche Stiftung für Integration (German Foundation for Integration), active Fulbright Alumni and GermanDream Ambassador. Alexandrea holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and German Studies from Creighton University and a Master of Science in Politics, Economics and Philosophy from the University of Hamburg. She currently resides in Berlin.

Alexandria Villaseñor is a youth environmental activist and a first year student at Harvard University. At the age 13, Alexandria began her activism by co-founding the U.S. Youth Climate Strike movement. Since then she’s become an internationally recognized speaker, published author and founder of the nonprofit Earth Uprising International. Alexandria was honored to speak at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, COP25, COP26, COP27 and the World Economic Forum. For her work she received the Earth Day Network Youth Leadership Award, the Rachel Carson Award and she was honored with a State Senate Commendation from her home state of California.

Dr. Anette Wu focuses her educational research on the internationalization of medical education in order to promote the improvement of global health and the reduction of healthcare nationalism. She has authored multiple articles on this topic, including internationalization of medical education “at home” approaches. Her current research focuses on measuring student competencies globally. She is Founder and Director of the International Collaboration and Exchange Program (https://www.internationalcollaborationexchange.org), a multilateral student networking and exchange program with 40 partners worldwide to promote students as stakeholders for Science Diplomacy.

Anselm Dannecker is a Senior Fellow at the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory at Harvard Kennedy School’s CPL where he focuses on complex multistakeholder negotiations, international diplomacy and conflict. Anselm is particularly interested in climate negotiations and regularly trains negotiators for negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. His prior career spans entrepreneurship and public service. Anselm has co-founded a venture, has served as an Economist and as an Adviser to the CEO at IFC, and has advanced financial policy as an economic adviser for the Green Group in the German Parliament and as an economist for the German Central Bank.

As Head of Hip-Hop GSA at Apple, Aria Nejati is one of the most important personalities in the German hip-hop industry. Forbes calls him "a hip-hop pioneer". Both German and American stars – from Herbert Grönemeyer to Travis Scott – have trusted him for over 10 years to talk about mental health and inner conflicts. Nejati has written for publications such as GQ and ZEIT, is a voter for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was included in the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in 2023.

Benjamin Nienass is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University. His research on the politics of memory has appeared in The Review of Politics, Politics and Society, the German Studies Review, Social Research, Memory Studies, the Latin American Research Review, Current History, and many other journals. He is also the co-editor of ""Silence, Screen, and Spectacle: Rethinking Social Memory in the Age of Information"" (Berghahn), ""Las Luchas por la memoria contra las violencias en México"" (El Colegio de México), and of several special journal issues - most recently ""Myths of Innocence in German Public Memory"" in German Politics and Society.

Betsy Ankney is a political strategist with over 15 years of experience on tough campaigns. She has managed campaigns and Super PACs at the state and national level and played a role in some of the biggest upsets in Republican politics. She most recently was the Campaign Manager for Nikki Haley for President. She is currently a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics and serves on the boards of The Campaign School at Yale and The American Association of Political Consultants.

Boris von Chlebowski is a managing director at Accenture with more than 20 years of professional experience in advising companies and public-sector institutions. As Government Relations Lead for the Germany, Austria and Switzerland country group, Mr. von Chlebowski is responsible for the company's political communications. In this role, he maintains an extensive network of political decision-makers at the federal and state level.
His focus is on the development of new operating models based on current technologies such as artificial intelligence, process automation and cloud with the aim of supporting governments and administrations in implementing their political programs and creating social benefits. The digital transformation of the economy, politics and society is at the forefront of this. Mr. von Chlebowski is involved in these topics on central platforms such as the German government's Digital Summit and in BITKOM's Digital Administration working group, as well as in other business associations and initiatives. Mr. von Chlebowski holds a degree in Business Administration from the Freie Universität Berlin.

Based in Los Angeles, Bo is a Partner at Tsugu Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tsugu AG, a Swiss private investment and strategic advisory office. Tsugu Ventures invests globally from a permanent capital pool, backing startups from Seed to pre-IPO stages, with a focus on gaming across content, platforms and infrastructure. Previously, Bo was an investor at Griffin Gaming Partners, the largest gaming-focused venture capital firm. Bo started her career in investment research, covering both established enterprise and consumer tech giants and newly listed companies in the public markets.

Bryce Fuemmeler is the Senior Research Associate for Harvard’s Leadership & Happiness Laboratory, where he leads the Lab’s research team and acts as the Managing Editor for 'Seeking the Good'. In this role, he researches and writes on the science of well-being for students, scholars, and the world outside of Harvard. His writing has appeared in National Affairs, Profectus Magazine, and the Center for Public Leadership’s ‘Community Reflections’, among other places. He holds B.A.s in Economics and History from the University of Missouri, and an M.Sc. in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford.

Cathryn is Senior Advisor in the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Europe’s Future Program with a focus on transatlantic relations, EU, US and German foreign and security policy, technology policy and digital diplomacy. She is also a non-resident fellow with the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi). Previously, she served as director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). For over a decade prior, Cathryn served as the executive director of the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The research program, which she co-founded, examines the challenges to negotiation and statecraft in the 21st century, including the impact of technology on foreign policy.

In addition, Cathryn directed the HKS Belfer Center's Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship from 2018 to 2021. Before that, she served on the management board of the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels and worked as both a consultant and senior journalist at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in France and China. She began her career as a television journalist at CNN International in Atlanta and London.

Cathryn provides expert commentary in English, German and French. Her peer-reviewed publications have focused on negotiation analysis, technology policy, conflict prevention, and urban public policy, and she serves as an associate editor of the academic journal “Diplomacy and Foreign Policy” (Brill). She contributes to lead international publications, such as the Financial Times, New York Times and Washington Post, as well as leading German and global media on transatlantic relations – especially trade and security policy – and German foreign and digital policy. She also advises foreign ministries in Europe, and both North and South America on their digital strategy.

She is both a Truman (2011) and an Eisenhower Fellow (2017). Cathryn holds an undergraduate honors degree in international relations and French civilization from Brown University (1999), a master’s degree in European studies from the London School of Economics (2002) and a master’s degree in public administration (2010) from the Harvard Kennedy School where she was a Hauser Fellow in Non-Profit Management.

Charlie is an MPP student at Harvard, looking at emerging technology and geopolitics through an interdisciplinary lens of economic complexity, risk, and behavior. After playing professional sport, he joined the World Bank in Central Asia, contributing to policy analyses on topics ranging from poverty reduction and labor rights to disaster risk management and AI regulation.

A Belfer Young Leader Fellow, Charlie is undertaking a wide range of research at Harvard: from investigating the behavioral impacts of algorithmic systems at Harvard Law School, to better understanding the supply-side of global decarbonization at the Growth Lab. This summer, he worked for a VC fund building AI-powered knowledge products and lectured at a business school in Bolivia.

Clayton Weimers is the Executive Director of RSF USA, the North American branch of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He oversees an office which monitors press freedom across English-speaking North America and advances RSF's global priorities to advocate for journalist safety and everyone's right to information. His writing on press freedom has appeared in publications including the Washington Post, The Hill, and the Independent. He originally joined RSF USA as its Deputy Director for Advocacy after a career in political campaigns. He holds an AM in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a BA from Pitzer College.

Clemens is a co-founder of Langfuse, an open source developer tool that helps software engineers improve AI applications. Berlin-based Langfuse is funded by Y Combinator, General Catalyst and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Before Langfuse, Clemens worked with the founder-CEOs of German Fintech Unicorn Scalable Capital. Clemens holds degrees in Economics and Economic History from Mannheim University, the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford.

Colonel (GS) Dr. Markus Reisner, PhD is an accomplished General Staff officer in the Austrian Armed Forces. With extensive experience in Special Operations and deployments in conflict zones, he holds a PhD in history and interdisciplinary legal studies. He's a member of the Military History Advisory Board and serves as the Head of Research and Development at the Theresian Military Academy. Currently, he commands the Austrian Honor Guards Battalion and is a respected military expert on the Ukraine conflict, known for his publications on military history and the future of warfare.

Diego Garcia Blum is the Program Director for the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. His work is dedicated to advocating for the safety and acceptance of LGBTQI+ individuals globally,
particularly in regions where they face significant risks. It is a calling born out of his own story of overcoming oppression as a gay man and witnessing the heartbreaking assault on LGBTQ people in repressive areas of the world. At Harvard, Garcia Blum's efforts have centered on driving social change through policy, impactful research, political engagement, storytelling, community organizing, coalition-building, and developing training programs for advocates.
Prior to his current role, Diego worked under Governor Deval Patrick researching LGBTQI+ issues and creating educational programs as the Social Change Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership. Since 2020, he has taught "Queer Nation: LGBTQ Protest, Politics, and
Policy in the United States" alongside Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy at Harvard. Garcia Blum previously served on the National Board of Governors of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQI+ advocacy group in the U.S., where he also volunteered as a community
organizer in Washington D.C.
Before dedicating his work to politics and LGBTQI+ rights, Diego was an accomplished nuclear engineer with almost a decade of experience developing zero-carbon energy technologies. Diego holds a Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he served as Student Body President and as a Presidential Service Fellow. He also holds bachelor degrees in nuclear engineering and political science from the University of Florida.

Dr. Andreas Liebl is Managing Director of the appliedAI Initiative and the appliedAI Institute for Europe with the goal to "Shape Europe's innovative power in AI" by working on advancing organizations to highest levels of AI maturity and by creating state of the art AI applications. He is a member of the Global Partnership on AI and leads the group for "innovation and regulation" next to other advisory roles. He previously was one of the Managing Directors of UnternehmerTUM, worked for McKinsey and did his PhD at the Technical University of Munich.

Dan Kramer is the Director of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program at the Institute of International Education (IIE) works closely with other key stakeholders – including the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), Fulbright Commissions, U.S. Embassies, and U.S. and international universities – on outreach and recruitment, pre-departure preparation, in-country support of ca. 2,100 participants in over 130 countries. Prior to coming to IIE in 2012, Dan was a Professor of German and earned his Ph.D. from Harvard.

Dr Hauschild gained her Ph.D. in natural science 1997 and even then she already dedicated her career to defence politics. She worked with the Bundeswehr Reserve Assocation and the Institute of Strategic Analysis, the Bundeswehr Academy for Information and Communication and then at the Bundeswehr Military Intelligence Center in Bonn as division leader. 2003 she switched over to industry, first at Rheinmetall Defence Electronics as Head of Strategy before joining Diehl Company in 2004. In her position as Generalbevollmächtigte she is heading the Berlin and Brussels office. Dr Hauschild holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Reserve. Among many other positions she is board member of the Air, Defence and Space Commission of the American Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of the Air and Space Forum Germany.

Dr. Ingmar Ritzenhofen is the Chief Financial Officer at RWE Clean Energy. Previously, Dr. Ritzenhofen was named CFO for RWE Renewables Americas in January 2022. Prior to that role, Dr. Ritzenhofen was Head of Controlling and Risk Management for RWE AG, the parent company of RWE Renewables, where he was responsible for overseeing the financial planning and reporting, valuation and investment, and risk management for RWE’s global, diversified energy portfolio.

Before coming to RWE, Dr. Ritzenhofen held several positions at McKinsey & Company, most recently as a Partner for the Energy Sector. His work at McKinsey focused on advising energy companies on issues related to strategy and corporate finance.

Dr. Ritzenhofen holds a PhD from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, for which he conducted research jointly with the University of Chicago, a Master of Science in International Business and International Management from HEC Paris, and a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. Dr. Ritzenhofen lives in Chicago with his family.

Jan Lüdert is Head of Programs at the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York. He has over 20 years of experience in international relations, higher education, and knowledge management, with a focus on science diplomacy and transatlantic partnerships. Lüdert earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He holds Harvard Kennedy’s School Public Leadership Credential; a First-Class Honors MA in International Relations from the Australian National University; and a BA in Public Policy from Hamburg University for Economics and Politics.

Dr. Joanna Dodd Massey is a public company Board Director and corporate communications executive who specializes in enterprise risk management and governance. Her Board positions include serving as Chairman of the Board of TessPay, Inc. (private), Lead Independent Director for KULR Technology Group (NYSE American:KULR), and as an Independent Director for The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (private).

Dr. Massey holds multiple graduate degrees in business, law, and psychology. She is currently working toward a Master of Science in Legal Studies at Cornell University’s School of Law (expected conferral date: 2025). Dr. Massey also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC) and a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance from Harvard; as well as a Doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles.

Dr. Sonja Kreibich took up her post as the Consul General of Germany to the New England States in July 2022. Before arriving in Boston, she served at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin as the Head of Division for Pan African Issues, Southern Africa and the Great Lakes from 2018-22. Prior to this, she served as the Head of Unit for European Migration Policy from 2014-2018, and as press spokesperson in the Speaker’s Office from 2002-2006. Sonja’s roles within the Foreign Office have taken her abroad to the German Permanent Mission to the UN in New York as well as to the German Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. She studied law at the University of Bonn and at the University of Edinburgh and obtained a doctorate from the University of Bonn.

Stephanie Oestreich is Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) and is the chair of the McCloy Alumni Association. She is also on the faculty of MIT, a member of the Launchpad and SpringBoard Venture Groups, an advisor at grIP Venture Studio, to Biognosys (a Bruker company), Invitris, CART company CelineTx and to the drug development and investment company OrangeGrove Bio.

Previously she was Chief Business Officer at Galecto, Vice President at cell therapy company Mnemo Therapeutics, a Venture Partner at RA Capital and Executive Vice President at Evotec where she built its North American investment arm and started an incubator with Samsara BioCapital. She also worked as International Business Leader at F. Roche Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and for Novartis in Business Development and in Commercial.

Stephanie conducted the research for her Ph.D. in biochemistry in the lab of a Nobel Prize winner at Harvard Medical School and obtained an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

As a semi-professional violinist, she performs with Philharmonic orchestras in Carnegie Hall and other international venues and conducts workshops with live orchestras, demonstrating the similarities between teams and leadership in music and management.

Tim Maurer leads Microsoft’s Global Cybersecurity Policy team, which collaborates closely with internal stakeholders, namely the product, security, and engineering teams at Microsoft, and engages with external stakeholders in government, industry, and civil society around the globe. Prior to joining Microsoft, Tim served in the Biden-Harris Administration from 2021-2023, first as Senior Counselor for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, and subsequently as Director for Technology and Democracy at the White House National Security Council. At the White House, he co-chaired the U.S./EU Trade and Technology Council Working Group on Data Governance and Technology Platforms. Previously, Tim spent a decade working at several think tanks, including as a Senior Fellow in the Technology and International Affairs program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Director of Carnegie’s Cyber Policy Initiative. In 2018, Cambridge University Press published his book ‘Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, and Power.’

Dr. Tobias Cremer is a Member of the European Parliament for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. He is also a member of the Delegation for relations with the United States and the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Prior to his election Dr. Cremer served as a career diplomat in the German Federal Foreign Office, where he was most recently responsible for managing bilateral relations between Germany and the Baltic states. He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Cambridge, a Master in Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MPhil in Politics and International Studies from Cambridge University, and a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Sciences Po Paris.

Walter Goetz joined the European Parliament Liaison Office in Washington D.C. as Head of Office in September 2023. He served as Head of Cabinet of Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean from 2019 to August 2023. Before moving to the European Commission, he worked in the Secretariat General of the European Parliament in Brussels, where he mainly headed several Committee secretariats (CRIS, TRAN and ITRE) in the years 2009-2019. Previously he also served as administrator in the ITRE secretariat and in the European Parliament’s Transatlantic Relations Unit. His European career took off in 2003 when he joined the European Commission working on financial services. As a junior official, he worked in the German Federal Ministry of Finance in Bonn and Berlin in the years 1998 to 2003, where he held various positions as a desk officer in customs, fiscal policy and legal departments. He studied Law and Administrative Science in Konstanz and Speyer, Germany, and holds a PhD from the Faculty of Law of the University of Konstanz.

Born on November 17, 1951, in Wuppertal, Germany, Werner Hoyer is a distinguished economist and statesman with a notable career spanning both national and European institutions. He earned his diploma in Economics from the University of Cologne in 1974, where he later completed a Ph.D. in 1977 on the "wealth effects of money." Hoyer began his career in international personnel development at the Carl Duisberg Society and served as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Cologne until 1984.

In 1987, he entered German politics, serving as a member of the Bundestag until 2012. Hoyer held key roles as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1994-1998 and again from 2009-2011. He went on to become President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) from 2012 to 2023, playing a pivotal role in financing sustainable development across Europe. Since 2012, he has also led the Institute for European Policies in Berlin, where he continues to contribute his expertise to shaping European policy.

Dr. Wolfgang Gründinger serves as the Chief Evangelist at Enpal, Europe's leading new energy pioneer and Germany's first Greentech unicorn. A passionate advocate for sustainability, he is a Climate Reality Leader trained by Al Gore and actively contributes to influential organizations such as the German Association Club of Rome, the World Economic Forum, and Scientists For Future. Twice recognized by Capital magazine as one of the "Top 40 under 40", Wolfgang has also received multiple accolades for his books, solidifying his impact in the realm of climate advocacy and innovation.

Elaine Buckberg is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, former Chief Economist of General Motors, and a former senior U.S. Treasury official. She has served as an advisor to top leadership across government, corporate, and finance, using economics to inform real-world decisions and improve outcomes.
At Salata, Elaine leads research and stakeholder engagement to drive better public EV charging outcomes. She also covers industrial policy, supply chains, and geoeconomics and teaches an undergraduate seminar on EVs. Her experience spans macro, micro, and financial economics, U.S. and international, with a deep focus on China and Latin America.
As Chief Economist for General Motors, Elaine assessed the impact of global economic developments on the corporation and advised the C-suite on competitive and economic policy issues.
At the U.S. Treasury Department, Elaine served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Coordination in the Office of Economic Policy. She was an economic advisor to the Treasury Secretary and other senior officials on a wide range of domestic policy issues, notably infrastructure, housing finance, and financial regulatory reform.
In her economic consulting career, Elaine provided expert testimony on finance and commercial litigation issues at the Brattle Group and NERA Economic Consulting. She began her career at the International Monetary Fund and Morgan Stanley.
Elaine has briefed senior officials at the White House, Federal Reserve Board, and Congress on macroeconomic and auto topics. She is frequently quoted in major media outlets, including Bloomberg, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and NPR.
She currently serves on the Yale University Council and the Geoeconomic Council of Advisers of think tank CSIS and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Elaine was previously on the board of the National Association of Business (NABE).
Elaine earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her B.A. with a double major in Economics and English, magna cum laude, from Yale University.

Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, is senior contributing editor at KFF Health News, an independent non-profit newsroom based in Washington DC, focusing on health and health policy. She previously was editor-in-chief of the newsroom for 6 years. From 1994-2016, she worked at the New York Times as a reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior writer. Her book “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back” was a 2017 New York Times bestseller. In 2020 Washingtonian magazine named her one of the “most influential” people in DC. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, she worked as an emergency room physician before converting to full-time journalism.

As a partner at FGS Global, Eva Christiansen is tapping into her extensive experience in strategic leadership positioning, political expertise and strategic foresight to advise clients on geopolitical and societal risk assessment, stakeholder engagement strategies, and executive leadership communication. She is the Co-Lead of the "Strategic Foresight and Geopolitics“ unit at FGS Global. Between 1999 and 2021, she was a close associate to German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and has supported her in a wide range of functions. Her positions included spokesperson for the CDU Germany as well as spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. From 2006 onwards, Eva Christiansen worked in the Chancellery, as media advisor for Chancellor Merkel and most recently as head of the department “Political Planning, Innovation and Digital Policy, Strategic IT Steering”. With a diploma in economics from the University of Bonn, Eva started her career in auditing, before moving into politics in 1998.

Florian is a Portfolio Manager at Shell’s Renewable Generation business in the US, leading a team of Investment Advisors, Portfolio Planners, and Strategy Analysts. In 11 years at Shell, Florian held various roles in Technical, Finance, and Strategy teams in the Netherlands and London, where he advised leadership teams to deliver competitive strategies and investment decisions.
He holds an M.Sc. in Structural Geology with Geophysics from the University of Leeds, UK. Originally from Leipzig, Germany, he now lives in Boston and enjoys exploring the outdoors – in his hiking boots, on a pair of skis, or on his offroad motorcycle.

Dr. Gloria Yayra A. Ayee is a Senior Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. She also teaches at the Harvard Extension School (government and international relations faculty) and at Harvard College. At the Ash Center, she works with the IARA Project, leading the “Global Justice, Truth-Telling and Healing” study. Dr. Ayee is a political scientist with expertise in American politics, African politics, human rights, transitional justice, truth and reconciliation commissions, race and ethnic politics, civil rights policy, and media policy and politics.

Greta Buschhaus, 30, journalist and moderator based in Berlin. Writes for and presents the investigative ZDF documentary "Die Spur". Winner of the "Deutscher Fernsehpreis 2023" for the documentary series "The World’s Most Dangerous Show" about solutions for the climate crisis. Holds a First Class Degree in International Journalism from City University London. Began her career as an editor at ZDF heute journal. Bachelor's degree in International Business from Maastricht University. Grew up in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Hagar Hajjar Chemali is the host and creator of Oh My World – an award-winning media brand that explains geopolitics in an educational and entertaining way. She is also the CEO of Greenwich Media Strategies, a strategic communications consultancy that focuses on national security, human rights, and counter-illicit finance. Her professional background is shaped by her experiences in the U.S. government where she worked as Spokesperson and Director of Communications for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Spokesperson for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council, and Treasury Senior Policy Advisor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes. Hagar received her BA in Political Science from Barnard College and her MA in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, where she is currently an adjunct associate professor.

Hannah Herzig is team leader at the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, where her work focuses on vaccines and therapeutics against deliberate health threats. She also serves as policy assistant to Peter Piot, the special advisor on health security to President von der Leyen. She has previously worked on health system strengthening, digital health and the Covid-19 response for maritime transport. Hannah is licensed as a physician in Belgium and Germany, holds a master of public health from Harvard University and is completing an MBA at INSEAD.

Jim is a Principal and Head of the AI Practice at Deloitte US, where he collaborates with external technology firms, clients, and Deloitte’s business leaders to help clients achieve their AI ambitions. His goal is to explore and connect on how we can harness the transformative power of AI to reshape the future for our clients, driven by a shared curiosity and a passion for innovation. My experience spans the life sciences, health care, and telecommunications industries, with a strong focus on applying analytics, planning, forecasting, and digital transformation to enhance finance functions.

Joel Obermayer is founder and executive director of Widen the Circle, an organization works with remembrance activists in both Germany and the United States who use history to promote healing from past injustice and to combat modern bigotry. Widen the Circle grew out of the Obermayer Awards, which were founded by his late father Arthur Obermayer in 2000 and are presented in Berlin. The awards honor German non-Jews who commemorate local Jewish communities decimated by the Nazis and fight modern antisemitism and bigotry. Joel believes that community-based remembrance has the power to profoundly change minds and attitudes.

Jonathan Bach is professor of Global Studies, dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies, and faculty affiliate in Anthropology at The New School. He is also a faculty affiliate at Yale University's European Studies Council and Columbia University's Center on Organizational Innovation and an Associate Member of the Center for the Anthropological Research on Museums and Heritage at the Humboldt University, Berlin. His recent work explores the politics of memory, material culture, and urban space in Germany and China. He is the author of _What Remains: Everyday Encounters with the Socialist Past in Germany_ (Columbia University Press 2017).

Historian and exhibition curator: studied middle and modern history and political science in Göttingen, Geneva and Torun, then did her doctorate on a German-Polish topic of contemporary history (“Myth of Upper Silesia”). Initially working on and in the German-Polish-French scientific and cultural exchange, then a scientific traineeship at the German Historical Museum (DHM). As an exhibition curator since 2012, she has been involved in the public presentation of history and thus the German culture of remembrance, especially through exhibitions, including “1914-1918. The First World War” (DHM), “Excluded. Archeology of Forced Camps” (Documentation Center for Nazi Forced Labor/Topopography of Terror, currently being shown in Frankfurt am Main) and the permanent exhibition on the East Side Gallery (www.eastsidegallery exhibition.de) at the Berlin Wall Foundation. Since mid-September 2024, head of department for exhibitions in the Stasi Document Archive/Federal Archives.

Juri Schnöller is one of Germany's leading political entrepreneurs and campaign experts. As the co-founder of Cosmonauts & Kings, he advises top politicians, ministries, parties, and corporations. He is also a co-initiator of the nonprofit impact alliance AI4Democracy. Previously, Juri has worked in various capacities on the campaigns of Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, and most recently Ursula von der Leyen. He studied Public Management and Political Science at Zeppelin University and in Washington, D.C. Juri is the author of "Agile Democracy" and the "Public Arena Playbook," and really loves Star Trek, Brooklyn Brewery and the Alpes.

Katharina leads AI Strategy and Products at QuantCo, a company building advanced AI systems for enterprises, predictive health applications, and deep learning-based disease diagnostics. Previously, she led AI product teams at one of Silicon Valley's largest mental health startups. Katharina also cares about advancing the positive impact of emerging technologies on democracy and the public sector as a Young Leader at Atlantikbrücke, a Fellow with Eric Schmidt's International Strategy Forum, and as a Young Leader at the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation. She holds a PhD from Stanford and an undergraduate degree from Harvard.

Katharina is Public Sector Lead at Edgeless Systems, a German cybersecurity and AI company building leading open-source software for confidential computing. Edgeless Systems' technology enables secure use of public cloud environments and AI applications, even with the most sensitive data from governments and regulated industries. Katharina holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and previously worked as a Consultant at Boston Consulting Group. She further earned a B.A. in Politics, Administration & International Relations from Zeppelin University and an M.A. in International Relations from Freie Universität Berlin, during which she studied abroad at UC Berkeley and Sciences Po, Paris.

Multi-disciplinary artist of German / Nigerian descent.

Kent Larson is the Director of the City Science group at the MIT Media Lab. His research focuses on developing urban interventions that enable more entrepreneurial, livable, high-performance districts in cities. To that end, his projects include advanced simulation and augmented reality for urban design, transformable micro-housing for millennials, mobility-on-demand systems that create alternatives to private automobiles, and Urban Living Lab deployments in Hamburg, Andorra, Guadalajara, Taipei, and Boston.Larson and researchers from his group received the “10-Year Impact Award” from UbiComp 2014. This is a “test of time” award for work that, with the benefit of hindsight, has had the greatest impact over the previous decade.Larson practiced architecture for 15 years in New York City, with design work published in Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Global Architecture, The New York Times, A+U, and Architectural Digest. The New York Times Review of Books selected his book, Louis I. Kahn: Unbuilt Masterworks (2000) as one of that year’s ten best books in architecture.

Kevin Peters is Managing Director of MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH in Germany, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Munich. The company employs over 2,300 people and focuses on human and animal health across 9 sites. Kevin joined MSD UK in 1996, and has spent over 25 years’ experience with MSD and built a broad range of experiences across global, regional, and local assignments in AP, China, Europe, and other regions. He also is a member of the Board of the German industry association vfa and is active within the American Chambers of Commerce.

Kirsten Rulf is a Partner at BCG. Until April 2023 she was Head of Digital Policy at the Federal Chancellery of Germany for former Chancellor Angela Merkel. During that time, she was also responsible for negotiating EU Data and AI policy, e.g. the EU AI Act, Data Act, Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act. In addition to BCG, Kirsten Rulf teaches AI policy at Yale University and is 2023 UC Berkeley Tech Policy Fellow. Until 2019, she taught AI and Compliance at Harvard Law School and was a Fellow at Berkman Klein Center. She holds an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School as McCloy Fellow, two M.A. from Oxford University, and was a 2022 Yale World Fellow.

Kristine Berzina is the Washington, DC-based managing director of GMF Geostrategy North. She is responsible for leading programming on US, NATO, Baltic, and Arctic security and defense. Berzina also leads GMF’s Across America initiative, taking European officials into the US heartland. She is a frequent commentator in international media including the BBC, CNN, NPR, and The New Yorker. Berzina previously worked on countering autocratic influence as head of GMF’s Alliance for Securing Democracy’s geopolitics team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Yale University and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge.

Since October 2023, German Army Lieutenant Colonel Hekja Marlen Werner has been the commander of the Armored Artillery Battalion 375, based in Eastern Bavaria. During her officer career she has held positions as platoon and company commander and attended the 13th General and Admiral Staff Officer Course. Afterwards, she spent three years as the deputy army attaché in Washington D.C. Prior to her current assignment, she served at the German Ministry of Defense.
LtCol Werner holds a master’s degree in military leadership and international security from Helmut-Schmidt-University. Her military career saw her deployed to Afghanistan.

Luisa Neubauer is a climate activist and key organizer of Germany's "Fridays for Future" movement. She has mobilized millions for mass protests, leading to Germany's coal exit and the first national climate law. Under her leadership, the movement showcased the power of youth-led activism and pushed for a European Green Deal. In 2021, Luisa was the lead plaintiL in the landmark 'Neubauer vs. Germany' case. The court ruled that insuLicient emissions reduction violates the liberties of young people, marking a pivotal moment for civil rights in climate policy. Her advocacy has brought her into discussions with leaders like President Macron, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama,
Ursula von der Leyen, and the Pope. Currently, Luisa is building climate alliances between union workers and youth. In
autumn 2024, she sued the German government again to strengthen social security during the climate transition. TIME listed her in the TIME100 Next 2022. She received the Sermon Prize for 'lifetime achievement' for raising environmental awareness in the German-speaking world. Luisa has published four best-selling books on justice and climate, one of them is available in English: Beginning to End the Climate Crisis. A History of Our Future. Her Ted Talks have over 4 million views, and she won the national prize for 'Speech of the Year' for defending local villages against coal mining.

Major General Huber is a graduate of the Theresian Military Academy and the Austrian National Defense University. He served in different command and staff positions during his 40 year career. During his last assignment he served as the deputy National Armament Director. In December 2021, he took over the responsibilities of the Austrian Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché, with accreditation to Brazil, Canada and the United States of America. MG Huber holds a master's degree in law from the University of Vienna. He is also a graduate of the National Austrian Strategic Leadership Course.

Manfred Grunert studied History and German Literature at the universities in Hamburg and Konstanz. After working as a lecturer at the University of Konstanz he moved to the BMW Group's company archives. He gained experience as a spokesperson in the technology communication team before he got responsible for the global public relation team of MINI and BMW Motorrad. Later Mr. Grunert was leading the global digital communication team before he took over Communication and Government affairs for Asia and Pacific in 2020. Since February 2023 he is the Vice President for Communication and Government Affair in Americas.

Dr. Ward is an expert in advancing anti-racism efforts within health professions education and in designing curricula to enable students and faculty to competently promote health and racial equity in practice. Her research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and antiracism educational interventions as well as community-focused studies on HIV, Black women's health, and youth identity. As a member of the DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR), she is the principal investigator on Two in One: HIV and COVID Screening & Testing Model that allows her to lead a national research-based educational intervention for primary care practitioners to routinize screenings for HIV, PrEP/PEP, and the COVID vaccine. This research will lead to a set of policy recommendations for overall practice-based changes for all patients and culturally responsive messaging for racial, ethnic, sexual and gender minoritized patients. She is also skilled in the application of participatory action research methods.

Mareike Ohlberg is a senior fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund and leads the Stockholm China Forum. She is based at GMF’s Berlin Office. Before joining GMF, Mareike worked as an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies. Prior to that, she was an An Wang postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and a postdoctoral fellow at Shih-Hsin University in Taipei. Mareike has a doctoral degree in Chinese studies from the University of Heidelberg and a master’s degree in East Asian regional studies from Columbia University.

Marie-Astrid Langer is the US-foreign correspondent for Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) in Silicon Valley, covering technology and politics since 2018. Prior to that, she worked at NZZ's headquarters in Zurich as an editor focused on US politics. In 2015, she was the Arthur F. Burns fellow with the Wall Street Journal in San Francisco. Langer is a Young Leader of Atlantikbrücke and the American Swiss Foundation, and an alumna of the Henri-Nannen-Journalistenschule. She holds an MBA from the University of Tübingen. In 2021, Suhrkamp published her first book "Kamala Harris, ein Porträt", the first and only German-language biography of the vice president.

Mark Fagan is a Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Mr. Fagan teaches Operations Management, Systems Thinking and Supply Chain Management and Policy Development in the degree program. In executive education programs, he teaches about service delivery, strategy and cross boundary collaboration. He leads the School’s Autonomous Vehicles Policy Initiative. He also works with organizations on adopting artificial intelligence to improve operations.
Mark Fagan has consulted to management in the public and private sectors on strategy issues for more than 30 years and was a founding partner of Norbridge, Inc. a general management consulting firm with a distinctive competence in the transportation sector.

Martin Klingst, who studied law, was for 27 years a journalist at DIE ZEIT, serving as a reporter, senior political editor, and US correspondent. He also worked as Head of Strategic Communications an Speeches for the German president. Mr. Klingst published three books: “Menschenrechte” (human rights), “Trumps Amerika. Reise in ein weißes Land” (Trump’s America. Journey to a White Country), and a biography about Guido Goldman, a Harvard professor and founder of the German Marshall Fund: “Guido Goldman. Transatlantic Bridge Builder”. Mr. Klingst is currently managing a project to reform the German system of governance.

Melanie Vogelbach is the Managing Director for International Economic Policy at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK). After joining DIHK in 2014, she held various positions before moving to her current role, most recently serving as the CEO of Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland, Germany’s largest association of young entrepreneurs. Melanie studied International Relations in Dresden, Valparaíso, and New York. Her professional experience includes roles at UN organizations, think tanks, NGOs, and the German Federal Foreign Office.

Michael Bewerunge, born in 1961 in Ratingen, is the head of the ZDF Studio in Vienna/Southeast Europe since October 2024. Previously, he held roles as ZDF Studio Head in Tel Aviv (2020-2024), Saxony (2017-2020), and as a correspondent in Rome (2012-2016). He was also involved in the creation and moderation of the “Politix” magazine in 2012. Bewerunge's career at ZDF spans several positions, including roles in Berlin and Bonn. He is an alumnus of the German School of Journalism in Munich and holds a degree in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin.

Michael F. Cannon, MA, JM, is director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute.

Cannon is “an influential health‐​care wonk” (Washington Post) and “the most famous libertarian health care scholar” (Washington Examiner). Washingtonian magazine named Cannon one of Washington, DC’s "Most Influential People" in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Cannon's scholarship spans public health; regulation of clinicians, medical facilities, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices; employer-sponsored and other private health insurance; Medicare; Medicaid; CHIP; the Veterans Health Administration; medical malpractice litigation; administrative law; international health systems; political philosophy; and more.

His latest book is Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector.

​​Morgane Herculano is a professional high diver and Harvard College graduate. She made her debut in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2024 after a decade of competing internationally in springboard diving. She is the first woman to represent Switzerland in High Diving. She is also a content creator and shares her diving experiences and her daily adventures to her 200k followers on social media. Morgane is also a Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

Nico Lange is a Senior Fellow with the Munich Security Conference. Previously he served as the Chief of Staff at the German Ministry of Defense.

For the last decade, I spent most of my time on the pitch as a professional field hockey player for the german national team. Alongside, I studied in Germany, England and the United States. My ambition evolved from solely being successful on the pitch to also take responsibility as a leader and role model in terms of sustainability and social justice. That resulted in becoming a three-time olympian, founder of the hockey forest and proud ambassador of Sports for Future.

Patrick Renner is an award-winning healthcare entrepreneur, recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in both 2018 and 2020. He is the founder and COO of Citruslabs, the leading Contract Research Organization of clinical trials for brands.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics & Business from Vienna University of Business and Economics. He has pursued graduate studies in finance at The University of Glasgow, health law at NYU Law, and clinical service operations at Harvard Medical School.

Prior to founding Citruslabs, Patrick created MindMate, the #1 memory health app for baby boomers, which has won multiple awards and is often titled the “ultimate Alzheimer’s app.”

When not advancing the healthcare industry, Patrick is an avid long-distance runner. He is a World Marathon Six Star Finisher with a personal record of 2:37. Additionally, Patrick enjoys exploring California and its neighboring regions from the cockpit as a private pilot.

Peter S. Rashish is Vice President and Director of the Geoeconomics Program at the American- German Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. He has previously served as Vice President for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and as Senior Advisor for Europe at McLarty Associates. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Jean Monnet Institute in Paris and a Senior Advisor to the European Policy Centre in Brussels. He received his AB from Harvard College and an MPhil from Oxford University.

Prof. Dr. Axel Klausmeier studied art history, modern and medieval history in Bochum, Munich and Berlin and subsequently worked as an assistant at the Department of Monument Conservation of the BTU Cottbus with a research focus on "Uncomfortable Monuments". Between 2001 and 2003 he documented the remains of the Berlin Wall on behalf of the Berlin Senate. Since January 2009 he has been Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation and since 2012 Honorary Professor for Historical Cultural and Memory Landscapes at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

Aysel Yollu-Tok is Professor of Economics with a focus on labor market and social policy and Director of the Harriet Taylor Mill Institute for Economics and Gender Studies at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. She is Chairwoman of the Society for Social Policy (Gesellschaft für Sozialen Fortschritt) in Germany.

Prof. Dr. Christian Djeffal is Assistant Professor for Law, Science and Technology at the Technical University of Munich. His research focuses on the intersection of law and technology, in particular artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Djeffal studied law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich and University College London, and received his PhD from the Humboldt University of Berlin. He previously coordinated research on global constitutionalism and the Internet at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin. Christian Djeffal is known for his work on AI and design-oriented approaches to legal scholarship with a focus on public administration, public health and public communication. He is a member of the board of the National E-Government Competence Centre and advocates for transparent AI applications in public administration.

Lothar H. Wieler, who served as president of the Robert Koch Institute from 2015 to 2023, is now professor of digital global public health and speaker of the Digital Health Cluster at the Hasso Plattner Institute. He's also a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and part of the COVID-19 Review Committee for the WHO. He's a veterinarian, microbiologist and expert in global public health. His initial research focused on the molecular pathogenesis, genomic surveillance and evolution of infectious agents, particularly zoonotic agents and antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. Based on this experience, he expanded his research into public and global health, focusing on disease prevention and containment of pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. He is currently expanding his research into the prevention of non-communicable diseases and conducting research in the field of digital health, with a particular focus on global public health issues. His goal is to reduce health disparities by promoting digital public health at local, national and international levels, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Prof. Dr. Guenter Krings is a Member of the German Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2002. He is the spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group on legal affairs. Prior to that he was assigned as in-house council as well as deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, among others. In the years 2013 – 2021, he was appointed Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior (home affairs). Mr. Krings is Honorary Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Cologne (Faculty of Law) since 2010.

Prof. Dr. Isabell M. Welpe is the chair of the Strategy and Organization research group at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.  She was elected among the 40 leading HR-Personalities (Award of the Journal Personalmagazin). The expertise of Professor Welpe includes digital transformation of companies, business model innovation, the impact of digital technologies on the economy and organizations and the future of leadership and work/organizational design.

James F. Hollifield is Ora Nixon Arnold Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the Tower Center at SMU. He also is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC and a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. Hollifield is a scholar of international and comparative political economy, and he has written widely on issues of political and economic development, with a focus on migration. Hollifield also has served as an advisor for governments around the world and for many international organizations on matters of migration and human and economic development.

Dr. Naika Foroutan is a Professor of Social Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin, where she leads the Department of Integration Studies and Social Policies at the Berlin Institute for Integration and Migration (BIM). She also directs the German Center for Integration and Migration (DeZIM), a government-funded institute that researches migration, integration, and monitors Racism for the German government. Her work focuses on immigration, Islam in Europe, and Middle Eastern Futurisms. In her book The Post-migrant Society, she developed a widely recognized framework for analyzing migration-related social transformations.

Since 2006, Prof. Dr. Sascha Spoun has served as the President of Leuphana University of Lüneburg, where he has been instrumental in shaping the university’s strategic direction. In addition to his leadership role at Leuphana, he has held a visiting professorship in University Management at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland, furthering his expertise in higher education governance. His academic career also includes a lecturer position at the University of Zurich and a junior professorship at the University of St. Gallen, where he led initiatives in university development, including the Contextual Studies Program and leadership in coaching and mentoring. Known for his contributions to higher education policy, he has served as the speaker of both the Consortium of Northern German Universities since 2021 and the LHK Commission on Teaching & Studies since 2019, advocating for innovation and quality in teaching and learning across universities.

Stefan Fröhlich studied Political Science and Economics at the Universities of Bonn, Paris, Philadelphia and Washington. He is Professor for International Politics and Political Economy at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (since 2003). Fröhlich is a member of the board of the German Atlantic Society (Berlin), the board of Directors of the Institute for European Politics (Berlin), the German Society for Foreign Politics (Berlin), the advisory board of the Harris German/Dartmouth Distinguished Visiting Professorship, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, US, and the Chairman of the selection committee for German students at the College of Europe (Bruges), Europäische Bewegung (Berlin).

Fröhlich is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolin (Warsaw), the Center for European Integration Studies at the University of Bonn and Zurich University. Among other things, he was Visiting Professor at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C. (2002/3), the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Washington (2007/8) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington D.C. (2016/17). He was also Visiting Professor at the Universities of Antwerp, Boston (Harvard), Budapest, Moscow, Bologna, Milano, Vienna, London, Innsbruck, Birmingham and Dunedin. Fröhlich has extensive experience in teaching courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at different universities all around the world.

Professor Fröhlich is author of numerous monographs on international politics and economy, among them The geoeconomic turning point: the global power struggle for markets and resources. Springer, October 2024; The End of Self-Bondage: German Foreign Policy in a World without Leadership. Springer, 2021; Das Ende der Selbstfesselung: Deutsche Außenpolitik in Einer Welt ohne Führung. Springer, 2019; Die
Europäische Union als Globaler Akteur. Springer VS, 2014 (first and second edition 2008); The New Geopolitics of Transatlantic Relations: Coordinated Responses to Common Dangers. Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 2012; Major tasks and the state of the art. The Work of the EU Convention, Washington 2004; The difficulties of EU governance, Frankfurt 2004; Globalization and the future of transatlantic relations, Bonn 2003; Auf den Kanzler kommt es an. Außen- und Europapolitik in der Ära Kohl, Paderborn 2001; Die GASP: Entwicklung und Perspektiven, Bonn 2002; Zwischen selektiver Verteidigung und globaler Eindämmung. Amerikanische Geopolitik im Kalten Krieg, Baden-Baden 1998; Amerikanische Geopolitik von den Anfängen bis zum Zweiten Weltkrieg, München 1998; Die USA und die neue Weltordnung, Bonn 1992.

He is also co-author/editor of more than 6 books, among them New Perspectives on Transatlantic Relations Multidisciplinary Approaches. Munich, 2021, The Changing East Asian Security Landscape Challenges. Challenges, Actors and Governance. Springer VS, 2018; 10 Jahre Deutschland in Afghanistan, Wiesbaden 2011; Strategic Implications of Euro-Atlantic Relations, Washington 2004. Fröhlich has authored more than 150 journal articles, essays and book chapters.

Professor Fröhlich is co-author of several reports, among them most recently Partnership in Leadership: A New Beginning. New Impulses for Transatlantic relations, Bonn 2021, and Suspicious Minds. US-German relations in the Trump era, Washington 2017. Among his many activities, Professor Fröhlich was Director of the postgraduate Study Program at the Center for European Integration Studies, University of Bonn (1998-2002), and served in various position in the German Parliament. Fröhlich is a reviewer of books in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and a frequent guest on German and international radio and television stations.

Urs Gasser is professor of public policy and governance at the Technical University of Munich, Dean of the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology, and Rector of the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy. Previously, he was the long-time executive director of Havard’s Berkman Klein Center, and now visiting professor at Harvard Law School. He serves as advisor to governments in Europe, Asia, and Latin America with a focus on digital and AI policy. Among his recent publications is “Guardrails: Guiding Human Decisions in the Age of AI” (Princeton University Press 2024, with Viktor Mayer-Schönberger).

Wolfram Schlenker studies the effect of weather and climate on agricultural yields and migration, how climate trends and the US biofuel mandate influences agricultural commodity prices, and how pollution impacts both agricultural yields and human morbidity.

Prof. Manuel Hartung, born 1981, has been serving as C.E.O. and Chairman of the Executive Board of ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS since January 2022.
Previously he headed the WISSEN section of the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT from 2019 to 2021 and was publisher of ZEIT GERMANY. Between 2015 and 2019 he served as head of the education section CHANCEN. Before being a McCloy Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School from 2009 to 2011, he founded DIE ZEIT’s student magazine ZEIT CAMPUS and served as its editor-in-chief. While a student at Harvard in 2010, Manuel was one of the organizers of the “German Conference at Harvard” (as it was called back then).
Manuel taught at the Universities of St. Gallen and Göttingen; now he teaches at the Institute for Arts and Media Management – a branch of Hamburg’s Hochschule für Musik und Theater – where he was appointed as professor (§17HmbHG) in 2021.

Prof. Dr. med. Martina Müller-Schilling, MHBA, leads the Department of Internal Medicine I at the University Hospital Regensburg, where she oversees specialties in Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases. She earned her medical degree from the University of Heidelberg and conducted postdoctoral research at the German Cancer Center (DKFZ). She pursued advanced studies at the University of Michigan and Harvard Medical School. Additionally, she holds a Master of Health Business Administration (MHBA) from Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany.

Since 2023, Prof. Müller-Schilling has chaired the National Societies Committee and has been an active Council member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG). In 2024, she was elected to the Council of the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS). She is on the Board of Trustees of Villa Vigoni, the German-Italian Centre for the European Dialogue.

Passionate about healthcare innovation, she advocates for planetary health and sustainability, the promotion of talent, interprofessional education, and gender medicine. She is committed to raising public awareness of preventive health measures and enhancing the well-being of physicians.

"Ramón Zapata is a financial executive with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical, generics, and FMCG industries. Currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Novartis Research in Cambridge, MA, Ramón plays a pivotal role in aligning the research portfolio with strategic disease areas and advancing the organization’s innovation efforts. His career spans over two decades, marked by leadership roles at global companies such as Novartis, Sandoz, and Mondelēz International, where he has driven strategic growth, managed multi-billion-dollar operations, and led digital finance transformations.
Ramón is currently pursuing a master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Harvard University. He holds a Master's in Tax Legislation from ITAM, and an MBA from IESE. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Fluent in English and Spanish, Ramón is known for his expertise in M&A transactions, financial operations, and his ability to lead teams toward operational excellence. He is a US citizen, based in Weston, MA, where he lives with his wife and three children."

Axel Ristau is a rear admiral in the Germany Navy and since 2022 has been serving as the Defense and Naval Attaché with the German diplomatic mission to the United States in Washington, D.C. A naval aviator by training, Rear Admiral Ristau began his career on the Tornado combat jet. Prior assignments led him to the German Ministry of Defense and put him in command of a squadron in a naval air wing. His career exhibits a strong connection to the US throughout: Ristau served as liaison officer to the US Navy and spent a year with the Naval War College in Rhode Island.

Rieke Havertz is ZEIT ONLINE's international correspondent. She writes about current developments in and from various countries, with a focus on the USA. She served as US correspondent in Washington, D.C., from August 2020 to February 2023, and is currently again based in the United States to cover the 2024 election. Furthermore, she is also co-host of the podcast “OK, America?”.

Roderich Kiesewetter is Member of the German Parliament (CDU) and former General Staff Officer of the Bundeswehr. He studied economics in Munich and Austin/Texas. He served for almost 30 years in the German Armed Forces in various command, staff assignments and in various foreign missions. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. Kiesewetter is representative of foreign affairs for the CDU/CSU-Caucus and deputy chairperson of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel. In 2022 he was elected as Spokesperson for crisis prevention. Since 2019 Kiesewetter is Speaker of the advisory council of the Federal Academy for Security Policy Council.

Roy Studmire is an artist, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music director and Professor at Berklee College of Music. Professionally known as Intl Show (International Show) hailing from Boston, MA , Roy’s mission is to share his life journey and the message
of Christ while expanding your musical horizons. Roy's talent shines as he seamlessly combines futuristic and emotive vocals with his signature production style, creating a one-of-a-kind music experience. His compositions and arrangements, showcased in his own artist catalog and created for his clients, demonstrate his exceptional sound engineering skills. Roy's music blends various genres such as Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock, EDM, and Latin, accompanied by catchy and relatable lyrics.

Sebastian is part of the Challenge Team at SPRIND, where he drives DARPA-style competitions aimed at solving some of the world’s most complex challenges. Before joining SPRIND, he was a Project Leader at the social impact consultancy Value for Good in Berlin, where he was leading projects in global health and digital innovation. His diverse experience includes strategy consulting with CVA and stints in the investment teams at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and KfW DEG. Outside of work, Sebastian enjoys multi-day hikes in the mountains, running along the Spree, and discovering new music artists in venues of all kinds. He holds an MPA/ID from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Master’s in Management from the University of Mannheim.

Sebastian Zirfas is a leader in Public Affairs with deep expertise in healthcare and Life Sciences Industrial Policies across Europe, in a Transatlantic sector and beyond. As Head of Policy & Public Affairs at Pfizer Germany, he drives strategic political engagement and fosters external partnerships that support innovation in these fields. Prior to joining Pfizer, Sebastian managed campaigns across various sectors at Serviceplan, including key projects for the Federal Government of Germany. He holds a degree in Political Science and Public Law from the Universities of Trier and Mainz.

Semjon Rens has been working at Meta since 2016. As the Public Policy Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, he is responsible for Meta's government relations, political and regulatory work. He is a Transatlanticists and advocate for new technologies and innovation. Before joining Meta, Semjon Rens worked as a senior consultant for a political consultancy and was responsible for the political communication of the social network ""studiVZ"" (Holtzbrinck publishing group). He studied political science, European studies and public law with a strong focus on international relations and foreign and security policy at the Humboldt University in Berlin and the Free University of Berlin, among others, with studies at Stanford and in Barcelona.

Shirley Martey Hargis is a foreign policy and security geopolitical strategist on the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan’s security-related foreign affairs and domestic politics, including Asia-U.S./Europe relations. She is a nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub & Digital Forensic Research Lab and serves on the Truman National Security Project Board of Directors in Washington, DC. Previously, she was a Senior China Policy Fellow at Third Way’s bipartisan U.S.-China Digital World Order Initiative. Hargis led and managed the Countering PRC and Acquisition and Misuse of Weaponizable Tech & Talent team at CRDF Global for a U.S. government agency, covering military-civil fusion activities, dual-use technologies, and technology transfer. She focuses on emerging technologies and economy/finance in consulting, intelligence service as a government contractor, and policy research.

Simon has advised over 5 Billion Euros of private investment in the venture space. He built technical advisory firm Philipps & Byrne and construction tech company klarx to multimillion revenue companies. In over 100 advisory project he supported leading investors and scale ups in the European market.

Simone Sabbione is the Co-Founder and CEO of meliodays medical. As CHRO, she previously scaled a start-up from 5 to over 400 employees, helping the company achieve a successful IPO six years after incorporation. She started her career in large corporations such as AUDI AG and ERGO AG. After receiving her high school diploma in Texas (USA), she studied Business Administration in Aachen (Germany) and Monterrey (Mexico).

Stefan Liebich was born in 1972 in Wismar, East Germany. He has been the Executive Director of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung in New York City since March 2024 and is a former member of the German Bundestag from 2009 to 2021 for The Left Party representing the Berlin district of Pankow/Prenzlauer Berg/Weißensee. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and foreign affairs spokesman for The Left. He was first elected to the Berlin State House of Representatives in 1995 where he led his party in Berlin into its first coalition with the Social Democrats, which governed then from 2002 to 2011. Liebich studied business administration at the Technische Fachhochschule Berlin.

Stefan has been managing director of the German Association for Negative Emissions (DVNE) since early 2024, an organization that promotes various methods for the active removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. Previously, Stefan advised the German Governments under Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz in the German Chancellery. Stefan is a qualified mechanical engineer (RWTH Aachen) and an economist (University of Cambridge).

Stephan Mayer has represented the federal constituency of Altötting / Mühldorf am Inn in the German Bundestag since 2002. He served as Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior and for Home ADairs from 2018 to 2021 and is the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's spokesperson for sport and volunteering in the current legislative period. Stephan Mayer has many years of national and international expertise in sports policy and internal security.

Since 2020, Sven Weizenegger has led the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub (CIHBw) , the change agent of the German armed forces. In his role, he acts as a chief transformer and mediator between civilian and military systems, pursuing a clear goal: to enable the Bundeswehr to fulfill its mission of national and alliance defense through digital excellence and technological sovereignty.

Sven Weizenegger’s expertise is rooted, among other things, in years of leadership roles in both corporations and startups. His pioneering achievement, advancing from the first official hacker at Deutsche Telekom to a senior executive role where he played a key role in building a new business division, demonstrates his transformative power.

Under Sven Weizenegger’s leadership, the Bundeswehr’s digital innovation unit represents transformation within the public sector and serves as a best practice model for comparable units in other federal ministries and agencies.

Tanja Schorer-Dremel, born on March 7, 1964, in Meschede, is a German politician with the CSU party and has served as a member of the Bavarian State Parliament since 2013. She is known for her commitment to education, children's rights, and environmental conservation. A trained teacher and former school principal, Schorer-Dremel chaired the State Parliament’s Children’s Commission and served as spokesperson for bee policy. In addition to her parliamentary work, she has held the position of Deputy General Secretary of the CSU since 2022. She lives in Bavaria, is married, and has three children.

Thomas Erndl MdB (CSU) is Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag and a member of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee.
Additionally, Mr. Erndl is the Spokesman for International Politics and Security of the CSU Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag.
Before his election to Parliament in 2017, he worked in the semiconductor industry. Since November 2019, Erndl is the deputy president of the German Armed Forces Reservist Association (VdRBw). He served in the German Military and was part of the 1st German IFOR Contingent in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996. Mr. Erndl has three children and lives with his family in Lower Bavaria.

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff is the Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Previously, he had been the Guido Goldman Distinguished Scholar for Geostrategy at the German Marshall Fund of the U.S..
Between 2013 and 2017, Kleine-Brockhoff served as an advisor to German President Joachim Gauck, overseeing policy planning and speechwriting. He started his career as a journalist with DIE ZEIT, Germany’s intellectual weekly.
Kleine-Brockhoff is an expert on transatlantic relations. He is the author of “The World Needs the West – A Fresh Start for a Liberal Order” (2019) and a co-author of “Designing Ukraine’s Recovery in the Spirit of the Marshall Plan” (2022) and “Toward a Marshall Plan for Ukraine” (2023).

Tristan Foerster is a passionate climate entrepreneur having co-founded ClimatePartner over 15 years ago in Munich, Germany. ClimatePartner a leading climate solution provider for companies, enabling them to decisive decarbonization and making net-zero a reality. With software solutions as well as expert advice, ClimatePartner supports in measuring, reducing and offsetting carbon emissions of more than 6,000 businesses across the globe with 500 experts located in 10 countries. Tristan is currently CEO of the US business at its Boston headquarters. Before ClimatePartner, Tristan had a career in strategy consulting and building several digital businesses in Europe.

Veronika Nahm is the Director of the Anne Frank Zentrum Berlin, the German partner organisation of the Anne Frank House Amsterdam. Her work focuses on historical learning in elementary school, linking historical learning and human rights education, as well as educational work against antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in a European context.
She studied history and law in Munich, Berlin and Paris. She worked in the education department of the German Historical Museum. She is the spokesperson for the Education and Communication section of the Berlin Museums Association and heads the coordination office of the Competence Network on Antisemitism.

Victoria Reichelt works as a political journalist and presenter for various public broadcasters.
Currently she is a live-presenter for the renowned news brand ZDFheute and part of the Social Media-format “DIE DA OBEN”. In the associated podcast “ABSOLUTE MEHRHEIT”, she runs a thought experiment with top politicians to find out which political ideas the guests would implement immediately, free from the pressure of coalition and compromise. On her TikTok and Instagram channels, she talks to her community in a humorous way about political issues. medium magazine ranks her among the top 30 to 30 talents in journalism in 2024.

Victoria Rietig is head of the Center for Migration at the DGAP. Rietig has twenty years of experience working on migration, asylum, and refugee issues. She is the author of dozens of publications, has given hundreds of lectures and trainings on migration-related topics, and regularly comments on current migration issues in leading German and international media. She has conducted research in Europe, North and West Africa, the Middle East, and North and Latin America. Before building up and leading DGAP’s Migration Program from 2019 to 2024, Rietig advised government agencies and foundations in Europe and the United States as an expert on migration policies. Prior to that, she worked as an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, and a consultant at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in New York.

Rietig graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in public policy with a focus on human trafficking and forced migration. She also completed a Magister at the Freie Universität Berlin with a focus on migration and integration. From 2019 to 2021, Rietig was an appointed member of the German Federal Government’s Commission on the Root Causes of Displacement.

Robert is a Managing Director in Deloitte Consulting's Sustainability Strategy and Transformation Practice, and leads the firm’s efforts on decarbonization, decarbonization finance, and social sustainability efforts, with a particular focus on consumer and financial services industries alongside public sector innovation. For the past 10 years at Deloitte, Robert has advised clients across the public and private sector on a wide range of enterprise-wide, value(s)-driven strategic, digital and sustainability transformations

Will Davis was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, as the Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Washington, DC beginning in August, 2024. Mr. Davis brings a wealth of experience to this post, having spent more than two decades working in various positions in the UN, as well as the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Mr. Davis has also served in numerous positions in the U.S. Federal Government, including Director of Legislative Affairs at the National Security Council, and as a Senior Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Mr. Davis holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Duke University, and a Master’s degree in Public Policy, also from Duke.

Dr. Winfred W. Williams graduated Harvard College, cum laude, Biochemical Sciences, medical school at NYU School of Medicine, and residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is the Associate Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Nationally and internationally recognized expert in health policy addressing health disparities in the care of ESKD and kidney transplantation, his 2015 landmark study, published as the cover article for the Amer J of Transplantation, provided a innovative kidney allocation algorithm that increased the rate of kidney transplantation for African American patients in the U.S. In 2021. He is Deputy Editor at the New England Journal of Medicine.

As co-founder of Continuity — an MIT spinoff at the forefront of nanotechnology — Zeno is building the world’s first platform for real-time health monitoring at the molecular level. Continuity aims to become your personal AI physician, watching your health 24/7 and enabling personalized preventive health.
Prior to Continuity, Zeno built several non-profits to promote the European startup ecosystem. He co-founded Nucleate Germany to empower the next generation of biotech leaders, PushQuantum to promote quantum computing, and led the START Network.
Zeno holds degrees from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM).