Helmut Schmidt Fellowships 2022 Awarded to Dr. George Bogden and Verena Ringler

WASHINGTON, DC/BERLIN – The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius are pleased to announce that the Helmut Schmidt Fellowship 2022 has been awarded to Dr. George Bogden, foreign and transatlantic policy expert, and to Verena Ringler, director of AGORA European Green Deal. This prestigious position commemorates the life, service, and legacy of global statesman Helmut Schmidt by supporting the work of two fellows who have demonstrated excellence in the academic and policy spheres through their commitment to advancing the transatlantic relationship and European integration.

Dr. George Bogden will be joining GMF in Berlin from summer to fall 2022. During his Helmut Schmidt Fellowship, Bogden will conduct research on the legacy of the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances and connect this historical chapter to wider debates about the future of the international order under the leadership of the transatlantic community.

Currently, Bogden is a Strategy and Policy Fellow with the Smith Richardson Foundation, Senior Visiting Researcher at Bard College, and a law clerk at the US Court of International Trade in New York. Previously, Bogden held various fellowships and research positions, including at the Hungary Foundation in Budapest, New York University, the Hudson Institute, and the Fulbright Commission.

Bogden holds a D.Phil. (PhD) and an M.Phil. in international relations from Oxford University, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Yale University.

Verena Ringler will be joining GMF in Washington, DC, from spring to summer 2023. During her Helmut Schmidt Fellowship, Ringler will examine ways to advance cross-sectoral green transition and identify hands-on opportunities for transatlantic climate action leadership.

Ringler is a European and transatlantic strategy expert and developer of projects at the intersection of diplomacy and society. In her innovative and qualitative approach, Ringler builds on more than two decades of field work in the United States, the European Union, the Western Balkans, and the countries of the former Soviet Union. From 2002 to 2006, Ringler worked as a staff editor at Foreign Policy magazine in Washington, DC, and from 2006 to 2009, she led press and public affairs for an EU-led transatlantic diplomatic team in Pristina, Kosovo. Most recently, for more than five years, she directed the Europe project portfolio at Germany’s Stiftung Mercator.

Ringler earned an MA from Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies in 2002. She also studied in Uppsala, Vienna, and her hometown Innsbruck, Austria. She aims to foster dialogue between institutions, citizens, and multiplier groups across seven boards or advisory groups for Europe, from the Strategy Council of the European Policy Centre to the NECE group of Germany’s Federal Agency for Civic Education.

GMF strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan. As a transatlantic public policy institute, it contributes research and analysis as well as convenes leaders on transatlantic issues relevant to policymakers. GMF offers rising leaders the opportunity to develop their skills and networks through transatlantic exchange, and it supports civil society in the Balkans and Black Sea regions by fostering democratic initiatives, rule of law, and regional cooperation.

The ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius is inspired by the liberal spirit of Hamburg and the open-minded thinking of Gerd Bucerius. The foundation supports research and scholarship, art and culture, and education and training. It also initiates debates on political and social topics and provides forums for digital development. The ZEIT-Stiftung promotes innovation in higher education and in 2000 founded Bucerius Law School, the first private law school in Germany. The Bucerius Kunst Forum was established in 2002 as the flagship for the foundation’s investment in art and culture. The scholarship program Beyond Borders contributes to humanities and social sciences and focuses on borders and boundaries in past and present times. The Free Media Awards support independent media and courageous journalists in Eastern Europe. At the Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance, the ZEIT-Stiftung brings together young leaders from a variety of fields to address key issues in global governance. Read more at www.zeit-stiftung.de.