GMF Announces: 2025 Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network Cohort

Benjamin Pitkänen is the founder and executive director of Viral Vegans, a Helsinki-based animal rights organization. In August 2024, he released his first nonfiction book, “The Animals We Love and Eat”, which became a top-selling nonfiction title at one of Finland's leading bookstores. He is dedicated to strengthening transatlantic relations by partnering with US organizations to promote Viral Vegans on the other side of the Atlantic. 

Pitkänen was recognized as an Ashoka Young Changemaker in 2022. He is a member of Global Shapers Helsinki and a University of Helsinki Alumni Association board member. The University of Helsinki named him one of 30 promising young people under 30.

Pitkänen holds a master’s degree in economic and social history from the University of Helsinki with a minor in economics.

Berat Kjamili is an entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience at technology startups. He co-founded Dotshub, a social and collaborative space for changemakers in Istanbul, which fosters innovation in art, technology, and business communities and is transforming a historical palace into an entrepreneurial hub. 

Kjamili is president of Kodluyoruz, an organization that has trained more than 300,000 students in coding and artificial intelligence, and has contributed to Türkiye’s emergence as a global technology talent hub. He has pioneered initiatives such as Migport, a platform connecting refugees and locals through online entrepreneurship programs, and e-Residence Türkiye, a service that has enabled more than 10 million foreigners to obtain residence permits. He also co-organized the European Commission’s EUvsVirus hackathon, the world’s largest online hackathon with more than 21,000 participants.

Kjamili has collaborated with global organizations such as the UN, Facebook, and YouTube. He served as president of the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative’s inaugural alumni board.

Kjamili holds a degree in economics from the Middle East Technical University and completed the Hansen Leadership Institute program at the University of San Diego. 

Eda Nur Yilar is a communications professional focused on Europe and fostering inclusion and equity. She is a manager for European public affairs, communications, and sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company. She previously worked at globally renowned organizations such as Adidas, Microsoft, and PayPal. 

Yilar holds two master’s degrees, one in global studies from Humboldt University and one in international business from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a bachelor's degree in economics and politics from the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft in Berlin. She is fluent in German, Turkish, and English.

Etinosa Erevbenagie-Johnbull is the co-founder and managing director of Generation for Change CY, a nonprofit organization in Cyprus. His professional experience includes human rights advocacy, social justice initiatives, and capacity-building programs for vulnerable populations, particularly migrants and refugees. 

Under Erevbenagie-Johnbull’s leadership, Generation for Change CY focuses on three pillars: humanitarian support, empowerment and integration, and advocacy and interculturalism. The organization provides material aid, psychosocial support, vocational training, and courses in digital literacy and language while promoting diversity in the labor market. It also organizes intercultural events and workshops to foster cultural exchange and combat racism, equipping those working with migrants with the skills to practice inclusivity. 

Erevbenagie-Johnbull holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and is pursuing a master’s degree in educational psychology at the University of Nicosia. The university’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences gave him its 2023 Outstanding Social Contribution Award.

George Bukenya is a student researcher at The Cleveland Clinic, where he has contributed to projects on translational research for glioblastoma. His research delves into novel therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma, aiming to improve treatment efficacy and patient outcomes. 

Bukenya has authored or co-authored scientific manuscripts on topics ranging from neuro-oncology to gynecological cancers. He is a part of the CFR Young Professional Briefing Series and a part of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. He has also conducted research for the Association of Future African Neurosurgeons, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Duke University Cancer Center. He was named a 40 under 40 emerging legend by the Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation and recognized with the Rising Star Award from the Case Western Reserve University Alumni Association.

With aspirations to attend medical school, Bukenya holds three master’s degrees, one each in medical physiology, business administration with a focus on healthcare management, and biomolecular science.

Gianina Horton is Colorado’s coordinator for reducing ethnic disparities. She has worked in government and nonprofits that focus on youth and law enforcement, justice reform, and organizational operations- and capacity-building.

Her work on criminal justice issues included crafting, implementing, and evaluating Bridging the Gap: Kids & Cops, a youth outreach program. The program, in the City and County of Denver’s Office of the Independent Monitor, won two awards under her leadership. She received a mayoral award for building the nonprofit Denver Justice Project, which seeks to transform the criminal legal system by using data to help keep youth of color out of trouble. 

Horton holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado College.

Helin Yildiz has been a city councilor in Varese, Italy, since 2021. She is also a substitute councilor for multiculturalism and inclusive policies, and regularly represents her city in international forums, including the 2024 Human Values Forum in South Korea and the 2024 European Summit of Cities and Regions. Her professional experience includes roles with the European Parliament, the Italian parliament, and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. She is a member of the national board of Italy’s Democratic Party and serves on the Lombardy region's National Association of Italian Municipalities board.

In 2022, Yildiz was selected as one of 150 young leaders for the European Committee of the Regions’ Young Elected Politicians Program. 

Yildiz holds a master’s degree in international relations and European affairs from the University of Bologna. She participated in Erasmus exchanges with Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven. She was also a visiting research fellow at the University of Central Florida.

Israa Nour is a program manager at Open Society Foundations (OSF). She has experience in foreign policy, particularly that of African and the Middle Eastern countries. She has co-led for four years the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in U.S. Foreign Policy campaign that strives to build the capacity of under-resourced and underrepresented groups and organizations in the field of national security. 

Her background also includes advocacy, coalition building, and program and grant management with a focus on advancing human rights, democracy, and empowering marginalized communities. 

Prior to joining OSF, Nour was a UNICEF Sudan volunteer. Fluent in Arabic, she conducted field surveys on issues of sexual gender-based violence in North Darfur and several of Sudan’s eastern states. Her research and findings supported programmatic planning and policy recommendations for the country’s Ministry of Social Welfare and the National Council for Child Welfare. She also served as a volunteer English lecturer at University of Khartoum. 

Nour was selected as a 2024 Center for New American Security Next Generation Fellow and as a member of the 2024 cohort of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Accelerator Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Jack O’Connor is Ireland’s youth delegate to the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. He strives to improve youth participation in local governance, foster inclusive leadership, and address socioeconomic inequalities, particularly in local governance. 

O’Connor has experience in youth empowerment, having served as a UN youth delegate and as a leader in the Washington Ireland Program, an initiative for emerging leaders in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He previously led youth development programs at the University of Limerick’s Centre for Sustainable Futures and Innovation, where he designed initiatives to promote youth participation in governance and sustainability.

O’Connor is pursuing a master’s degree in innovation, public policy, and public value at University College London. His studies focus on the ways public and private organizations can collaborate to create and shape markets, going beyond just fixing market failures.

Karolina Eklöw is an expert in technology policy, advising organizations such as the UN, the World Economic Forum, and the Council of Europe. She is the COO of the Foresight Institute, a think tank granting more than $1 million to scientists advancing technologies in the fields of biotech, nanotech, and artificial intelligence. She is also an appointed member of the governing bodies of the Global Shapers Community, a network of 10,000 members who drive change in local communities. 

Eklöw contributes to various boards, juries, and working groups, including the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology, the International Telecommunication Union’s AI for Good program, and the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award.

Lavinya Stennett is a social entrepreneur, author, and activist whose work bridges art, education, and social justice on the grassroots and global levels. She co-founded the Racial Justice Collective, a platform that empowers social entrepreneurs driving equitable change. She also founded The Black Curriculum to embed Black history in the British education system. 

Stennett’s initiatives have transformed classrooms, fostering identity and belonging for students worldwide. She has partnered with some of the world's largest platforms including Spotify, Vogue, OffWhite, and Kurt Geiger. She was named one of The Sunday Times’ 50 Women of the Year in 2021 and recognized, in 2023, as a changemaker by Limitless Awards. 

Maja Bogojević is an award-winning social scientist specialized in intersectionality, quality education, and anti-discrimination. She works as a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert at the European External Action Service in Brussels. She previously worked at UNESCO, where she focused on improving the quality of education in Ukraine. She also worked at the European Commission to advance anti-discrimination measures.

Bogojević has received numerous fellowships and awards for her work to foster inclusion and equity on local and international levels through community-driven solutions. The recognition includes the UNHCR Innovation Fellowship and the Humanity in Action Mapping Democracy Fellowship. She has also published in journals covering topics such as classism, intersectionality, and social justice, and has been featured as an expert on ARD and ZDF, Germany’s two public broadcasters.

Bogojević is also the co-founder of erklär mir mal..., a digital education platform that promotes accessible learning on social issues from the perspective of marginalized individuals. The platform has 70,000 Instagram followers and has received several accolades, such as the Smart Hero Award, the Klicksafe Prize, and the Change the Conversation Challenge by the UN Major Group for Children and Youth.

Bogojević holds a master’s degree in human rights from the University of Vienna.

Maja Zabirzewska is an investment banking analyst at Citibank, where she supports strategic projects. Outside of work, she is involved in civic initiatives such as Miasto Jest Nasze, an urban advocacy organization in Poland, for which she helps craft the organization’s long-term strategy. She also organizes Campus Polska Przyszłości, a forum for young Polish leaders and changemakers, and has participated in election observation missions.

Zabirzewska held executive positions at the Warsaw School of Economics’ chapter of AIESEC, an international youth-run and -led nongovernmental and nonprofit organization that provides young people with business development internships. She also served on AIESEC Hungary’s national board.

Zabirzewska holds a master’s and a bachelor's degree from the Warsaw School of Economics.

Mary-Katherine Abdel-Ghany Stone serves as assistant majority leader, co-chair of the Future Caucus, and co-chair of the National Guard and Military Affairs Caucus in the Vermont General Assembly. She has served as an elected justice of the peace since 2020 and works as an occupational therapist and substitute teacher in local public schools. 

Stone has received numerous fellowships in recognition of her leadership. These include the Dolores Huerta and Barbara Jordan Women’s Leadership Fellowship, the Vermont Council on World Affairs Global Leaders Fellowship, and the Future Caucus Innovation Lab’s Strengthening Democracy and Prenatal to Three programs.

Stone holds a master's degree in occupational therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on human services and special populations from the University of Alabama’s New College. She has completed postgraduate coursework in integrative medicine at George Washington University.

Mira Tarabeine holds a Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship, which prepares recent graduates for foreign service careers in the US Department of State. She has experience with numerous NGOs and academic institutions, most recently as economic advancement program manager at Tiyya Foundation and as head of refugee agency relations at New Moon Jobs. 

Tarabeine’s work to empower displaced populations and foster economic equality has been featured in media outlets such as The Los Angeles Times and The Guardian. 

Tarabeine holds a bachelor’s degree in critical theory and social justice from Occidental College, attended the University of Chicago’s Middle Eastern Studies Program, and is pursuing a master’s degree in international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, where her research focuses on sanctions policy. She speaks fluent Arabic, English, and French.

Mufazzal Hossain serves as the director of budget and legislative affairs for New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam. In this role, he has managed and allocated more than $17.5 million in funding for upgrading Harlem Hospital, helping formerly incarcerated individuals reenter the workforce, and funding schools. He has played a vital role in drafting legislation relating to public safety, housing, and transit, including a proposal to strengthen construction permit requirements and a groundbreaking hybrid fare model integrating free public transportation in underserved areas.

Hossain also serves as Democratic district leader for Queens Democrats and was involved in the selection of four civil court judges for the borough of Queens and two New York state supreme court justices. He has been recognized in City & State’s 40 Under 40 and Who’s Who in Budget & Finance.

Hossain holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan Technology University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Asia Pacific. 

Natia Zoidze is a civic activist, board member, and deputy executive director at the Center for Development and Democracy (CDD) in Tbilisi, Georgia. She has more than 12 years of experience spanning human rights advocacy, legal research, and NGO leadership in the civil and public sectors. 

At CDD, Zoidze oversees initiatives that enhance electoral integrity, combat disinformation, and foster inclusive policymaking. She has led election observation missions, adapting CDD’s work to address challenges posed by electronic voting and disinformation campaigns. She has spearheaded voter education campaigns, leadership programs, and developed kentsero.ge, a digital education platform to promote media literacy and civic engagement. Her public-sector roles include contributing to Georgia-NATO relations at the country’s Ministry of Defense and advancing visa liberalization at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Zoidze holds a law degree from Queen Mary University of London and a certificate in policy communication from the European University Institute. She was the recipient of a Chevening Scholarship and an Eastern Partnership Civil Society fellow. She speaks fluent English, Georgian, and Russian.

Rob Williford serves as the associate dean of judicial affairs and residence life at the University of Indianapolis. In this role, he is responsible for guaranteeing that institutional policies and community standards are inclusive and equitable. He is the co-founder of Brave The Cycle for which he facilitates training and workshops with representatives of the corporate, nonprofit, and higher education sectors to develop policies that are inclusive and culturally responsive. He also serves on the board of directors of The Facing Project, a nonprofit that brings people and communities together through storytelling. 

Williford holds a master's degree in higher education administration and a bachelor's degree in English literature and creative writing. He is a PhD student in the Global Leadership program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, where he serves as a graduate assistant for research and cultural immersion. His work focuses on the development of intercultural competence across gender identities.

Samuel Sigere is a program manager responsible for coordinating and overseeing the grantmaking process at Civitates, a philanthropic initiative that aims to tackle Europe’s deepening political polarization, shrinking civic space, and rise of online disinformation by supporting civil society organizations. He is a co-founder and a member of EMPOWER-EU, a network of public affairs professionals for people of color. He also leads a public history project that aims to educate young people about the history of African Europeans. 

Sigere has experience in EU public affairs as project officer for Erasmus+ and Creative Europe, which supports programs that foster cultural diversity, promote artistic expression, and boost the economic potential of the creative industries. He has also worked as a project manager for the British Liberal Democrats and contributed to the creation of Volt, a European party.

Sigere holds a PhD in history from University College London. He speaks English, French, and Spanish.

Sara Yassi is a senior consultant and strategist at Unitas Global Advisory. She has experience in managing high-profile global events, initiatives, and policy projects. At Unitas, she plays a pivotal role in designing and executing international engagements, including diplomatic receptions and roundtables on policy innovation and inclusion at G7, G20, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summits. She has helped develop communication strategies for COP28 and has worked in Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, and The Gambia. 

Yassi is also a writer who explores belonging, faith, and identity in her work. She conducted research for a year in Zanzibar, the Seychelles, and the Maldives, focusing on spiritual phenomena. 

Yassi holds a bachelor’s in philosophy and theology from the University of Oxford, where she served as the access officer of the Oxford Union. In that role, she championed accessibility and inclusion for minorities and low-income and disabled students.

Shawgi Omer Nawai is a youth advocate and social activist focused on social justice and community development. He is the director of PLACE Network, a Paris-based organization that unlocks talent in Europe and matches it with actors in entrepreneurship, employment, public leadership, and higher education. He leads PLACE Network’s Emerging Leaders Program, which strives to empower newly arrived migrants by helping them integrate into their new host societies.

Omer Nawai is a member of the Global Citizenship Education Youth Network, co-chair of the Education Above All youth initiative, and part of the BMW Foundation for Responsible Leaders. 

Omer Nawai holds an MBA in innovation management from Ecole des Ponts Business School in Paris.

Wassim Essebane is a digital marketing freelancer and dedicated advocate for social inclusion. He has run for the Brussels Parliament and other municipal offices, campaigning on equity and inclusivity.

Essebane volunteers for several nonprofit organizations that focus on youth empowerment, social mobility, and systemic discrimination. He is a project manager at A Seat At The Table, which helps at-risk 18- to 25-year olds transition into adulthood, organizing activities that promote leadership and entrepreneurship skills among young people. As a former vice president at Capitant, a network of finance students, he helped other students develop financial literacy skills.

Essebane holds two master’s degrees from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, one in strategic marketing management and one in business engineering with a specialization in finance and innovation.

Yuliia Chykolba is country director for Ukraine at the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), an independent organization dedicated to uncovering human rights abuses and combating disinformation. Her role involves leading initiatives to enhance information resilience and counter foreign information manipulation and interference. She is also a member of the Expert Council on Strategic Communications at Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications. The body provides recommendations and proposals for state strategic communications.

Chykolba has worked with a wide range of international nonprofit organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN. She has undertaken assignments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Upon returning to Ukraine, she launched a training program on safe practices in explosive ordnance-contaminated areas. 

Chykolba holds a master’s degree in conflict, security, and development from King's College London, where she studied under a Chevening Scholarship.

Zaynab Mohamed is an immigrant, organizer, and state senator from South Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is the youngest woman ever elected to the Minnesota Senate, its first female Muslim member, and one of the few Black female members. In her role as vice chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Committee, she helped secure grants and loans for rebuilding small businesses after local unrest in 2020. She also helped pass the Driver’s License for All, which allows adult Minnesotans to apply for a driver's license regardless of immigration status. She has championed policies that focus on tenant protections and housing assistance. She also led efforts to create the Office of New Americans, a network for state officials to share best practices for immigrant and refugee integration.

Mohamed chairs the Senate’s People of Color and Indigenous Caucus and serves on the state’s Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council. She won a 2024 Young Concordia Leadership Fellowship and participated that same year in the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development.

Mohamed holds a bachelor’s degree in human resource development from the University of Minnesota.

Zoe Perkins is a community engagement manager at Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange. Perkins was a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Latvia from 2022 to 2024. She designed lesson plans for more than 500 students in grades 3 to 12 and collaborated with more than 20 educators to offer English lessons for diverse learning styles and proficiency levels. She also established weekly English-language clubs and book clubs and supported LGBTQ+ initiatives of Active Rainbow, a Latvian NGO dedicated to human rights and diversity. 

Prior to her Fulbright experience, Perkins worked at The Park Adoption Community Center, where she implemented programs for adoptees and their families that promote and reinforce healthy relationships, youth empowerment and resilience, cultural competency, and community engagement.

Perkins holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and music from Florida Southern College.