Elene Kintsurashvili is a senior program coordinator at GMF East. Based in the Warsaw office, she works on research and convening activities that foster transatlantic cooperation related to the region. 

Prior to joining GMF, Elene worked as an assistant to the Deputy-Secretary General at the Parliament of Georgia. Elene received her master’s degree in European Interdisciplinary studies from the College of Europe and was awarded with an honorary bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Vistula University. Her areas of expertise include NATO/EU vis-à-vis Eastern Neighborhood matters, the Caucasus region and Georgian domestic politics. 

Elene is fluent in Georgian, English and Russian, she speaks Polish with working proficiency and has a basic knowledge of French.

Lauren Koons is a former Grants and Revenue Manager at GMF.

Katerina Geisler is a senior program coordinator for the GMF Cities team. She focuses on projects that link city and international affairs, and that connect cities on both sides of the Atlantic so that they can better tackle shared local challenges.

Geisler has experience working in democracy and international cooperation. She joined GMF from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of International Affairs. Before that, she worked as a policy analyst for a US congressional campaign.

Geisler holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science from Florida International University and an executive course certificate in subnational diplomacy from The George Washington University.

Bogdan Cozma is a program coordinator at the Black Sea Trust. He supports the Pro-Elect project, which promotes participatory and representative democracy in the Eastern Partnership countries. He also writes policy briefs on electoral systems in the Black Sea area, the impact of geopolitics on Central and Eastern Europe, and the role of civic engagement in promoting democratic principles. He previously worked on grantmaking initiatives in Ukraine and Türkiye with funding from USAID, the European Commission, the Porticus Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Cozma has additional expertise in the Three Seas Initiative, EU institutions and foreign policy, and the politics of the Black Sea region. 

Cozma holds a master’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Bucharest. He is a PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of International Affairs at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies.