Ukraine Reconstruction

Hannah Abdullah is a senior fellow with the GMF Cities program. She leads its work on sustainable urban development and climate justice to support transatlantic exchange and learning for achieving an inclusive green transition. She regularly speaks and publishes on the role of cities in climate and environmental governance.

Before joining GMF, she was a senior research fellow for the Global Cities Program of the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs, where she led the organization’s research and other activities on urban climate action in close collaboration with Barcelona city council. She also served as a program officer for the New York office of the Goethe-Institut, Germany’s cultural agency, where she developed and managed programs on urbanization and architecture, among other areas.

Hannah Abdullah holds a master's degree and a PhD in sociology from the London School of Economics (LSE). She held research, teaching, and lecturing positions at LSE and at the University of Dresden, the University of Leipzig, and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

Brock D. Bierman is president and CEO of Ukraine Focus, a Washington, DC-based humanitarian organization committed to working directly with communities across Ukraine to meet urgent assistance needs through direct cooperation with Ukrainian local, state, and federal authorities.

Prior to helping found Ukraine Focus, Bierman established the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Light Up Ukraine, and Playgrounds 4 Peace. These programs have helped delivered millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since February 2022. Along with Ukraine Focus’ Rebuild project, they help thousands of Ukrainians defend their freedoms, rebuild their communities, and become more hopeful and resilient.

For his humanitarian contributions, Ukraine's Territorial Defense Force (TDF) awarded Bierman the Shield of the TDF of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and made him an honorary member.

Bierman has organized and led 13 missions to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, raised $2.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions to support Ukraine Focus programs in 2023 alone, and established key relationships and partnerships with international organizations such as Rotary International and the City of Albany, New York.

Bierman has served two presidents, most recently as the assistant administrator of the United States Agency for International Development's Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, and was confirmed by the US Senate by unanimous consent. Bierman also served three terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. A native of Rhode Island, Bierman received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.