Maryna Rakhlei analyzes regional developments in Eastern Europe and is part of the team assisting civil society in Belarus. She studied in Minsk and in Berlin. Before joining GMF, Rakhlei covered foreign relations for the Belarusian newswire Belapan in Minsk, wrote for the German newswire DPA and blogged for EuObserver.
Irina Neagu is a Bucharest-based program manager. She oversees multi-country initiatives in the Eastern Partnership and Black Sea regions that focus on strengthening democratic governance, civil society resilience, and cross-border cooperation.
Neagu's portfolio spans grantmaking in the two regions for capacity-building programs that support civil society actors in the South Caucasus especially those focused on institutional resilience and cross-border dynamics in the Black Sea region.
Neagu serves as president of a Romanian NGO dedicated to civic education and youth engagement. She holds a master’s degree in comparative politics and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and European studies from the University of Bucharest.