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Valerii Kravets is a Bucharest-based program coordinator for GMF Black Sea Trust. He focuses on Ukraine-related programming and supports initiatives aimed at strengthening electoral integrity across the Eastern Partnership countries. He also works to strengthen local governance, advance European integration processes, and foster international cooperation. He has contributed to projects funded by USAID, the EU (ProElect, Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership - ERICS), and the Porticus Foundation.

Prior to joining GMF, Kravets gained over a decade of senior-level experience in the private sector, most recently as deputy director for development at ATB Corporation, one of Ukraine’s largest companies. In this role, he was responsible for national development strategy; public-private partnership projects; cooperation with ministries, state-owned enterprises, and local governments; supporting M&A transactions; and driving digital transformation initiatives.

Kravets holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and enterprise management from Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, a bachelor’s degree in law from Dnipro Humanitarian University, and a master’s degree in administrative management from Dnipro Polytechnic. He also studied at the University of Economics and Management in Prague.

He is a native speaker of Ukrainian and Russian and is fluent in English and Romanian.

Miruna Gheorghe is a Bucharest-based program coordinator for GMF’s Black Sea Trust (BST). She supports EU-funded initiatives, including the Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership- ERICS project, which strengthens the resilience of civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries. She oversees EU visibility and communications for the BST office and coordinates convenings.

Gheorghe previously worked with NaTakallam (which hires refugees and conflict-affected people as online tutors, teachers, and translators), the UN Youth Delegation of Romania, and other international organizations, focusing on human rights, youth engagement, and cross-cultural cooperation. She holds a master’s degree in security and defense, with a focus on human rights. She speaks English, French, and German, in addition to her native Romanian.

Sameer Lalwani is a Washington, DC-based non-resident senior fellow in GMF’s Indo-Pacific program. He is also senior adviser with the Special Competitive Studies Project, a nonresident senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and a research affiliate with the MIT Security Studies Program. His research interests include deterrence, conventional military competition, technology alliances, and Indo-Pacific security. He is also a contributing editor to War on the Rocks.

Lalwani was previously a senior expert at the US Institute of Peace, where he led work sponsored by the US Department of Defense on the India-China battlespace (military strategy that integrates multiple armed forces into a theater of operation) and on US-India defense technology cooperation, including on INDUS-X. He was also director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, a term member with the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Stanton Nuclear Security postdoctoral fellow at the RAND Corporation. 

Lalwani’s work has been published in leading academic journals and analytical outlets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley and a PhD from MIT.

Alexandra Pugh is a Washington, DC-based program coordinator with GMF Technology. She previously worked with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and at the Center for European Policy Analysis, where she focused on Russia-China cooperation and competition. She also held a fellowship at the Bush Institute to research NATO policy toward Ukraine.

Pugh graduated summa cum laude from Southern Methodist University with bachelor’s degrees in political science and music.

Susanne Rosenbaum is GMF’s senior manager of Strategic Convening. She brings expertise in high-level event management, diplomatic protocol, and international relations, with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. Her work has centered on designing and delivering high-impact gatherings that strengthen institutional visibility and foster meaningful stakeholder engagement.

Prior to joining GMF, Rosenbaum managed special events at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and served as social secretary to the German ambassador in Washington, DC. She began her career in the European Parliament, contributing to legislative and policy work. Rosenbaum has a bachelor’s degree in European studies from Maastricht University and a master’s degree in international and European politics from the University of Edinburgh. She is a certified meeting professional (CMP) and is fluent in English and German.

Iva Zoric is GMF’s vice president of communications and editorial. She is responsible for shaping and executing the organization’s communications and editorial strategy, and overseeing its external and brand positioning. She serves as an adviser to the president and executive team, and manages GMF’s digital platforms, media campaigns, and stakeholder engagement efforts.

Zoric previously served as vice president of global communications and media relations at the Council on Foreign Relations for over 12 years. She also spent nearly 15 years as a senior news producer at PBS, BBC World News, and ABC News, earning Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards.

Zoric holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Tufts University.

Nathan Hutson is a visiting fellow in GMF’s Cities program. He is a visiting professor of urban studies and postwar reconstruction at the Kyiv School of Economics, and also serves as an adjunct at the University of Texas at Austin at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and School of Architecture. A long-term member of the Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine, Dr. Hutson has taught several applied research courses on the reconstruction of Ukraine at the University of Texas. His recent book, The Silk Road After Ukraine: A New Vision for Eurasian Integration, explores how the war will impact the long-term trajectory of Eurasian overland trade patterns. Dr. Hutson received a PhD in urban planning and development from the University of Southern California in 2019.

Jennifer Nguyen is a senior program coordinator for GMF Indo-Pacific. She previously worked at the Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum, where she led projects on US-China and Southeast Asian climate and energy cooperation, and conducted research on Chinese overseas investment, critical minerals, and low-carbon transitions. 

Nguyen holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, with a concentration in American foreign policy and national security, from American University's School of International Service. Her studies included a focus on the Indo-Pacific and a minor in Mandarin. She also speaks Vietnamese.