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Iryna Khomiak is a program officer with GMF’s Ukraine: Relief, Resilience, Recovery program, based in Berlin. She works within the emergency response programming for support of Ukrainian civil society and independent media, especially in terms of the full-scale Russian war. Prior to this, she worked as a coordinator of the Master in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Program at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and on judicial, police, and juvenile probation reforms in Ukraine. She has worked within international projects funded by USAID and Global Affairs Canada as well as on numerous projects of the British Council in Ukraine.

Inspired by the spirit of the Revolution of Dignity and her experience, Iryna decided to pursue her Master’s degree in human rights at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. There, she focused mainly on peace and conflict resolution policies, women’s rights within this, and the right to education for national minorities. She also holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in the theory and history of literature and comparative studies from the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla academy” in Kyiv, Ukraine. In addition to her native Ukrainian, she speaks English and German, and she has basic knowledge of Polish. 
 

Niklas Ebert is a program manager with GMF’s Transatlantic Security program. Based in Berlin, he works mainly on issues of deterrence and resilience as well as German security and defense policy.

Prior to joining GMF, Ebert worked as a research assistant at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Defence and Military Analysis Programme in Berlin. Previously, he worked for the German Federal Foreign Office focusing on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. He gained additional experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Ebert received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and sciences from Maastricht University and holds a master’s degree in war and conflict studies from the University of Potsdam.

Irene Fam is finance analyst based in Washington, DC.

Sarah Jones is GMF's managing director of leadership programs. Based in Washington, DC, she oversees the organization's leadership development portfolio including the Marshall Memorial Fellowship, Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network, Policy Design Network, and other initiatives aimed at strengthening and advancing the transatlantic relationship. She has more than a decade of experience building curricula and inclusive programs.

Jones joined GMF in 2022 as the organization’s inaugural senior manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She worked with the human resources and leadership teams to ensure equitable policies are in place, inclusive practices are encouraged at all levels, and workforce diversity is the outcome of equity efforts. She put in place GMF’s first-ever Inclusion Roadmap, ensuring the organization has a strategic plan for fostering equity and inclusion for staff and stakeholders.

Jones is a member of Black Professionals in International Affairs, Global Access Pipeline, Spark DEI through the ENAR Foundation, Think Tank DC Consortium, and Berlin-based #teamDiversity.

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.

Parker L. Nash is GMF’s government relations specialist. He spearheads the organization’s work with US policymakers outside Washington, DC, engaging with officials nationwide through transatlantic study tours, public diplomacy initiatives, and policy work.

Nash previously served as a senior program coordinator for GMF North, helping to manage programs focused on geostrategic issues facing Northern Europe, the Baltic States, and the Arctic, including the Across America initiative. He also contributed to the workstream’s research portfolio. His policy and research interests include transatlantic defense cooperation, NATO’s role in the Nordic-Baltic region, and US-German relations.

Nash holds a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a master’s degree in international affairs from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Findlay.

Simone Mangili is a visiting fellow in GMF’s Cities program. As executive director of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA), Mangili leads CNCA’s strategic development and initiatives aimed at supporting member cities in driving innovation and setting the course for climate-neutral cities worldwide. Mangili has over 20 years of experience across local government, nonprofits, and the private sector, having worked widely in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East on a broad range of initiatives aimed at securing just and climate-positive futures. He works with cities, stakeholders, and communities at the nexus of climate change and sustainability with an emphasis on social equity and regenerative approaches.

Prior to joining CNCA, Mangili served as aide to the mayor of Torino, Italy, and aide to the deputy mayor for environment and sustainability. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing strategic planning projects requiring cross-sector collaboration and for developing policy and delivering projects to realize an ambitious sustainability agenda for the 21st century. Prior to joining the mayor’s team, Mangili was head of projects and operations at Torino Internazionale, where he managed metropolitan strategic planning processes including the development of the metropolitan area’s strategic plan, Torino Metropoli 2025. His international experience ranges from real estate consulting and development management to designing public engagement processes to building private-public partnerships for the development of green infrastructure. In addition to his professional experience, Mangili has served as traveling faculty in World Learning’s Cities in the 21st Century study abroad program and developed World Learning’s Rethinking Food Security program. He is an external lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Turin in territorial and environmental planning. Mangili holds a bachelor's degree in community, regional and environmental studies from Bard College and a master's degree in regional planning from Cornell University.

Jessica is a guest writer for GMFUS.