German

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.

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.

Philip Bednarczyk is GMF's Warsaw Office Director. He joined the organization after serving as the senior Europe adviser on the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee and staff director for the House Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats for then-Ranking Member Gregory Meeks. Prior to that, he was a Bosch Foundation fellow in Germany. He also worked for an American NGO in Moscow, and for the EU in Brussels and Tallinn.

A dual Polish-American citizen, Bednarczyk studied at Fordham University and received a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.