German

Dr. Claudia Major is GMF's senior vice president overseeing the organization’s transatlantic security and defense work, and an executive team member. Previously, Dr. Major was the director of the International Security Division at the German think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin.

Her research, advisory work, and publications focus on German, European and transatlantic security and defense policy, NATO, deterrence and nuclear (dis)order, defense industry, and the Franco-German relationship. Currently, she is particularly focused on therepercussions of Russia's war against Ukraine for Europe, the transatlantic relationship, and the nuclear order; options to end the war in Ukraine; and ways to ensure the long-term security of Europe and Ukraine.

Dr. Major previously held positions at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), the NATO Department of the German Foreign Office, and Sciences Po Paris. She was and is a member of various committees, including the Advisory Board for Civilian Crisis Prevention of the German Federal Foreign Office (2010-2024) and the Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Defense on "leadership development and civic education" (lnnere Führung) (since 2023). She holds a diploma from the Free University of Berlin and Sciences Po Paris and a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK).

She speaks fluent German, French, and English and basic Russian.

Dr. Major was made a knight in the French national order of merit (Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite) and received the Estonian Cross of Merit.

In 2025, she received the Honorary Mercator Professorship from the University of Duisburg-Essen, and in January 2026, Dr. Major received the Cross of Honor of the German Armed Forces in Gold (Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold).

Katarina Moyon is a visiting fellow with GMF Cities focused on the ways in which citizen engagement strengthens local democracy. She is a long-term higher education professional who taught courses at Winthrop University for 20 years on American government, international politics, presidential nominating systems, and diversity and community. She also led students and faculty at the university’s award-winning civic and voter engagement arm.

Moyon has served as a consultant on election-related issues in the United States and other countries to clients including Ballotpedia, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and Street Law. She also has experience with nonpartisan civic education and youth engagement, facilitation and training related to civic life, and other social science research.

Moyon spent a year in Croatia on a Fulbright scholarship conducting election law research. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and German from Northern Arizona University.

Susanna Numminen is a Berlin-based program coordinator on GMF’s Indo-Pacific program. Her responsibilities include the coordination of all operations for the India Trilateral Forum and the Japan Trilateral Forum.

Numminen previously worked as a security specialist in the Finnish prime minister’s office, conducting comprehensive security analyses, developing security preparedness for standard and disruptive conditions, and serving as the liaison for equality and equity. She was also a global market insight associate at Atheneum Partners, an expert network based in Germany that connects clients with industry experts to exchange specialized knowledge. In that position, she coordinated consultations in public policy, energy, and financial markets, among other fields.

Numminen holds a master’s degree in politics and organizations and a bachelor’s degree in political science, with minors in gender studies and social psychology, from the University of Helsinki. She speaks fluent Finnish and English, and has a good command of German and Swedish.

Zorana Gajic is a program officer with GMF’s Transatlantic Trusts. She has over 30 years of experience in several international organizations, including the Open Society Foundations and the World Bank/IFC (Regulatory Reform in Serbia), as well as with numerous USAID and EU-funded projects in the Western Balkans. Her expertise spans the areas of higher education reform, regulatory reform, public administration reform, EU enlargement, and the Western Balkans. She holds a Master’s degree in political science from Central European University, and a Bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Anastasiia Popko is a program coordinator with GMF’s Ukraine: Relief, Resilience, Recovery program, based in Berlin. She is responsible for the administrative part of the grantmaking program and for fostering relationships with grantees. Her primary focus is on strengthening the resilience of civil society and local media in Ukraine and the broader region.  

Prior to joining GMF, Anastasia worked as a partnership manager in Ukrainian online media, developing relations between European institutions and Ukrainian journalists. She has also worked on international cultural and art projects, as well as on decolonization, memory, and identity topics.