Meet The Team

An American living in Germany, Lisa considers herself a global citizen. She's co-founder and board member, Apolitical.co, a serial entrepreneur and former public servant. Lisa has co-founded several political training and leadership institutes over the last 25 years. She has worked on numerous campaigns and counselled CEOs, Nobel Peace Prize winners, politicians and philanthropists.  She was a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. (She/her/hers)

Kim came to Germany from Australia and via Burundi and Haiti. She is a lawyer and non-profit strategist who has helped to found non-profits and social enterprises in Haiti, Burundi and Australia. Before joining the Apolitical Foundation team, Kim was Partnerships Manager at Apolitical.co. She has partnered with government, UN agencies, philanthropy and civil society to design high-impact workshops and training for diverse groups. She speaks English and German. (She/her/hers)

Suki is a Bolivian-German strategist, political enthusiast, women’s rights advocate, entrepreneur, and researcher. A political scientist with expertise in political communications, public policy, and digital strategy, she co-founded a strategic communications firm in Bolivia. With over 15 years of experience leading teams across Latin America, Suki has worked with governments, multilateral organizations, cooperation agencies, and the private sector. As a professor, she has taught Innovation in the Public Sector and published studies with UNDP, GIZ, and various organizations. (She/her/hers)

A Canadian living in Berlin. Anna is passionate about enabling access to education for young people. She previously led global projects at an EdTech start-up in Berlin and helped establish a leadership programme for young change makers across Africa. (She/her/hers)

A former journalist, Rebekah's career spans reporting, international relations and now political leadership. After moving to Berlin from Australia, she became a 2018/19 European Journalism Fellow and later worked on Asia-Pacific projects for the EU's European External Action Service. She covered courts, royal commissions, politics and was a correspondent in northern Australia for Australian Associated Press. (She/her/hers)

A Jordanian living in Berlin, working on promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights. With 10 years of experience in political education and civic engagement, Hussam specializes in youth empowerment and strengthening political organizations. Hussam holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Hertie School, specializing in digitalization and big data. Committed to fostering inclusive dialogue and advancing democratic principles globally. He Speaks English and Arabic.  (He/him/his)

A Peruvian in Germany, Ximena is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Hertie School. Author of the book in Spanish "Toolbox for Strategic Political Training". With the aim to strengthen democracy and build a fairer society, she has been working for the last two decades in the promotion of political participation, especially in the field of political training. She has extensive experience in managing multi-stakeholder projects. She speaks Spanish and English. (She/her/hers)

Natalia is an Obama Scholar ‘19 with over 10 years of experience in government at the local and national level in Argentina. She was a member of President Obama’s Inclusive Economies Working Group. During her different appointments in government she worked on developing youth-centered public policy impacting +1.5 million by focusing on shifting paradigms around government engagement with youth. Natalia holds a BA in international studies (UTDT), an MA in development studies (IDS-Sussex).

Born and raised in South Africa, Khadija is a media strategist with extensive expertise in political communications. A former journalist, her work has appeared in leading print and broadcast media in South Africa and internationally. Khadija is an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and a former Chevening Scholar.
She holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Development Economics at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS).

Cäcilia is an intersectional feminist with a background in human rights advocacy and disability rights work. From her previous experiences, she brings expertise in project management, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement in the civil society space and in political campaigns. In her work, she strives to empower people from marginalized groups and people with disabilities to stand up for their rights and to provide them with a platform for self-advocacy and skills development. (She/they)

Feminist and Latina with particular interest in the intersection between governance and politics, design and technology. Mariana is a candidate for the Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance from the KU Leuven University, the University of Münster and the Tallinn University of Technology. She has worked in innovation in public service design and public servant capability building in Latin America and Europe, working for central and local governments and international organisations in Chile, Paraguay, Spain and Scotland. (She/her/hers)

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Jessica has an academic background in international studies and politics. She has professional experience working with the U.S. government and political nonprofits, and most recently managed a startup during the pandemic. Jessica has studied and worked abroad in Belgium, Mexico, Peru and Germany. (She/her/hers)

Originally from Pakistan and now residing in Berlin, Naveera Amjad brings a diverse academic background in security and sustainability to her work. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Hertie School, and has expertise in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and project management. Naveera is driven by a strong work ethos centred around fostering inclusive and equitable development particularly in areas of politics, climate finance and education technology. (She/her/hers)

Originally from the Philippines and currently living in Berlin. Alyssa believes in the power of intersectoral collaboration to drive impactful initiatives. She has worked across various government agencies with both politicians and bureaucrats. She finds inspiration in the potential for structural government reform. Her work in academia was on the topic of populism and foreign policy. (She/her/hers)

Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Dora is a Master of Public Policy candidate. Her work focuses on how societies and governments can enhance women's visibility and representation in politics. She has published articles about gender equality, women's representation, and feminist activism. She speaks Portuguese, English, German and Spanish. (She/her/hers)

Originally from Odesa, Ukraine, Veronika earned a Bachelor's in Management in Warsaw, Poland. With finance experience in Warsaw and controlling in Berlin, she brings valuable expertise to the Apolitical Foundation as an Administrative and Finance Assistant. Veronika speaks English, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, German, and Spanish and is dedicated to ensuring smooth financial and administrative operations. (She/her/hers)