Team

Irene Braam joined the Bertelsmann Foundation as executive director in April 2016. She is also the first vice president and board director of the Bertelsmann Foundation Board of Directors. Irene is an experienced lawyer and media expert, and worked for over ten years with the Bertelsmann company. She began as director of government relations of the Brussels Liaison Office in 2005 and became senior vice president of government relations in September 2011. Irene developed, among other things, a European platform for global discussion about the digital transformation of the media world. The series was held in Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and London. Not only did she represent and position Bertelsmann’s interests in the EU, she also promoted Bertelsmann in other cultural and social events in Brussels, such as UFA Film nights, previews of Fremantle Media’s productions, exhibitions and public panel discussions. After studying law at Maastricht University, the Dutch native began her professional career in 1998 in the music industry. Irene was head of international, legal and business affairs at Naïve Records in Paris, in charge of business development for Midbar Tech Ltd. in Tel Aviv, and served as both director of public policy and government affairs, and director of legal and business affairs at the Universal Music Group in London and Brussels. Irene is a native speaker of Dutch, and also speaks English, German, French and some Spanish.

Tony Silberfeld joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in April 2014. As director of the Transatlantic Relations program, he oversees the design and execution of projects covering a range of topics in the Euro-Atlantic sphere including politics, economics and social challenges. Tony joined the Foundation after seven years with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office where was head of political and public affairs at the Northern Ireland bureau. He also served as the Northern Ireland government spokesman in the Americas and advised Northern Ireland’s government ministers on political developments in the United States, Canada and Brazil. Prior to his tenure at the embassy, Tony spent several years as a foreign policy advisor in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. He also spent time in the private sector in the international team of Booz Allen Hamilton. Tony has a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.

Faith joined the Bertelsmann Foundation when it was established in February 2008. She is responsible for the financial, administrative and human resource operations of the organization. Faith previously managed the administrative and travel units of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, DC. Prior to that position, she worked for several years in administration at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She held managerial and administrative positions within the dean’s office of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, and at the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities within the UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Faith has a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a concentration in race, ethnicity and stratification from UCLA.

Megan joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in December 2015 and is responsible for event logistics, office travel and other administrative duties. She previously worked in academic administration at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, DC. Megan managed the graduate academic affairs for several departments within the CUA School of Arts and Sciences, and before that, worked in an administrative position for the CUA Department of Politics. Megan has a bachelor’s degree in global studies with a concentration in European integration and a minor in international business and history from Loyola University Maryland. During her studies at Loyola, she spent one year abroad at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. In that time, she traveled extensively, studied Dutch and participated in diverse cultural exchange programs and experiences.

Samuel George uses a multi-media approach to investigate critical issues in global economics, with a special focus on emerging markets. His signature video series, The Crossroads, combines expert interviews, graphics, and on-the-ground conversations and analysis to bring viewers inside cutting-edge moments in the global political economy. He also produces animated videos and interviews that highlight key findings in Bertelsmann Foundation and Bertelsmann Stiftung studies. Samuel initially joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2012 as a Latin America specialist working with the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Global Economic Dynamics project. Highlights of this work include the introduction of the “Pacific Pumas” concept, which relates to the advancements and opportunities of key countries in Latin America, as well investigations into Brazil’s economic malaise, Argentina’s debt crisis and Caribbean growth strategies. His studies on international economics have been cited in the Financial Times, the Economist and the Washington Post, and he continues to work closely with the Global Economic Dynamics project. Samuel is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and holds a master’s degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington.

Jeffrey Brown joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in August 2015. In his current role, he manages the Foundation’s project streams on the future of work and artificial intelligence. Jeffrey’s research activities include the geopolitical and workforce implications of artificial intelligence and the impact of the future of work on cities and regions in the United States and European Union. Jeffrey obtained his master’s degree in political science and European studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) in May 2015, where he participated in the TransAtlantic Masters program. While studying at UNC-CH and Sciences Po Paris, he completed an internship with the U.S. Department of State in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he analyzed political developments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and implementation of Georgia’s free trade agreement with the European Union. Jeffrey also completed internships with the U.S. Commercial Service in Paris and Lisbon. Prior to joining the Bertelsmann Foundation, Jeffrey worked in local government elections, international legal compliance and as a university instructor in Besançon, France. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College. He speaks French and Portuguese.

Emily Benson joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in January 2019 as Manager of Transatlantic Legislative Relations. Her primary work is running the Congressional European Parliamentary Initiative (CEPI). Prior to joining the Bertelsmann Foundation, Emily occupied several roles in the foreign policy arena, including fighting the illicit trade of art from conflict zones and working at an international law firm specialized in sanctions and foreign corrupt practices law. She was also a trainee at the European Delegation to the United States, where she worked on trade defense mechanisms and digital trade issues. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Geneva, where she focused on American trade relations. During her graduate studies, she was the national secretary for the Switzerland chapter of Democrats Abroad, a position that enabled her to maintain close ties to U.S. domestic politics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Colorado. A native Midwesterner, she has lived in France, Indonesia, and Switzerland and is fluent in French.

Brandon Bohrn joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in January 2020 as Manager of Transatlantic Relations. Specifically, he manages the German-American relations project. Before joining Bertelsmann, Brandon served as an intern with the U.S. Embassy Berlin, U.S. Consulate Düsseldorf, and U.S. Senate. He also participated in the Fulbright program as an English teaching assistant in Wanne-Eickel, Germany. Brandon completed the TransAtlantic Masters Program (TAM) in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As part of the program, he spent one year as a DAAD scholar at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Brandon is also a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He speaks German and some Turkish.

Nathan Crist joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2017 as Digital Communications Manager responsible for our website and other online platforms. Since then, he has also provided support for various multimedia projects from documentary films to the podcast and video series How to Fix Democracy. Nate holds an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. At the Bertelsmann Foundation, he has written on topics including democracy, populism, and the enlargement of the European Union in southeastern Europe. Originally from Maryland, Nate has spent much time abroad in Germany and Austria and speaks German.

Following the death of her husband, Reinhard Mohn, Liz Mohn represents the fifth generation of the Bertelsmann/Mohn family, owner of the Bertelsmann media group. She is vice-chair of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Executive Board and its Board of Trustees, and the interim president of the Board of Directors of the Bertelsmann Foundation. She is also chair of the Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft Executive Board and a member of the Supervisory Board at Bertelsmann SE. She serves as president of the German Stroke Foundation, an organization she founded, and chairs the board of the Liz Mohn Foundation for Culture and Music. She also chairs the Board of Trustees of the Association of German Music Schools. In 1999, she became the first female member of the Club of Rome from Germany. In 2000, she received Germany’s Cross of Merit, First Class, and in 2008 the organization Atlantik-Brücke selected her as the first woman to receive the Vernon A. Walters Award. In 2010 she was also honored with the Global Economy Prize by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. She received an ECHO Klassik award in 2002 and again in 2012. In 2013, she was named an officer of the French Legion of Honor.

Irene Braam joined the Bertelsmann Foundation as executive director in April 2016. She is also the first vice president and board director of the Bertelsmann Foundation Board of Directors. Irene is an experienced lawyer and media expert, and worked for over ten years with the Bertelsmann company. She began as director of government relations of the Brussels Liaison Office in 2005 and became senior vice president of government relations in September 2011. Irene developed, among other things, a European platform for global discussion about the digital transformation of the media world. The series was held in Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and London. Not only did she represent and position Bertelsmann’s interests in the EU, she also promoted Bertelsmann in other cultural and social events in Brussels, such as UFA Film nights, previews of Fremantle Media’s productions, exhibitions and public panel discussions. After studying law at Maastricht University, the Dutch native began her professional career in 1998 in the music industry. Irene was head of international, legal and business affairs at Naïve Records in Paris, in charge of business development for Midbar Tech Ltd. in Tel Aviv, and served as both director of public policy and government affairs, and director of legal and business affairs at the Universal Music Group in London and Brussels. Irene is a native speaker of Dutch, and also speaks English, German, French and some Spanish.

Philipp Rösler has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Bertelsmann Stiftung since 2018. Prior, he was a member of the Executive Board of the World Economic Forum. From 2009 to 2013, he was a member of the Cabinet of Germany. First, he acted as Minister for Health, then as Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Technology. He was a member of the parliament of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2009 and held the office of Vice Minister President and Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport in 2009. Before his political career, he practiced medicine as a captain in the German military. He studied medicine and received his doctorate in 2002.

Dr. Stephen F. Szabo is a senior fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary Studies, Johns Hopkins University and a professorial lecturer at SAIS Johns Hopkins University Previously, Szabo was the executive director of the Transatlantic Academy, based at the Washington office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). He also served as academic and interim dean as well as professor of European studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that he served as professor of national security affairs at the National Defense University and chairman of West European studies at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State. He has written on German foreign and security policies, generational politics in Europe, and transatlantic security and political relations. His publications include The Changing Politics of German Security; The Diplomacy of German Unification; Parting Ways: The Crisis in the German-American Relationship; and Germany, Russia and the Rise of Geo-Economics.

Wilhelm-Friedrich Uhr has been with the Guetersloh, Germany-based Bertelsmann Stiftung since 2003. He joined as senior vice president for human resources and organization, and became in 2013 senior vice president for corporate operations. Prior to joining the Stiftung, Mr Uhr was executive director of it-akademie ostwestfalen (IT Academy of East Westphalia), an institution that was a Bertelsmann Stiftung project. Mr Uhr was a World Bank senior human-resources officer responsible for southeastern Asia based in Washington, DC from 1997 to 2000. He joined the bank from Siemens, where he served as director of human resources and organizational development for the electromechanical components division. Between 1989 and 1994, Mr Uhr worked for Nixdorf, where he held various positions, among them the personal assistant to the board member in charge of human resources and the director of the software engineering department.