The Team

Mechthild Alpers is an independent project coordinator based in Berlin. Her main interest lies in inter-cultural understanding, it’s obstacles and chances. Recently she’s exploring the role that the arts could play in cross-cultural understanding. Mechthild studied Political Science, Islamic Sciences and Sociology in Hamburg and Cairo and graduated with an MA at Hamburg University. She has been living and working in different regions of the world: e.g. as German Teacher in Argentina, as Personal Assistant for an Artist in Australia, as Program Coordinator for the Goethe Insitut’s Visitor’s Program in Germany. Fascinated by cultural diversity Mechthild has always focussed on exploring different cultures and the possibilities of living together. She’s constantly looking for ways to provide a deeper cross-cultural undertanding. Mechthild speaks German, English, French and Arabic.

Ahmed Badawi is currently a Research Associate at the Department of Development Studies at SOAS and Project Director (Israel-Palestine) at the Oxford Research Group. He worked in Egypt and the Middle East for nine years (1990-1999) as a TV journalist, group facilitator and project coordinator. After two years of graduate study in the UK at the University of Salford and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), he joined the German Institute for International and Security Affairs as Research Associate (2001-2005). In 2005-2007 he was Research Associate at the Institute of Development and Peace, University of Duisburg-Essen, where he co-directed a project funded by the United States Institute of Peace called ‘Beyond Managing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Towards a New People-to-People Agenda’.

Michaela Birk is an independent project coordinator, event manager and researcher based in Berlin. Her special fields of interest are Middle East, especially Israel and Palestine, conflict resolution and analysis, political development in the Middle East, democratisation processes as well as minority and human rights. Michaela holds a diploma in Political Science from the University of Duisburg and studied Middle East Politics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. From 1998 – 2001 she worked as a project coordinator at the Heinrich-Boell-Foundations foreign office in Israel, were she was responsible for projects and research on minorities and human rights issues in Israel. From 2001-2003 she worked at the Heinrich-Boell-Foundation office in Berlin on International Women and Gender projects.

David French, Associate Director, is Principal of Convener Associates, consultants in international political development, which he founded in 2009.  His expertise is in building strategic alliances, assembling talent from diverse backgrounds to achieve imaginative and productive outcomes. Among his current commitments David French is acting Chief Executive of the Alexandria Trust, a new initiative to strengthen teaching in the social sciences in the Arab world; and Advisor to the European Partnership for Democracy, Brussels. He was Chief Executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the UK’s official agency for international democracy assistance, from 2003 to 2009. He initiated WFD’s programmes in the Middle East region and extended its work in Eastern Europe and Africa. During that time he also founded the Westminster Consortium for Parliaments and Democracy to bring together UK expertise in international parliamentary strengthening (House of Commons, National Audit Office, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Westminster political parties etc.). From 1997 to 2002 he was Director General of the Commonwealth Institute, London and led the development of cultural diversity as a Commonwealth priority, convening an international conference in Brisbane three weeks after the 9/11 attacks.  From 1987 to 19 95 he was Chief Executive of Relate, the UK’s leading relationship counselling agency.

Micah Brashear is a musician and independent project coordinator living in Berlin. He studied philosophy at Vanderbilt University and the University of Edinburgh, completing his masters in 2008. He has worked for Transform since 2008 on various projects in the Middle East and in Europe.