Meet The Team
Co-founder & CEO
Lisa Witter
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)
Chief Operating Officer
Kimberly McArthur
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)
Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Women in Politics
Suki Capobianco
A Bolivian living in Berlin, Suki is a political scientist specialized in political and strategic communication. Suki has worked extensively on gender and women’s rights issues and, as a feminist, is committed to supporting women in politics as an essential means of changing the world. Speaks Spanish, English and German. (She/her/hers)
Head of Apolitical Foundation Accelerator and Political Leadership Entrepreneur Network
Anna Miller
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)
Head of Content and Partnerships
Rebekah Ison
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)
Head of Projects
Hussam Erhayel
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)
Communications Coordinator
Jessica Hendrick
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)
Project Coordinator, Women in Politics
Cäcilia Riederer
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)
Project Coordinator, Women in Politics
Mariana Lavin
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)
Project Coordinator
Naveera Amjad
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)
Learning Designer
Ximena Docarmo
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)
Executive and Special Assistant to the CEO
Alyssa Santiago
Originally from the Philippines and currently living in Berlin. Alyssa believes in the power of intersectoral collaboration to drive impactful initiatives. She has worn many hats across various government agencies with experience in educational policy, local governance, legislation, foreign affairs and employment. She has worked with both politicians and bureaucrats and 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)