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)

Executive Director, Apolitical Foundation Accelerator
Omezzine Khelifa
Omezzine is a French-Tunisian political activist and social entrepreneur. She was part of the 2011 Tunisian Revolution, running for parliament and serving as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance.
She created and has spent the last 8 years running Mobdiun – Creative Youth, a social impact and peace organization that prevents violent extremism, inspires youth to lead change and helps to build a peaceful democracy in Tunisia. (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 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 Content and Communications
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)

Project Manager, Women in Politics
Janani Padmanabhan
Janani specializes in gender and intersectionality, with experience in project management and communications at NGOs and startups. She is passionate about bridging the gender gap - whether it's in politics, health, safety infrastructure, or at work. She recently graduated from the Hertie School with a Master's in International Affairs. (She/her/hers)

Special Project Coordinator
Amanda Mitchell
Originally from Detroit, Michigan but now calls Berlin home. Amanda joins us with an academic background in Latin American culture and politics and professional experience in NGO and startup project management. Speaks Spanish and English. (She/her/hers)

Policy and Research Fellow
Aaryan Salman
A global citizen currently living in Berlin. Aaryan is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Hertie School. He has worked as an educator and social entrepreneur with a deep interest in the domains of Hybrid Learning, Global Sustainability, Social and Emotional-Learning, Debate Education, and Global Citizenship Education. (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)

Bookkeeper
Mustafa Naji
An Afghan living in Germany since 2022. Mustafa is an MSc candidate in Finance and Accounting with a bachelor’s in Business Administration. He has also spent a year as the president of the Student Government at the American University of Afghanistan. He speaks Persian, Pashto, English, and German. (He/him/his)

Working Student
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)
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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)