Meet our global employees
Our team is dedicated to advancing democratic security and stability worldwide, leveraging diverse expertise and collaborative spirit to support lasting peace and safety across communities.
Nicole Mechehrawi
Chief Executive Officer
Vita Nicole Mechehrawi
Coming soon.
Michael Schemke
Chief Executive Officer
Commissioner of the State Police (ret.)
Vita Michael Schemke
Michael Schemke is CEO of the GS-Foundation. He is a senior police professional with nearly 50 years of service in North Rhine-Westphalia. Before his retirement, he held leading positions including Deputy Police President in Krefeld and Commissioner of the State Police – the highest-ranking uniformed position in North Rhine-Westphalia. His career includes more than eleven years in special forces and extensive strategic work on complex issues such as clan crime. At the GS-Foundation, he focuses on strengthening international reform partnerships and expanding the organisation’s network in Germany.
Stefan Schwarz
Chief Operating Officer
Vita Stefan Schwarz
Stefan Schwarz is an extraordinary security sector expert with more than 40 years of service in the German police. He held senior leadership roles at home and abroad, including missions in Kosovo, South Sudan, and at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Over the years, he has contributed to shaping international standards, notably through his work on the Strategic Guidance Framework for international policing. With expertise in project management, reform, and capacity building across more than 20 countries, he combines operational leadership with a truly global vision for the future of security sector reform.
Administration team
Ronja Berner
Project Manager
Annika Biallaß
Project Manager & CEO Assistant
Markus Bolder
Chief Financial Officer
Katharina Carpentier
Project Assistant
Ronja Berner is a dedicated project manager with extensive experience in international project coordination and a research background in humanitarian assistance. She managed youth exchange programs at AFS Intercultural Programs and gained valuable experience in Germany and abroad, including an internship at GIZ. Fluent in several languages and skilled in intercultural communication, she now applies her expertise at GS-F, advancing projects in Nigeria, Chile and Colombia while fostering strategic partnerships.
Katharina Carpentier is involved in all projects as a project assistant. She brings a wealth of experience from IT and as a project manager in the cultural sector. Most recently, she has led cross-team projects and supervised prestigious publications. At work, she is passionate about optimising processes and digitalisation. Her academic roots lie in history and art history.
Bernd Gosebruch
Chief Procurement Officer
Dr. Susanne Greiter
Head of Project Equalforce Moldova & Ukraine Senior Expert Migration & Gender
Angelika Grubert
Legal Advisor
Mirgeta Hajdari
Project Manager
Dr. Susanne Greiter is a historian and Slavic studies expert specializing in gender equality, anti-discrimination, and security. She has 25 years of experience in international election observation for the UN, EU, and OSCE. As a guest lecturer, she teaches peacebuilding at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College. At GS-F, she leads projects in Eastern Europe, strengthening gender equality in security institutions and addressing violence prevention and capacity-building.
Bernd Gosebruch is an accomplished professional with a background in engineering and public service. After his career as an officer in the German Armed Forces, he served as a senior procurement official for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. He managed key acquisitions for international police missions and specialized equipment. Since September 2023, he has been Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) for the GS-Foundation, leading procurement activities.
Angelika Grubert is a lawyer and qualified criminologist. She has worked as both a lawyer and a judge in various a reas of law during her career, and also gained many years of experience as a manager in the Hamburg administration in a wide variety of activities and authorities. In addition, she has been active in honorary and as a member of supervisory boards and boards of directors of public companies. Since October 2023, she has been supporting the GS Foundation as a Legal Advisor.
Mirgeta Hajdari is a project manager in our team and helps oversee our project in Nigeria. She previously gained valuable experience at GIZ in Kosovo, in the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia and in the management of international integration and education projects. These varied positions have given her a deep understanding of international cooperation, project management and intercultural contexts. At GS-F, Mirgeta contributes her professional expertise, organisational skills and communication talents to the sustainable development of projects.
Klaus Peter Kilian
Police Advisor
Alice Redhardt
Communications Manager
Peter Schmidts
Strategic Sourcing Manager
Rolf van de Bruck
Procurement Advisor
Klaus-Peter Kilian is a highly skilled professional with a remarkable career in law enforcement, including service with the elite GSG 9 unit. For the Federal Police and the Foreign Office, he held responsibilities in China, Afghanistan, and the MENA region for a total of nine years. As the founding CEO of the GS-Foundation, he played a key role in establishing its mission and vision. Today, he focuses on recruiting senior experts and continues to support the foundation as a trusted police advisor.
Alice Redhardt is a versatile communications professional with extensive experience across public service, NGOs, banking, and retail. Highly organized and enthusiastic, she loves to be inspired and inspire others. Her skills range from writing and shaping digital communication to planning and managing events. At the GS-Foundation, she ensures effective internal and external communication with creativity and dedication.
Peter Schmidts is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in banking and corporate management. He has held leadership roles in credit departments and corporate business, focusing on strategic planning, customer relations, and credit management. As Strategic Sourcing Manager at the GS-Foundation, he oversees procurement and contributes to security sector reform projects, emphasizing gender-sensitive strategies and stakeholder dialogue.
Rolf van de Bruck worked in various roles within the North Rhine-Westphalia police force from 1978 until 1 January 2025. During his 46 years of service, he spent around 20 years working in various roles within the North Rhine-Westphalia special forces. After his time with the special forces, he worked at the State Office for Central Police Services (LZPD) until his retirement. He is currently a member of the procurement team at GS-F.
Thilo Vogt
Project Manager
Thilo Vogt is a dedicated project manager with diverse experience in law enforcement and academia. He began his career as a strategic and operational criminal analyst with the North Rhine-Westphalia Police. At the DHPol, he was responsible for academic training in the field of international police relations and managed high-profile projects, including the police section of the evaluation of German engagement in Afghanistan. His international projects include police capacity building in Ukraine and cooperation with UNITAR for the Malaysian Coast Guard.
Project staff
Uwe Heller
Managing Director
Commissioner of the State Police (ret.)
Peter Heepen
Project Coordinator
Senior Police Advisor
Dr. Volker Jacoby
Head of Project Moldova
Yelizaveta Kuzmich
Project Coordinator in Ukraine
Uwe Heller has a 45½-year career in law enforcement, including international roles with the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, where he served as Chief of Staff. He later led the Operations and Situation Center for Berlin Police and contributed to the “Cooperative Control Center” project with the Berlin Fire Department. Currently, he is Head of our project in Nigeria and oversees the Special Intervention Squad project . Moreover, he lectures on Leadership Studies at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.
Volker Jacoby is one of two project managers for Moldova. He is responsible for implementing GS-F projects on site that are not part of the EQUALFORCE project.
He has many years of international management and project experience. Most recently, he was the founding director of the European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management (CoE) in Berlin and worked closely with the interior and foreign ministries of EU member states to strengthen their civilian crisis management capabilities. Previously, he was head of training at the Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF) and shared his diverse experience from international peace operations. His work is characterised by an integrated approach, i.e. close cooperation between civilian, police and military actors.
Yelyzaveta Kuzmich is our Project Coordinator in Ukraine. With a background in brand management and international team coordination, she brings clarity and structure to daily operations. Her work strengthens our local presence through effective coordination and communication.
Sebastian Kwika
Head of Project Ukraine
Yuriy Megera
Project Coordinator in Ukraine
Udo Möller
Project Coordinator in Chile/Colombia
Edidiong Obot
Admin/Operations Advisor
Udo Möller is a retired senior police officer with 52 years of experience. His career spans roles from patrol duty in Wuppertal to leadership positions in North Rhine-Westphalia, including heading special units and a district police authority. Internationally, he served in UN and EU missions, including Kosovo, Sudan and Ukraine where he led strategic reforms. He coordinates the trilateral police project in Chile/Colombia for the GS-F, applying his expertise to international partnerships.
Ana Palii
Project Coordinator in Moldova
Georg Partenheimer
Project Coordinator in Nigeria
ThankGod Umaje
Consultant/Admin Assistant
Natalia Vitiuc
Project Coordinator in Moldova
Natalia Vitiuc is a local, Moldovan project coordinator with 17 years of work experience in international settings. She excels in advisory support, impact assessments, and process enhancement. Natalia coordinates project activities and works with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova.
