Charles King Mallory IV, Executive Director -- Mr. Mallory received his education at Volksschule in Hamburg, at Westminster School London and at Middlebury College Vermont; he studied for an MA in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University and a PhD at the RAND Graduate School. Mr. Mallory worked at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, where he co-wrote the "Role of Chemical Weapons in Soviet Military Doctrine" with Professor J. Krause of Kiel University. Mr. Mallory was CEO of Credit Suisse Investment Funds Moscow, before joining Allied Capital Corporation - a private equity and mezzanine investment fund. For the five years prior to joining Aspen Berlin he was Senior Advisor to Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. (CV)

Dr. Kai M. Schellhorn, Director of Programs – Dr. Schellhorn assists the Aspen Institute staff from time to time at the direction of an external service provider. He coaches Aspen staff on the proper planning and execution of programming and events. Dr. Schellhorn was assistant professor at the political science department of Munich University and worked for Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, before joining the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. His international career with the Adenauer foundation took Dr. Schellhorn to the United States of America, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa. From 1995-2005 Dr. Schellhorn was executive director and member of the board of the BMW Stiftung Herbert Quandt. Dr. Schellhorn has authored five books and a large number of articles on international relations.

Olaf Böhnke, Senior Program Officer – Olaf Böhnke currently leads Aspen’s program series on civil society in Syria, Iran and Lebanon. Before joining Aspen in January 2007, he was Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to several members of German Bundestag from 1999-2006. Mr Böhnke is also a visiting lecturer at the Otto-Suhr-Institut for Political Scienes at Free University Berlin. He received his M.A. from Free University Berlin, where he studied International Relations, Political Science and Economics.

Bente Aika Scheller, Senior Program Officer – Ms. Scheller joined Aspen in May 2008 to lead one of the institute’s Middle East programs. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Political Science from Free University of Berlin, where she is currently finishing her PhD on Syrian foreign policy. Ms. Scheller specializes in foreign and security policy and is proficient in Arabic. Previously, she conducted research in Cairo for several months and spent two years working at the German Embassy in Damascus.

Helena Zillich, Program Officer -- Helena Zillich is responsible for development. She joined the Aspen Institute Berlin in January 2007 after completing her MA in Economics from the University Zurich in 2005. Her previous work experiences led her to southern India where she worked for the Indian development organization DPG. She also worked for a member of the Committee on Economic Cooperation & Development at the German Bundestag and gained practical experience at the German Chamber of Commerce in the Caribbean.

Eva Dingel joined the Aspen Team in July 2008 to work on its Lebanon program. She received her BA degree in Modern European Studies from University College London, and an MA in International Relations from Freie Universität Berlin. She has worked as project assistant in Beirut, Lebanon with the Friedrich Naumann as well as the Friedrich Ebert Foundations before joining Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin as research assistant to the Director. Her research focus is on the role of non-state actors in the Middle East. Her regional experience also includes stays in Israel and Syria.

Julia Gebert, Program Officer – Ms. Gebert joined Aspen in July 2008 to work in one of the Middle East Programs. She graduated in June 2008 with a Master’s degree in Political Sciences from the Free University of Berlin. Ms. Gebert focused during her studies, working experience and her voluntary work on the regional politics of the Levant. She spent eight months in Damascus doing language training and research at the Institut Français du Proche Orient. Her previous work experience led her to the German Chamber of Commerce in Beirut, to the Lebanon-based chapter of Transparency International and to the European Parliament in Brussels.

Anna Korte, Program Officer -- Ms. Korte earned her Masters Degree in Political Science, German, and Art History at the University of Regensburg. During the course of her studies, she gained practical experience in Mauritania in developmental aid and as a project assistant in the United States section of the Herbert Quandt Foundation in Munich. After her studies, she worked as a junior consultant for a strategy consulting company in Cologne with a focus on implementing corporate ethics and compliance, defining corporate identities, and designing business communication campaigns.

Alexander Berg, Assistant Program Officer -- Alexander Berg started as an intern in September 2006 and formally joined the Aspen Institute Berlin in January 2007 as part time Online Editor and Assistant Program Officer. Mr. Berg will graduate from Freie Universität Berlin in 2009 with a Magister Degree in American and East European Studies. During his studies, Mr. Berg was an intern for the Democratic Party in Michigan and received a scholarship for an academic year at Columbia University.

Ramona Gottwald, Executive Assistant -- After studying commercial correspondence for foreign languages Ms. Gottwald worked in a conference centre. After earning Certification as an International Event Manager, she worked for a Czech Non-Governmental Organization in 2007, before joining the Aspen Institute Berlin in January.