Reza Afshar OBE is the Executive Director of Independent Diplomat. He joined ID in December 2013, bringing extensive experience in international security and diplomatic policy to his role as Policy Director in ID’s New York office before being appointed Executive Director in June 2020. Previously, Reza was head of the team responsible for Syria policy at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). During his time at the FCO, Reza also served as head of the Middle East, Asia and Europe Team at the UK Mission to the United Nations (2009 to 2012). He was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his work as lead negotiator on Libya in the UN Security Council. This work culminated in authorization for NATO’s military action in 2011. Reza began his service to the UK Government in 2001, working both in Defence and Foreign Affairs. After 9/11, he was sent to Afghanistan where he worked closely with the Northern Alliance. Reza returned to Afghanistan in 2006 for two years where he was the UK Embassy’s First Secretary responsible for counter-narcotics. During his 13 years of service, Reza also worked on Iraq (2003-2004), Zimbabwe (leading the UK Foreign Office’s crisis team in 2008), and negotiated new arms control protocols relating to cluster munitions and landmines.
Karoliina Ainge is Independent Diplomat’s Associate Director, Cybersecurity and Technology. In this role, she explores diplomatic processes on cyberspace and technology issues. She is a leading voice on government technology policy and cybersecurity. At Independent Diplomat, she advises governments—especially small and underrepresented states—on navigating global digital and cyberdiplomacy. Her work focuses on international cybersecurity norms, digital sovereignty, and the geopolitics of technology. Before joining Independent Diplomat, Karoliina served as Head of Estonia’s Cyber Security Policy, where she helped shape one of the world’s most recognised national approaches to cybersecurity. She led Estonia’s engagement on cyber issues, internet governance, and digital public infrastructure, spearheading many innovative projects like data embassies and e-residency. Karoliina is known for cutting through technical jargon to make digital policy accessible and actionable, and for helping governments build smart, future-proof strategies in multilateral spaces.
Ryan Allman is Latin America Director and Legal Advisor at Independent Diplomat (ID). Ryan leads ID’s refugee project and helped the Network for Refugee Voices, a global refugee-led network, secure unprecedented refugee participation in the negotiation of the Global Compact on Refugees. With geographical expertise in Latin America, she also works on developing projects in the region. Ryan joined ID after completing a Fulbright Fellowship in Bogota, Colombia, where she taught at the Universidad Nacional and advised the Colombian Government on their disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program for former child soldiers and on their reparations initiatives for Afro-Colombian women and children. She has previously worked at Mercy Corps, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Pacific Council on International Policy, and the United Nations Foundation. Ryan holds a B.A. (Cum Laude) from Occidental College in Diplomacy and World Affairs and Spanish Literary Studies. She speaks English and Spanish.
Hailey Campbell is a Climate Policy Officer with Independent Diplomat where she supports the Republic of the Marshall Islands on climate policy and the High Ambition Coalition Secretariat. Prior to joining ID, Hailey served as a Climate Adaptation Specialist for the City and County of Honolulu, designing urban planning and community-led adaptation solutions. Hailey has been actively engaged in climate diplomacy since 2019, contributing to the Children and Youth Constituency’s (YOUNGO) position in negotiations and bridging coalitions between young people and countries to deliver stronger mitigation, loss and damage, gender, and Action for Climate Empowerment outcomes. Hailey is also Executive Director of Care About Climate, a global non-profit building pathways for young people to develop skills and knowledge to engage in climate diplomacy, particularly through climate policy literacy and upskilling on Nationally Determined Contributions.
Michael Centor serves as the Senior Financial Advisor for Independent Diplomat. A seasoned financial management professional with extensive experience across both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Michael joined ID in November 2018. Prior to joining ID, Centor worked in the hospitality industry opening multiple restaurants in the Northeast US following which he returned to his work in the non-profit sector with the Boys & Girls Clubs. Centor served as Executive Director of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem and CFO for Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady before launching Centor Consulting in 2014. Centor Consulting’s mission focused on helping clients achieve long-term sustainability by leveraging all available resources to reduce administrative costs - freeing leadership to make critical, mission-focused decisions. Michael's approach emphasizes a paperless environment with streamlined processes that allow non-profits to dedicate more resources to their core missions. This approach is not only ideal but necessary for IDs growing global team.
Guillaume Charron is ID’s director in Geneva since October 2016. A former humanitarian worker, Guillaume has spent the last 6 years working in Geneva on the causes and effects of forced displacement for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In this capacity, he advised humanitarian actors and states responding to the situation in Iraq, Syria and Palestine. Before that, Guillaume had spent years in the field working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Iraq, Sudan, Palestine and Jordan. Guillaume also worked for the UN Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) first as a local employee in Egypt and then internationally in South-East Asia. Guillaume has also been teaching Master’s students at Sciences-Po on forced migration and Middle Eastern Studies, publishing several papers and participating in a number of conferences.
Juan M. Chiesa is Independent Diplomat’s Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, where he co-leads a project advancing the meaningful participation of refugees in policymaking across the Middle East and North Africa. Since joining ID in 2021, he has advised refugee-led organizations, women-led civil society platforms, and non-state actors on their diplomatic engagement in Latin America and Europe, with a focus on the Venezuela and Yemen contexts. Juan began his career in private legal practice in Buenos Aires before moving into international law and diplomacy. He worked at the Public International Law and Policy Group in Washington, D.C., where he managed human rights and accountability initiatives in Iraq. He also served as Policy Advisor at the Buenos Aires City Government and as Legal Advisor to the Undersecretary for Human Rights at the Argentine Ministry of Justice. His previous experience includes roles with the UN Committee against Torture and the Organization of American States. Juan holds an LL.M. in Public International Law from Columbia Law School, where he was a Fulbright and Argentine Ministry of Education scholar, and a J.D. from the Catholic University of Argentina. He is fluent in Spanish and English, with working knowledge of French and Italian. Juan is based in Buenos Aires and regularly travels to the MENA region and Europe.
Alison is based in Geneva. Since 2024, Alison has been working with the Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA) to set up a network of diplomatic champions driving faster and more equitable action on ocean-based climate solutions. She also supports the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the Human Rights Council in Geneva, with a focus on ensuring the HRC recognizes and addresses the threats that climate change poses to the full enjoyment of human rights. Before joining ID, Alison spent 14 years working in climate policy for the UK government – including at the British Embassy in Washington, as a UNFCCC and IPCC negotiator, and as a senior civil servant managing various climate policy teams. She holds masters’ degrees in Natural Science (University of Cambridge) and Science Communication (Imperial College London). Before joining government, she curated exhibitions about new scientific discoveries at the Science Museum in London.
Michael Dobson is a Climate Advisor at Independent Diplomat. Michael first joined ID as a Legal Officer in the Climate team in 2015-2016, advising the Republic of the Marshall Islands and H.E. Tony de Brum during the negotiation of the Paris Agreement and the creation of the High Ambition Coalition. He returned to the climate team as a senior consultant in 2020 and joined as a full-time member of staff in 2024. He has covered UNFCCC negotiations related to mitigation, transparency, Article 6, loss and damage, and finance. Since 2021, he has also supported RMI’s climate diplomacy at the International Maritime Organization. He holds a PhD in Global Politics from the New School for Social Research and undergraduate degrees in law and politics from the University of Otago. He is admitted to the bar in New Zealand and practiced at the law firm Chapman Tripp as a junior to Tim Smith, Daniel Kalderimis, Victoria Heine, and Jack Hodder K.C., before receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue graduate study in the United States.
Cat Evans is ID's Director of European and African Affairs, bringing extensive diplomatic experience gained from a UK government career specialising in conflict-affected and fragile countries working on a range of political, security, development, and humanitarian issues. Before joining ID, Cat was the British Ambassador to Mali and Non-Resident Ambassador to Niger (2018-2020) where she oversaw the expansion of UK engagement in the Sahel and was a member of the International Mediation for the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement. Prior to this, she was the UK’s Deputy Head of Mission in Ethiopia (2015-17), where she was also responsible for coordinating government security activity in the region and UK policy for Somaliland. Her first posting was also in Africa, where she worked on security sector reform as an Adviser in the Sierra Leone Ministry of Defence (2006-07). In 2008-09, Cat deployed to Basra as a Policy Adviser to UK military leaders commanding British forces in south-east Iraq, covering a surge in operations up until UK withdrawal. Cat began her government career working on Afghanistan (2003-04) and in 2009 was posted to Pakistan as First Secretary covering Afghanistan-Pakistan relations and the tribal border areas of Pakistan, including understanding Taliban dynamics. In 2011, she joined the British Embassy Kabul to lead the political section, with a personal focus on regional dynamics and reconciliation initiatives. Back in the UK, Cat worked on counter-terrorism for the 2012 Olympics and led a two-year cross-Government review to examine the impact of the UK’s EU membership (2012-14). She has also led various crisis management responses in the field, including the evacuation of UK nationals from Libya.
Teale Harold joined ID in June 2023 as part of the New York team, with a focus on UN Security Council activities and in particular Yemen. Before that, she was most recently part of the Norwegian Mission to the UN during its Security Council elected membership from 2021-2022, focusing on humanitarian affairs; climate, peace, and security; Haiti; and Cyprus. Teale previously worked for Security Council Report and the Japanese Mission to the UN. She graduated with her Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University in 2013 and during her undergrad dual majored in political science and international relations at the University of Mount Union (Alliance, Ohio), graduating in 2011. She also speaks French.
Mary Awad Menassa joined Independent Diplomat in July 2024 as a Climate Advisor where she currently leads the support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands on adaptation, and on national climate implementation. Prior to joining ID, Mary previously was a Senior Climate Action Specialist at the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Center for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, advising on enhancing sectoral ambition and facilitating climate action implementation, specifically through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term strategies. Before that, Mary had been actively engaged in climate diplomacy, shaping Lebanon’s position at the UNFCCC negotiations, contributed to global guidance on mitigation and transparency and co-led coalitions of countries negotiating the Paris Agreement rulebook. Mary was also the lead on Lebanon’s national climate commitments and interministerial coordination. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the American University of Beirut and is currently studying for an MSc. in International Development at the University of Edinburgh.
Vivian Oyella oversees ID's effort to advance meaningful refugee participation in policy development and processes in Uganda. A former humanitarian worker, Vivian was previously a Policy officer for Humanitarian Affairs and Refugees at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kampala, where she supported refugee populations and host communities through various initiatives, including the PROSPECTS partnership responding to the needs of over 1.8million refugees. Before that, she offered pro bono services to Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs). Vivian spent years working with UNHCR at country office initially as the first legal officer in charge of addressing reduction to Statelessness and later, with the External Engagement team as a secondee to the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) Government led secretariat. She was an advisor and instrumental in development of priority areas and pledges during the second Global Refugee Forum, where Uganda was a co-convener Country. Her previous experience includes roles with the national IHL Committee and Refugee Eligibility Committee. Vivian began her career in private legal practice in Kampala before moving into international Humanitarian and Refugee law and, diplomacy. She served as Protection Advisor and Refugee Status Determination officer in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Government of Uganda. Vivian holds Masters degrees in Refugee and Migration Studies and in Diplomacy and International Relations from Uganda Martyrs’ University. She is an alumnus at the International Institute for Humanitarian Law – San Remo and Migration Policy Centre of the European University Institute. Vivian has written extensively about localization in the refugee context.
Tony Ripley joined Independent Diplomat in September 2022 as a Climate Advisor to lead support to the Marshall Islands on mitigation and energy policy. Tony is part of the High Ambition Coalition Secretariat and also supports the Marshall Islands in the International Maritime Organization’s negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions. Tony formerly worked in the UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy team on climate litigation policy. Prior to that, Tony was head of mitigation ambition and under-represented voices in the UK’s UNFCCC negotiations team. In this role he was secretary to the informal Cartagena Dialogue negotiations group, bringing together progressive governments from different regional blocs. Tony was the architect of the UK’s global ambition raising campaign ahead of COP26, strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. At the Glasgow summit, as the UK negotiation team’s delegation manager, he was the troubleshooter for the conference’s unique covid-related logistical challenges and was part of the Presidency strategy team which delivered the Glasgow Climate Pact. Tony’s previous roles included being the UK’s REDD+ lead, negotiating land use and forestry issues in the UN and developing and overseeing Amazon protection programmes; and being the EU and international policy lead on carbon capture and storage.
Aisling Schorderet is Independent Diplomat’s Brussels-based Policy Adviser. She works closely with the EU institutions, Member States, and civil society organisations on important issues for our partners across Independent Diplomat’s geographic and thematic work, including promoting women’s meaningful participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes. Aisling joined ID in 2022 after five years in the European Commission, where she worked on emergency management and humanitarian aid (DG ECHO), health (DG SANTE), and EU enlargement (DG NEAR) policy. She has a background in diplomacy and multilateral security cooperation, having represented Ireland and the EU at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna and managed field operations for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. She also brings expertise in international criminal justice, gender, and human rights issues, having worked for the International Criminal Court and a number of NGOs. She holds an MA in International Relations from Dublin City University, where she focused her research on accountability for human rights violations committed by international organisations. Aisling is Irish-Swiss and speaks French, Spanish, and Italian.
Christina Sheetz is Senior Policy Advisor at Independent Diplomat (ID) based in Washington, D.C. Ms. Sheetz joined ID in 2025, bringing over 20 years of experience providing state and non-state actors critical legal and policy advice to address urgent peace, justice and security needs. Prior to joining ID, Christina served as a Human Rights Advisor with USAID where she managed USAID’s flagship global human rights fund and led U.S. policy planning and skills development on human rights, atrocity prevention, and transitional justice. Prior to her role at USAID, Christina was Vice President and Senior Counsel at the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) where led global teams advising parties to peace and political negotiations. In this role, she contributed to the conclusion of the Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan (2020), the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in Myanmar (2015), cessation of hostilities agreements in Myanmar, Syria, and Sudan, constitutional reform processes in Egypt, Iraq, and Yemen, and transitional justice initiatives globally. Christina has also provided legal advice to intergovernmental organizations and governments on economic development initiatives, including the design of legal and institutional frameworks for Special Economic Zones, public-private partnership, social and environmental risk assessment, and procurement reform. Christina is a former Fulbright Scholar and is fluent in Arabic.
Nick Scott is Independent Diplomat’s Managing Director and Head of Development. He previously served as Associate Director, External Relations, working on ID’s fundraising and communications efforts and originally joined ID in 2012. Prior to that, he worked for the Foundation Center (now Candid) – a leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. He previously lived in East Jerusalem, where he worked with Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy, an NGO that promotes active nonviolence and encourages alternatives to violence among youth and adults throughout Palestine. Nick holds a BA in History from Rowan University and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He has written about international affairs and philanthropy for publications including the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Alliance Magazine, Huffington Post, openDemocracy, Foreign Policy In Focus, the Foreign Policy Blogs network, The Post Internazionale, and PhilanTopic.
Marlene Spoerri is Director of US and UN operations at Independent Diplomat (ID), where she leads ID’s work on engagement with the US government, United Nations Security Council, the wider UN membership, and UN agencies. Marlene advised the Syrian opposition, Syrian civil society groups, and Syrian female negotiations throughout the UN-led peace process on Syria. Marlene is the author of Engineering Revolution: The Paradox of Democracy Promotion in Serbia, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Marlene has a PhD in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam, and an MA in International Relations, with a minor in Gender Studies. Her published work includes articles on transitional justice, democratization, democracy promotion, the Balkans, as well as nonviolent strategy and tactics. Prior to joining Independent Diplomat, Marlene worked for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia, and Serbia’s Humanitarian Law Center. She has served as a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University and Central European University.
Mia is a Policy Officer at Independent Diplomat, with a focus on ID's refugee program and Rohingya activities, and is based in Washington, D.C. Before joining Independent Diplomat in November 2024, she lived in Türkiye, where she worked with Oxfam KEDV (Türkiye) as a Policy Officer, with a focus on refugee and migration, humanitarian affairs, gender justice, civil society movements and network building, and institutional development and governance. In this capacity, she worked in the Secretariat of the Refugee Council of Türkiye (TMK), an umbrella organization made up of refugee-led organizations and national NGOs in Türkiye, where she managed its strategy development and policy and influencing activities. Mia obtained a BA in Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley in 2014 and a MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford in 2017. She has written about refugee responses, the localization of humanitarian and development aid, and resilience programming for publications including the Gender and Development journal and the Overseas Development Initiative. She is fluent in Turkish and Japanese.
With over a decade of experience in partner management, training, and refugee-focused programming, Mary Wangui currently serves as the Kenya Refugee Project Country Officer, providing wholesome support to ID’s partners in Kenya. Mary previously served as the Senior Manager, RLO Engagement at RefugePoint International, where she led strategic engagement and capacity strengthening initiatives for refugee-led and community-based organizations. Throughout her career, Mary has also managed grant programs, coordinated learning networks, and led large-scale convenings. She has previously served as a Training Manager, Livelihoods Officer and as a Banker in different organizations. She holds a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from JKUAT Kenya and a Bachelor of Education in Commerce and Economics from the University of Nairobi. In addition, she is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Trainer of Trainers (RedR Certification).
Leah Wawro is Director of Global Threats at Independent Diplomat. She joined the team in March 2019. Previously, Wawro was the Head of Conflict & Insecurity at Transparency International Defence. In this role, she led Transparency International’s work on defence and security sector corruption in fragile and conflict states, including in Nigeria, Ukraine, and Tunisia, and to strengthen accountability and anti-corruption in defence establishments, including the British Army, NAKO and the UN. Prior to this, she led advocacy for Transparency International Defence, and on building civil society’s expertise on anti-corruption in the defence sector. Wawro is also a founder and board member of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee of Ukraine (NAKO), which she co-founded in 2016. The NAKO has successfully advocated for the audit of the largest state-owned defence company, Ukroboronprom, and helped reform Ukraine’s military procurement practices. From 2014-15, Wawro was a Network Fellow at Harvard University’s Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics, where she worked on research into institutional corruption in the defence sectors of states transitioning to democracy. She has contributed to several books, including Indefensible: the seven myths that sustain the arms trade (Zed books, 2017) and Security in Nigeria: Defence, Terrorism and Politics in West Africa (I.B. Tauris, forthcoming). She holds an MA in International Relations and Arabic from the University of St. Andrews.
Abdy Yeganeh joined ID in October 2014 as the organization’s Brussels office Director. Abdy is a multilateral security expert, with over 12 years of experience advising the British Government. He most recently led the Syria Multilateral Team in the British Foreign Office. He has advised the British Government on Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including leading ISAF’s Population Engagement Cell in Helmand, Afghanistan. Prior to diplomacy, Abdy advised the British Ministry of Defence on the Balkans, specialising on Kosovo independence. He has a degree in economics and speaks fluent Farsi.
