EEE-YFU Team

Gregory Matheson

SECRETARY GENERAL

Gregory Matheson is the Secretary General of YFU's Global Office. Gregory is responsible for overseeing the work of the Global Staff and for implementing the Global Strategy of YFU. He holds a degree in Law and European history. Gregory has been involved with YFU since 2013, when he took over the management of YFU France. He has been involved with YFU as a Director, host father, volunteer and counselor and is fiercely committed to the values and projects of Youth For Understanding, recognising the power of its mission and its volunteer communities and the transformative value of it's work for individuals and for communities around the world.

KEA HOPPE

DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL & GLOBAL PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

Kea Hoppe is the Deputy Secretary General of YFU’s Global Office and the Director of Programs, located in Brussels, Belgium. In her current role, she is responsible for managing and expanding program capacities and strengthening and enhancing existing and developing new programs, to meet the needs of our customers and enhance our impact globally. Kea holds a master's degree in psychology from the University of Göttingen, Germany, the country she is originally from. Having been a YFU exchange student herself, she loves working with passionate colleagues from around the globe for a cause she truly believes in. She has been involved with YFU as a staff member since 2006, first working for YFU Germany in different management positions before moving to the international level of YFU in January 2017. Until January 2019, she was the Director of EEE-YFU, the umbrella organization of YFU in Europe, making her even more a believer in active global citizenship than before.

MARZENA GAWENDA

TRAINING & KNOWLEDGE MANAGER

Marzena is YFU's Training & Knowledge Manager. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing training courses and capacity-building projects for YFU volunteers and staff, obtaining funds and grant-writing for educational projects as well as managing the European Trainer Network. Originally from Poland, she has lived, worked and studied in Italy and Spain and is currently based in Belgium. Marzena is not only a trainer, coach and facilitator, but also an art therapist, deeply interested in body-mind-soul connection. She has extensive volunteer experience in NGOs, including AEGEE, SIETAR, First Light India, and Toastmasters.  Working with YFU makes it possible for her to be the witness of countless a-ha moments and transformations during training courses, international friendships being forged and exceptional ideas turning into sustainable projects. Marzena holds an MA in Ethnolinguistics and a post-master specialisation in Art Therapy, Forum Theatre and Vedic Art. She has over 15 years of practice in the Training Field and her work experience ranges from designing educational projects for NGOs to organising strategic retreats and teambuilding activities for businesses, to running transformative personal retreats for individuals.

ANDREEA MADAR

PROJECTS & ADVOCACY COORDINATOR

Andreea comes from Romania and she was an exchange student with YFU in Germany in 2011/2012. She speaks 5 languages and has many hobbies: skiing, graphic design and tennis to name the most important. She holds a Bachelor diploma in European Studies and International Relations from the Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca and a Masters in Political Strategy and Communication at the University of Kent. During her studies in Brussels, she has been working with EEE-YFU supporting Educational Activities, and has also been involved in Advocacy and developing promotional materials.

She is currently in charge of YFU's advocacy campaigns and of coordinating the biggest event in YFU, the Young European’s Seminar, which brings together 500 YFU students and volunteers every year.

LENKA KOVÁČOVÁ

PROGRAMS & ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Lenka is the Programs and Administrative Assistant at the Global Office. In this role she supports member organizations with programs related tasks and questions, such as health insurance, system support and mediation between partners. She also supports the Global Office in administrative tasks such as finance and daily office management. Lenka comes from Czechia, has lived and studied in Germany and France and is currently based in Belgium. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography of Central Europe, EU and regional studies from UJEP, Czechia. Lenka has a long-time experience with Erasmus+ program as an exchange student, volunteer and finally an ESC volunteer which led her to join YFU at her current position. Lenka's hobbies include baking, rafting and all things sci-fi.

Taru Granholm

COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY SPECIALIST

Taru has first joined the Global Office as an Advocacy & Communications Assistant in 2022, and rejoined the team as Specialist in late 2023. Her tasks include increasing the visibility of YFU globally and influencing policy relevant to its mission. She comes from Finland and is currently finishing her Master's degree in International Business. With many experiences abroad, starting from an exchange year to Germany with YFU in 2014 and later studying abroad in France, Taru is a firm believer in the power of learning mobility to make the world a better place for us all.

Francesca D'Agostino

ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

Francesca joined the YFU Global Office as the Communication and Advocacy Assistant in 2023. Her tasks include supporting YFU’s internal and external communication, support advocacy and fundraising activities and support the implementation of the Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES). She has been an exchange student in Australia. She values working at YFU because she believes that intercultural learning leads to the development of a set of attitudes and skills that help young people to understand themselves and others to be able to act for social transformation. She previously worked as a journalist and as a communication support. She has a keen interest in self-development, psychology and physics.

Aline Nicolai

MEMBERSHIP & QUALITY EXCHANGE ASSISTANT

Aline joined the Global Office in 2023, her tasks as Membership and Quality Assistant include insurance and program management, member organization support and operational and personnel procedure development. She is French-Indian and has studied in Germany, Italy and China in addition to her two countries of origin. She holds a Bachelors in Human Resources and Environmental Studies and a Masters in International Business Management. Aline is a strong believer in the power of international and intercultural exchanges and joined the YFU office to contribute to making such experiences available for as many people as possible.