In the fall of 2022, the American Council on Germany launched the Study Tour on Social Cohesion. Funded through the Transatlantic Program of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), this project brings together small groups of Americans and Germans for two one-week long study tours on either side of the Atlantic. This project explores how communities address strive to be more cohesive.
Atlanta, Georgia and Denver, Colorado
In mid-June, the third cohort of the American Council on Germany’s Study Tour on Social Cohesion met for a week of meetings in Erfurt and Frankfurt. Three months later, on September 15, the same group met in Atlanta, Georgia, for the second part of the exchange. Ten Americans and ten Germans spent a week learning how American cities are tackling challenges related to immigration, affordable housing, education, and mental health, among other topics.
Over a reunion dinner on September 15, the group reflected on the recent elections in Germany and the upcoming elections in the United States. On both sides of the Atlantic, the participants are concerned for the future of democracy and civil rights.
On the morning of September 16, the Georgia House of Representatives welcomed the cohort for insightful roundtable discussions on voting rights, employment, and housing. Representative Lydia Glaize (2015 ACG McCloy Fellow on Urban Affairs), Representative Saira Draper, Yvonne Brooks, President of the Georgia State AFL-CIO, and George Brown, Asset Management Division Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, discussed the most significant issues facing their work today. Concerns over the upcoming elections and what might happen to their roles were palpable.
Erfurt and Frankfurt
On the afternoon of June 9, 2024, the third cohort of the American Council on Germany’s Study Tour on Cohesion gathered in Erfurt. The cohort consisted of ten American and ten German young professionals, all of whom are committed to making society more equitable. That same day, Germany voted in the European Parliamentary elections, and the results would be discussed throughout the week.
Seated around a dinner table, the group of American and German young professionals, united by their commitment to societal equity, found an immediate bond. The lively conversation that ensued, filled with shared challenges and experiences, underscored the common ground they shared across the Atlantic.
Northern Virginia and Chicago, IllinoisÂ
Just two short months after meeting in Cologne and Stuttgart, the second cohort of the ACG’s Study Tour on Social Cohesion gathered in Arlington, Virginia for an exchange in the United States. From November 5 to 10, 19 professionals working in government, academia, and nonprofits traveled to Virginia and Illinois for a week of meetings, discussions, and museum visits.
Over pizza and pasta, the group gathered in Arlington, VA for a night of reconnection and reflection. Since the last meeting, tensions throughout the world have risen over the war in Gaza. With a rise of antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiments, the focus on social cohesion has become critical to communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
Cologne and Stuttgart
During the first week of September, the ACG hosted the second year of the Study Tour on Social Cohesion. Ten Americans and ten Germans met in Cologne and Stuttgart for a week of meetings. This project is made possible by a generous grant from the Ministry of Economics Affairs and Climate Action as part of the European Recovery Program.
Meeting for the first time in person in Cologne on the evening of September 3, the group quickly bonded. Over dinner and discussions, commonalities in social justice challenges were at the center of the exchange. The group was joined by alumni from the previous year, adding to the depth of the conversation.
Cleveland, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina
Following a successful program in Dresden and Nuremberg, the Study Tour on Social Cohesion met for the second part of the exchange in the United States. From December 4 to 10, 2022, the cohort of 15 young professionals working in the fields of government, academia, nonprofits, and corporations, traveled to Cleveland, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina, for a week of meetings surrounding topics such as education, housing, and workforce preparedness.
On the evening of December 4, the group met for what felt like a family reunion. With hugs and smiles, the participants reflected on the first program and projects they had worked on in the three months since they last met.
Dresden and Nuremberg
During the first week of September 2022, the American Council on Germany conducted a German-American Study Tour on Social Cohesion. This initiative brought together German and American experts and practitioners for a week of site visits, meetings, and discussions on how communities in both countries can address common struggles such as education, migration, and affordable housing. The group consisted of seven Europeans and ten Americans and visited Dresden and Nuremberg.
On September 4, the program began in Dresden with an opening dinner with Bundestag Member Torsten Herbst (FDP). He addressed some of the biggest concerns in Germany today – including the rising cost of energy, inflation, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. He noted that there are many challenges at the national level which have very local impacts.
List of Study Tour Participants
2022 Cohort
Mariam Ahmed
Project Manager
Stiftung Mercator GmbH
Stuttgart
Simon Bauer
Manager Policy & Public Affairs
Pfizer Pharma GmbH
Berlin
Andrea Bell
Executive Director
Oregon Housing and Community Services
Tigard, Oregon
Emily Bischoff
Director of Community Involvement
Northwest Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (NNCDC)
North Olmsted, Ohio
Dr. Uwe Brinkmann
Former Mayor
Bad Schwartau
Judith Davis
Program Analyst
Department of Defense – Human Resources Activity
Arlington, Virginia
RaShelle Davis
Senior Policy Advisor
Office of Governor Jay Inslee
Tacoma, Washington
Dr. Lynn Itagaki
Associate Professor
University of Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Dr. Charles Herring
Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
South Fayette Township School District
McDonald, Pennsylvania
Rina Lopez
Equity Energy Program Manager
San Francisco Department of the Environment
San Rafael, California
Caitlin Moen
Chief Library Services Officer
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Charlotte, North Carolina
Rui Marques Pinto
Policy Analyst and project manager
Project Demokratie Cafe Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Christin Rettke
Policy Advisor
City of Leipzig
Leipzig
Barış Şahin
Social and Political Scientist
University of Cologne
Cologne
Florian Schalliol
Project Director
New Localism Associates
New York, New York
David Scholz
Coordinator LIVE – Lokal Inklusiv Verein(tes) Engagement Niedersachsen
Special Olympics Deutschland
Oldenburg
Keri Zipay
Director of Business Development
Team NEO
Cleveland, Ohio
2023 Cohort
Dr. Anna Agbe-Davies
Associate Professor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Cati Bennett
Chaplain
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center
Vancouver, Washington
Amy Berger
Associate Director, Dallas
American Jewish Committee (AJC)
Dallas, Texas
Amina Bouayad
Educational Equity Coordinator
Colorado Department of Higher Education
Denver, Colorado
Michaela Doelman
Chief Human Resources Officer
State of Washington
Olympia, Washington
Pinar Dogantekin
Student
Technical University of Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Jamal Easley
Program Associate
Facing History and Ourselves
Cleveland, Ohio
Sylvia Fall
Integration Officer
City of Emmendingen
Mark Hanis
Founder
Inclusive America
Washington, DC
Jamillia Kamara
Senior Program Officer for Education
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dr. Anu Karjalainen
Team Lead Social/Youth/Sport
Lörrach
Kimberly Klebolte
Managing Director
DFA Digital für alle gGmbH
Berlin
Jule Lilo Knop
Social Worker
Kleiner Muck e.V.
Bonn
Theresa Kodritsch
Senior Consultant
City of Leipzig, Mayor’s Department
Dr. Micah Kubic
Executive Director
ACLU of Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri
Katrin Johanna Linde
Administrator Intercultural Overall Concept
City of Bottrop, Germany
Christian Richter
Scientific Coordinator, Social Cohesion
Berlin University Alliance
Berlin
Berat Oguz Senyerli
Environmental, Social, Governance – Research Associate
DWS Group
Offenbach
Selin Seven
Architect and Urban Designer
Cologne University of Applied Science
Dortmund, Germany
Michole Enjoli Washington
Mathematics Education Ph.D. Candidate
University of Michigan
Phoenix, Arizona
2024 Cohort
Raze Baziani
Advisor and journalist
Freelance
Bonn
Dr. Stefan Bege
Scientific Aid in Urban Development to the Mayor
City of Nuremberg
Hanna-Sophie Bollmann
Teaching Fellow
Teach First Deutschland gGmbH, Otto-Hahn-Schule Berlin-Neukölln
Destine Brown
Social Cohesion Program Manager
Global Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Richard Brown
Associate Dean of Student Life
Director, The Center for Belonging and Inclusion
Denison University
Granville, Ohio
Larquana Bryan
Crisis Operations Specialist
United States Agency for International Development
Silver Spring, Maryland
De’Omini Daniely
Resettlement Case Aid
World Relief
Macon, Georgia
Janice Dsouza
Research and Evaluation Lead
Institute of International Education (IIE)
New York, NNY
Konstantin Heinze
Diversity Management in Recruitment
City of Leipzig
Carole Huell
Deputy Director of Human Services
Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Chantilly, Virginia
Linda Kelmendi
Project Management Integration and Intercultural Activities
City of Singen
Mattis Körber
Consultant International Public Affairs & Corporate Communications
navos – Public Dialogue Consultants
Berlin
Julissa Martinez
Grant/CDBG Coordinator
City of Thornton, Colorado
Afua Owusu
Communications and Events Manager
International Development Group, LLC
Washington, DC
Jana Pfenning
Policy Advisor
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)
Berlin
David Ramsey
MyCom Regional Coordinator
Deep Roots Experience
Cleveland, OH
Eric Schleich
Senior Management Consultant
Ernst & Young (EY)
Cologne
Mia Schünemann
Policy Adviser
European Parliament
Brussels
Lukas Verhülsdonk
Psychologist/Educator
SozDia Stiftung Berlin
Berlin
Maria Willett
Chief of Staff
City of Rochester Hills, Michigan
