The Team

Elizabeth JOHNSTON

Executive Director
Elizabeth Johnston is responsible for the strategy and development of Efus, in liaison with the Executive Committee, as well as overall management. She has also been Executive Director of the French Forum for Urban Security since February 2016. In addition, she is a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Parliament of Mayors and an official associate of the University of Liège (Belgium). Prior to this, and after beginning her career at a French local authority, Elizabeth Johnston served as Programme Director at the French-American Foundation, and as Violence Prevention Expert at the World Bank in Washington. She holds degrees in Law from Assas University (France), in Political Science from Yale University (United States) and in Public Policy from Marne-La-Vallée University (France).

Carla NAPOLANO

Deputy Executive Director
Carla Napolano contributes to the management of the organisation’s strategy and development together with the Executive Director and in liaison with the Executive Committee. She supervises the running of thematic European programmes, as well as cooperation between the Forum, its partners and European authorities, and the development of European projects. She also contributes to Efus’ international conferences. Carla holds a Masters Degree in Urban and Spatial Planning from the University of Venice (Italy) as well as a postgraduate diploma in Town Planning from Paris VIII University (France). Prior to joining Efus, Carla worked for the United Nations’ Safer Cities programme (UN Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya.


Yodie PATURET

Logistics and Events Assistant
Yodie is in charge of Logistics and Events. Previously she was working for various international companies in Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and France. She also used to work in Government sectors such as the New Zealand Embassy in Indonesia as an Immigration Officer and the Embassy of the United States of America in France providing support in Grants for Africa Regional Services. She holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand and Trisakti University, Indonesia.

Anne BOISSEAU

Programme Manager
Anne Boisseau follows the topic of organised crime. 
Prior to joining Efus, she worked for the engineering school EIGSI – La Rochelle as international relations assistant, where she was in charge of student mobility.
Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Lille and a master’s degree in international politics and transitions analysis from the University of Lyon 2 Lumière. She also interned at the Malaysian human rights NGO SUARAM.

Sophie BUI XUAN HY

Finance Manager

Pilar DE LA TORRE

Programme Manager 
 Pilar De La Torre follows, among others, the topics: discriminatory violence, security of senior citizens, innovation and security.  She is also in charge of Efus’ training programmes and Efus’ relationships with countries outside Europe. Prior to that, Pilar worked in Colombia at the National Institute For Research and Prevention of Fraud (INIF) for 2 years. She holds a master’s degree in Population and Development Expertise from Paris Descartes University and a degree in Economics from the Externado University of Bogotá (Colombia).

Romane De Sacco

Intern
Romane has a degree in European Studies from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, where she specialised in external relations. As part of her gap year, she is doing an internship at Efus, where she is helping to organise the Efus International Conference on Security, Democracy and Cities, as well as European projects. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in September.

Yii-Ling Deng

Intern
Yii-Ling is helping organise Efus’ Security, Democracy and Cities Conference and supporting European projects. She is a third year French and Spanish undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge. Currently on her year abroad, she spent the first half of the academic year as an intern in a branding design and production company in Paris, working with international TV channels. After Efus she will return to Cambridge for her final year.

Anne HAMELIN

Office Manager
Anne Hamelin is in charge of the smooth running, coordination and supervision of the Efus office, and provides logistical support to the network life.She has several years of experience in international groups in the private sector. She holds a degree in Corporate Communication from Formasup Écoles – Bordeaux and a Master’s degree in Management and Communication Strategy from ISIFA.

Lauranne HOMYRDA

European Projects Officer
Lauranne is in charge of the administrative and financial follow-up of Efus’ European projects. Prior to joining Efus, she worked as a Partnership and Valuation  Manager at the Paris School of Economics and European project manager  within Expertise France, the French international cooperation public agency. 
Lauranne holds a Master’s degree in Political Science in European and International Studies from the Sorbonne III University, and a degree in International Studies which led her to course one academic year at University College Cork, in the Republic of Ireland. 

Silvia Icardi

Silvia ICARDI

Communications Manager
As Efus’ Communications Manager, Silvia leads the communication strategy and guides its implementation within Efus and its network. Before joining Efus, she worked in the international NGO sector in the field of emergency humanitarian assistance, development support and sustainable development, as well as in international institutions in the field of cooperation and international commercial mediation, and law firms. She holds a Master’s degree in Public International Law and Administration (University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne) and a double Master’s degree in French and German Law (Universities of Cologne and Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne).

Asma Kaouech

Asma KAOUECH

Programme Manager
Asma follows the themes of radicalisation and polarisation and audits and methodologies. Prior to joining Efus, she worked in various international organisations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and International Alert, where she coordinated projects on the reform of criminal justice, the fight against organised crime, the promotion of citizen participation, and the prevention of violent extremism in the MENA region.
Asma holds a Masters in Law from the University of Carthage (Tunisia), a diploma in Leadership and Project Management from the University of Delaware (United States), and a diploma in Human Rights-based Approach from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation.

Inès KHACHKHOUCHE

European Projects Officer
Inès is in charge of the administrative and financial follow-up of Efus’ European projects. Previously, Inès worked as a trainee as a European Projects Assistant, supporting the European Projects Officer and Data Manager at Efus. She also has work experience in the UK. Inès holds a degree in Foreign Languages Applied Economics and Law (English-Spanish), specialising in Business and Commerce from Sorbonne University, and a Master’s degree in Political Science in European and International Studies from Sorbonne University.

Eric LOUSTAUNEAU

Accounting Assistant
Eric Loustauneau is accounting assistant to Efus’s Administrative and Financial Director. He holds a vocational high-school diploma with a management and accounting option, as well as a first and a second degree in accounting.
He regularly takes refresh trainings in accounting. Eric Loustauneau has worked as a secretary-accountant at CNP Insurance and as an office worker in the financial department of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (Deposits and Consignments Fund).

Bamba Niang

Bamba NIANG

Programme Manager
Bamba follows the themes of Crisis Management and Technologies. Prior to joining Efus, he worked for Expertise France, the French public agency in charge of technical cooperation for international development and solidarity projects, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency. He holds two Masters in International Relations and in Strategic and Military Sciences from the University of Turin, as well as a Masters in International Politics and Transition Analysis from the University of Lyon 2 Lumière. He also had a short career as an officer in the Senegalese army with training at the Military Academy of Modena in Italy. He is an athlete specialised in the 400m sprint.

Chloé NOURRY

Communications Officer | European projects
Chloé is Efus’ Communications Officer for European projects. She has previously worked in international organisations and institutions, in French administrations and at Publicis Groupe as communications officer for the Women’s Forum For the Economy and Society. She holds a bachelor’s degree in applied foreign languages and a master’s degree in international cooperation policies from the IEP Saint-Germain-En-Laye.

Joshua O’CONNELL

Intern
Joshua supports the organisation of Efus’ Security, Democracy & Cities international conference, and contributes to European projects. He is a student of Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge, with a specific emphasis on French and Spanish literature. He is currently in his penultimate academic year, undertaking his year abroad. After his time with Efus, he is going to study at the University of Buenos Aires, before completing his undergraduate degree at Cambridge.

Marta PELLÓN BRUSSOSA

Programme Manager
Marta follows, among others, topics such as discriminatory violence, public spaces and terrorism. Prior to that, she worked as Programme Coordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and as Programme Assistant at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). She also interned at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the United Nations in New York and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid. She holds a Master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London.

Ilyana SKALLI

Programme Manager
Ilyana works in particular on topics related to the full inclusion of citizens and their perceptions in the co-creation of urban security policies and tools. She holds a double degree in Political Sciences and International Relations (Sciences Po Grenoble, France/Sciences Po Rabat, Morocco), and a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, with a specialty  in European Studies (Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs). She also coursed the Conflict Studies and Human Rights Program of  the University of Ottawa, Canada.
Prior to joining Efus, Ilyana worked in an NGO providing educational support and emotional care to orphaned students (Ashinaga Senegal), as well as for the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

Rasa VERSECKAITE

Administrative Assistant for European Projects and Data Manager
Rasa provides logistical and administrative support to the European projects. She has 10 years of experience in the NGO sector, in the United States, Portugal, Lithuania and France. She was notably project coordinator at the National Office for the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission for Youth in Lithuania. She completed a double degree programme in History and International Studies at the University of Richmond in the United States.


Collaborators

Nathalie BOURGEOIS

Editor

As Editor, Nathalie contributes to Efus’ content creation, reports and publications. Holding a Bachelors degree in Philosophy and a Masters from France’s journalism school Centre de Formation des Journalistes, which is paired with the University of Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne, Nathalie has had a career in journalism (Associated Press) and corporate communications (Havas Advertising) in Paris and Madrid prior to joining Efus.

Véronique KETELAER

Expert of the city of Brussels

A criminologist and political scientist, Véronique was an international police expert in Benin for the Belgian Development Agency, Director of Prevention and Citizen Participation for the City of Brussels and Head of the Prevention Department of Saint-Gilles, as well as an attaché to the Cabinet of the Mayor of the City of Liège and consultant to the Brussels Regional Minister-President. As Head of Training and Innovation, she helped to set up the Regional School for Security Professionals in the Brussels region. She coordinated the Belgian Urban Security Forum and was a trainer for the Belgian Federal Police.

Yves VAN DE VLOET

Associated Expert

Yves is associate expert to the European Forum for Urban Security. Specialised in border security, he notably works on the ALARM project, which seeks to develop transborder operational cooperation between civil security stakeholders in France and Belgium on a wide spectrum of risks. He was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Governor of the Hainaut province and of the President-Minister of the Brussels-Capital-Ixelles Region, and Director of the Department for Crime Prevention at the Belgian Ministry of the Interior. He also has been a teacher at the University of Liège and various police schools and training academies.