The Team

Elizabeth JOHNSTON
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
Carla NAPOLANO

Deputy Director
Carla Napolano is the Deputy Director of EU Programmes and Network Life (Executive Committee, General Assembly…), managing relations with Efus members and taking charge of network development. Parallel to this, she supervises the running of thematic European programmes, the cooperation between the Forum, the partners and European authorities, as well the development of European projects. Carla coordinates Efus’ international conferences and participates in the managing of strategy and development of the organisation in line with the Executive Director and the Executive Committee. She 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). Carla began her career in the UN Safer Cities programme (UN Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya.


Anne HAMELIN
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.

Pilar DE LA TORRE
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).


Marta PELLÓN BRUSSOSA
Marta PELLÓN BRUSSOSA

Programme Manager
Marta PellĂłn Brussosa 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.

Bamba NIANG
Bamba NIANG

Programme Manager
Bamba Niang 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, which is a subsidiary of the French Development Agency (Agence française de Développement, AFD). 
Bamba 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. Last but not least, he is an athlete specialised in the 400 m sprint, and a huge fan of sports of all kinds.


Asma KAOUECH
Asma KAOUECH

Programme Manager
Asma Kaouech 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 (Middle East and North Africa) 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.

Anne BOISSEAU
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.


Ilyana SKALLI
Ilyana SKALLI

Programme Manager
Ilyana Skalli works in particular on the Be Secure – Feel Secure (BSFS) project and on topics related to the full inclusion of citizens and their perceptions in the co-creation of urban security policies and tools, of which they are the main recipients.
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
Rasa VERSECKAITE

Administrative Assistant for European Projects
and Data Manager

Rasa Verseckaite 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.


Maryse CHICHEPORTICHE
Maryse CHICHEPORTICHE

Administrative and Financial Director
Maryse has a degree in Economics with a focus on economic policies (Master 1) and in Economics of Regional Planning and Local Development (Master 2) from the University of Paris 1 PanthĂ©on – Sorbonne. She has held positions as Administrative and Financial Director and General Secretary in the associative sector, as well as in the private and para public sector. She has significant experience in the financial, legal and human resources matters encountered in SMEs and Midcaps and the solutions to be found to resolve them. Maryse is in charge of all these aspects within the Forum.

Eric LOUSTAUNEAU
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).


Inès KHACHKHOUCHE
Inès KHACHKHOUCHE

European Projects Officer
Inès Khachkhouche 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.

Lauranne HOMYRDA
Lauranne HOMYRDA

European Projects Officer
Lauranne Homyrda is in charge of the administrative and financial management of European projects for Efus. 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
    Silvia Icardi is Communications Manager for the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus) and the French Forum for Urban Security (FFSU). She leads the communication strategy to promote the image, the achievements and values carried by Efus/FFSU and their networks. Silvia holds a Master’s degree in international administration and a double master’s degree in French and German law. Before joining Efus/FFSU, 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.

    Olga MALOSH
    Olga MALOSH

    Communications Officer
    Olga Malosh is a Communications Officer responsible for the communication of European projects. She completed her apprenticeship at Efus and holds a Master 2 degree in CAWEB at the University of Strasbourg and a Master 2 in Intercultural Communication from the Lomonosov Moscow State University. She was previously a member of the team leading the National Educational Project in Moscow, Russia.


    Salma EL BEKKALI
    Salma EL BEKKALI

    Apprentice Communications Officer
    Salma El Bekkali is an Apprentice Communications Officer. Holding a B.A in Information and Communication, she is currently a fourth-year student in Public and Political Communication at the European Communication School (ECS), based in Paris.

    Samia GUILLET
    Samia GUILLET

    Logistics and Event-Planning Apprentice
    Samia Guillet is logistics and event-planning apprentice. She is coursing a B.A. in event-planning at the Paris School of Tourism and Communication. She holds a Baccalaureate + 2 years of tertiary education. 



    Collaborators

    Yves VAN DE VLOET
    Yves VAN DE VLOET

    Associated Expert
    Yves Van de Vloet 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.

    Nathalie BOURGEOIS
    Nathalie BOURGEOIS

    Copy editor
    Within the communications team, Nathalie works as a copy editor, writer and translator for Efus’ print production, mainly the articles posted on the website and the publications.
    Holding a Bachelors degree in Philosophy and a Master 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 in 2010.