Curriculum Vitae

Research

• Feb 2020 – Nov 2020 | Co-Lead (with Kristina Gruber, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen) of the research project »Developing a Culture of Sustainability – Practice and Perspectives of Socio-Cultural Centres« at the Institute for Cultural Policy, University of Hildesheim (project funded by the German Council for Sustainable Development / Sustainability Culture Fund)
• Oct 2017 – Nov 2019 | Research Advisor and Evaluator of the ERDFEST initiative on behalf of und.Institut für Kunst, Kultur und Zukunftsfähigkeit e. V., Berlin, and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Bonn
• Mar 2019 – Aug 2019 | Author of the study »Change Through Culture – Culture in Transition. New Development Pathways for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley Region« commissioned by the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage Association, Sankt Goarshausen
• Oct 2017 – Mar 2018 | Author of the study »The Great Transformation at Neighbourhood Level: Participatory Approaches to Neighbourhood Development«. Based on a survey and comparative analysis of six neighbourhood initiatives in Bonn, Cologne and Wuppertal on behalf of the Research Institute for Social Development (FGW), Düsseldorf
• Oct 2016 – Oct 2017 | Member of the preparatory team for the first Bergische Climate Dialogues (28–30 September 2017, Solingen-Grefrath), centred on the question »Our Cities – How Can They Become Places of Quality of Life and Justice?«. Responsible for the thematic working group »Participation, Democracy and Justice«
• Aug 2014 | Author of the chapter »The Cultural Dimension of Sustainability in Cities«, published in the »Municipal Future Charter – Sustainability at the Local Level«, commissioned by the German Association of Cities, Cologne
• Oct 2012 – Mar 2013 | Research Associate, Institute of Art History, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. Contributed to the interdisciplinary lecture series »Ethics–Aesthetics–Knowledge« in cooperation with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim
• Oct 2010 – Apr 2011 | Author of a social-scientific impact study of Jochen Gerz’s art project »2–3 Streets / Ruhr.2010« on behalf of the Institute of Art History, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
• 2007 | Survey of sustainability initiatives at German-speaking universities, commissioned by the Institute Cultura21 e. V. and the Sustainability Initiative of the University of Duisburg-Essen
• Jun 1998 – Sep 2000 | Project Assistant at the European Institute for the Media (EIM), Düsseldorf. Contributed to the study »Media Literacy in Europe« and helped organise the »European Television and Film Forum« in Helsinki (1999) and Bologna (2000)

Transformative Practice

• Dec 2025 – Present | Process Facilitator for the participatory development of the »Vision 2035« strategy of the socio-cultural centre Alte Feuerwache, Cologne
• May 2023 – May 2025 | Process Facilitator in the project »Reset, Respect and Collaboration« at Theater Lindenhof, Melchingen (project funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts)
• May 2022 – Apr 2023 | Action Researcher and Process Facilitator (with Dr Annette Jagla, Hamburg) in the participatory transformation of the Woltmershausen district (»The Neighbourhood as a Shared House«), commissioned by Stadtkultur Bremen (project funded by Fonds Soziokultur / Neustart Kultur)
• May 2020 – Feb 2023 | Process Facilitator (with Severin Caspari, Berlin) in the participatory development of the »Prenzlau 2050« vision and the implementation of the state programme »Baukultur« (Building Culture) in the Uckermark region, commissioned by the City of Prenzlau (project funded by the Brandenburg Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Planning)
• Nov 2018 – Jul 2019 | Process Facilitator in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley region within the programme »TRAFO – Models for Culture in Transition« of the German Federal Cultural Foundation
• Jun 2017 – Dec 2019 | Initiator and Project Developer of the »Day of the Good Life« in Berlin. Co-founder of the »Good Life Berlin« Alliance and co-spokesperson of the initiative (funded by the State of Berlin and RENN.mitte)
• Mar 2015 – Aug 2017 | Coordinator for Partnerships and External Cooperation, ecosign – Academy of Sustainable Design, Cologne
• Dec 2011 – Feb 2015 | Initiator and Project Developer of the annual »Day of the Good Life – Cologne Sustainability Sunday«. Founder and organiser of the Agora Köln Alliance (funded by the NRW Foundation for Environment and Development)
• Oct 2005 – Sep 2009 | Founder and Chair of the Cultura21 network. Conceptualised and organised the international art exhibition »Subkulinaria – Artists for a Different Food Culture«, Cologne (funded by the City of Cologne)
• Sep 2002 – Jul 2005 | Co-Founder, Developer and Coordinator of the Kulturattac network within the NGO Attac Germany. Conceptualised and organised the »Festival of Cultures for Another World« (2003, zakk Düsseldorf) and coordinated the international project »Peace Attack – Music Against War«
• Apr 2002 – Sep 2002 | Student Assistant, Booz Allen Hamilton, Düsseldorf. Supervised and advised four project groups within the North Rhine-Westphalia Agenda 21 programme of the state government
• Feb 1998 – Nov 1998 | Project Manager, »Cultural Identity« project, Workers’ Welfare Association (AWO), Düsseldorf
• Apr 1984 – Nov 1989 | Co-Founder and Chair of the Gruppo Ecologico Villa Verucchio (ARCI / Legambiente Italia) in the municipality of Verucchio, Italy. Managed the municipal Marecchia Park, contributed to the national anti-nuclear campaign, and participated in the exchange programme between ARCI Rimini and AWO Heidelberg

Teaching Activities

• University Teaching
  • Jun 2026 – Present | Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences (HSD)
  • Apr 2018 – Present | Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter
  • Apr 2022 – Feb 2025 | Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin
  • Mar 2021 – Sep 2021 | German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), Bonn
  • Apr 2020 – Sep 2020 | University of Hildesheim
  • Apr 2017 – Sep 2017 | Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Cologne
  • Oct 2013 – Mar 2014 | Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • Apr 2011 – Mar 2017 | Bochum University of Applied Sciences
  • Oct 2009 – Sep 2018 | ecosign – Academy of Sustainable Design, Cologne
  • Oct 2007 – Mar 2015 | Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • Sep 2009 – Sep 2010 | Bikup – Association for Education, Culture and Participation, Cologne
• Lectures (full list available in German)
• Workshops (full list available in German)

Writing, Publishing and Media Relations

• Jan 2005 – Present | Freelance Author (including contributions to Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Brigitte, WDR / Funkhaus Europa, and Kulturpolitische Mitteilungen)
• Mar 2015 – Aug 2017 | Communications and Media Relations Officer, ecosign – Academy of Sustainable Design, Cologne
• Oct 2008 – Oct 2010 | Press Officer for the programme »interkultur.pro NRW« and the 3rd Federal Congress on Intercultural Affairs (Bochum, 2010), commissioned by the Düsseldorf Institute for Social Dialogues
• Mar 2008 – Jun 2008 | Press Officer for the international NGO congress and festival »Planet Diversity«, Bonn, commissioned by Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft, Berlin

Other Professional Experience

• Sep 2007 – Sep 2010 | Adviser to Chairwoman Rosella Benati, Com.It.Es. Cologne (Committee of Italians Abroad, Cologne Consular District)
• May 2001 – Feb 2003 | Market Research Associate, Treiber & Partner Konzept + Forschung, Neuss. Sociological analysis of survey data using SPSS
• Nov 1999 – May 2002 | Student Floor Manager, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Düsseldorf Broadcasting Centre
• Jan 1993 – May 1998 | Passenger Services Agent, Düsseldorf International Airport