Heather joined the IIJ in July 2023. Her professional experience includes positions in administration and information technology. Her most recent position was as an Office Management Specialist for Diplomatic Security in the United States. Prior to that, she served as an Administrative Assistant at United States embassies in Brussels, Belgium and Conakry, Guinea. Before her administrative roles, Heather worked as a Programmer Analyst for 10 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Decision Sciences.

Nathalie joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2022. She is a French lawyer by training who has served as a human rights and rule of law specialist for the past 15 years. She managed technical assistance projects and research initiatives on criminal justice reform, judicial independence, and access to justice in South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas within various intergovernmental organizations. From 2020 to 2021, Nathalie was a Legal Officer at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia. Nathalie holds a Master’s degree in public international law from Université Paris Nanterre and an LL.M. in International Human Rights Protection from Washington College of Law. She is currently enrolled in a PhD program in law and behavioural science at the University of Hamburg and was elected staff representative at OSCE/ODIHR for two terms (2014-2017).

Alla joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2022 and is leading the IIJ’s new project on Countering the Financing of Terrorism, in addition to working on workshops under the Global Central Authorities and Judicial Capacity Building initiatives. Prior to joining the IIJ, she worked at the Council of Europe on programmes on countering economic crime in Central Asia and Russia, namely technical assistance projects on anti-money laundering, countering terrorist financing, asset recovery, mutual legal assistance, and anti-corruption. She joined the Council of Europe from OSCE where she worked on counter-terrorism projects including countering violent extremism and the use of the internet for terrorist purposes. Alla has a degree in International Public Law and a master’s degree in Political Science from Mannheim University, Germany.

Joya joined the IIJ as a Programme Manager in 2022. Prior to joining the IIJ, she worked as a Consultant in the Programme Office of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (TPB/UNODC), with a special focus on the MENA region. Previous to her work with UNODC, she worked in several national and regional humanitarian organizations that critically assess human rights legislations and practices in the Middle East. She holds a Masters in Public Law. 

Winthrop joined the IIJ team as a Programme Manager in 2018, and leads the REMVE Initiative and Battlefield Evidence Workstream. Prior to joining the IIJ, he served as Director of Planning and Assessment at Women without Borders, a PVE/CVE NGO working across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and as an Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company, focussed on aerospace and defence. He has a degree in international relations from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.