Team

Michael is Executive Partner at Active Philanthropy. From fall 2006 until end of 2007 he worked for the German Bertelsmann Foundation as Program Director of the Carl Bertelsmann Prize 2007 "Civic Engagement as an Educational Goal". Michael joined the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2001, first as director of programs in the field of democracy, human rights and tolerance education, and in 2005 he joined the office of the board of the Bertelsmann Foundation as a facilitator and strategy advisor. From 1998 until 2000 Michael worked as intercultural counsellor and programme director for the German Youth For Understanding Committee e.V. (YFU) in Hamburg - a leading non-profit long-term youth exchange organisation.  

Michael holds a Masters in North American Studies and Anthropology from the University of Bonn. He was instructor for German language and media at Oxford University and is a certified communications trainer, facilitator and mediator.

Michael was till 2008 a member of the board of YFU Germany. He is a founding member and board member of the DemokratieAnstiftung e.V.; a non-profit that supports civil society and democracy in rural areas of East Germany. Since 2008 Michael is a member of the board of trustees of the Foundation "Schüler helfen Leben". It is the foundation of the student run charity with the same name that raises money through a national service day for youth projects on the Balkans.  

alberg-seberich(at)activephilanthropy.org

Aletta joined the Forum in summer 2006 after she finished her practical law education in Leipzig. At Active Philanthropy, she focuses on individual advisory and project management services for donors.  

Aletta studied Law and History in Heidelberg and Berlin and holds a L.L.M. (Master) from Prague University in European Community Law. During her studies she worked with the German Bundestag and Transparency International and gained experience working with different international law firms.  

Aletta was a board member of the association "Heidelberger Club für Wirtschaft und Kultur e.V." that incubates exchange between students and experts.   

vonmeibom(at)activephilanthropy.org

Carmen joined Active Philanthropy as assistant on a part-time basis in the autumn of 2007.  

Carmen studied Public Management in Berlin. Prior, she worked at the Parliament of Lower Saxony, for a foundation focusing on developmental aid and was a freelancer at the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation. 

paegelow(at)activephilanthropy.org

Felicitas von Peter is Managing Partner of Active Philanthropy, a platform for families and individuals interested or already engaged in philanthropy. From 1998 until summer 2006, Felicitas worked at the Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany), one of the largest operating foundations in Europe. Between 1998 and 2002 she ran the Foundation's international projects in Media and Education, and coordinated the set-up of the Foundation office in New York. In 2002, Felicitas joined the Philanthropy and Foundations Division of Bertelsmann where she was responsible for conceptualizing and running the Foundation's national and international donor education programmes. She also co-chaired the international donor education programme "The Philanthropy Workshop" (in co-operation with the Rockefeller Foundation).  

Felicitas holds a Ph.D. in History from Cambridge University and in 2002 was a Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Philanthropy at City University New York.  

Felicitas von Peter is member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders (FYGL) of the World Economic Forum. 

vonpeter(at)activephilanthropy.org

Gabriele joined Active Philanthropy in January 2007, and works on the Forum's toolbox, its workshops and field expeditions.  

Prior to joining the Forum, Gaby was with the Bertelsmann Foundation for seven years, first as Programme Assistant in the Event Management Department, and from 2003 as Manager in the Foundations and Philanthropy Division, where she ran the Foundation’s national and international donor programmes together with Felicitas von Peter. In addition, she worked on a national study on German donors ("StifterStudie"). In early 2006 she took over the Project Management of "Kinder.Stiften.Zukunft", a platform established by the Bertelsmann Foundation for connecting foundations and NGO's working in the area of children and youth.  

From 1994 to 1999 Gabriele worked for different customer relationship departments within the Bertelsmann Corporation. She studied Economics in Worms.  

stoermann(at)activephilanthropy.org