Directorate

Where the Council is the driver, the Directorate of the EUROPARC Federation is the engine of the organisation. Our team members are split between the headquarters in Regensburg (DE), and another office in Barcelona (ES) where we are kindly hosted by Consorci Parc
de Collserola. They manage a number of important European projects and represent the Federation and its members’ interests. The Directorate of the EUROPARC Federation is committed to fulfilling the aims of the organisation and to deliver its strategic goals.

The work of the Federation is overseen by the EUROPARC Council and President. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to bear on the work of the Federation and also represent EUROPARC across Europe.

The work of the Federation is also supported by efforts from EUROPARC Sections and our Commissions and Task Forces, as well as many other dedicated individuals and members who share our passion and support our work.

Would you like to join our team?

Check out the current job opportunities or send us your motivation letter & CV. We are always open to welcome university students from 5-6 months internships in Regensburg (communications & digital media).

EUROPARC Federation staff

The multi-national team is based at the EUROPARC Headquarters, the office in Barcelona, as well as remotely throughout Europe. Together they coordinate the varied activities of the EUROPARC Federation across Europe. The team is divided into three units: Policy and Projects Unit, Communications and Capacity Building Unit and the Administration Unit.

General enquiries can be directed to the email or the headquarters postal address at the bottom of the page or to europarc(at)europarc.org.

Individual members can be contacted by using the email formula:

firstname.lastname@europarc.org

Executive Director

Carol Ritchie (Scotland, UK) carol.ritchie@…

As her title suggests Carol is responsible for the smooth running of all the Federation Directorate and its work. Carol operates across Europe to represent the Federation’s interest and to support the work of the President and Council. She mainly works in English.

EUROPARC Policy and Projects Unit

This Unit makes sure that the interests of our members are representated at the European Institutions! Furthermore, these EUROPARC colleagues are driving forces behind (new) EUROPARC projects:

Head of Policy and Projects

Federico Minozzi (IT) federico.minozzi@…

Federico shares responsibility with the Executive Director for most aspects of management of the Federation. He concentrates in particular on the EUROPARC policy and advocacy work in close cooperation with European institutions and other NGOs and partners institutions. Federico speaks Italian, French and English.

Policy Development Manager

Sanna-Kaisa Juvonen (FIN) sanna.kaisa.juvonen@…

Sanna is our Policy Development Manager. She is a biologist and has a long career as a nature conservation “bureaucrat” within protected area management and international co-operation. Sanna works with policy and advocacy work in EUROPARC and can be contacted in Finnish, English, Spanish and Swedish, and maybe a little later also in German.

Project Manager NaturaConnect

Marit Schnepf (DE) marit.schnepf@…

Marit is our Project Manager for the NaturaConnect Project, which aims to design a resilient and coherent Trans-European Network for Nature and People. The focus of her work is capacity building, stakeholder engagement and communications.

Marit holds an MSc in Natural Resource Management and Development and a BSc in Environmental Science. She is passionate about landscape connectivity, species conservation and is eager to apply participatory approaches in conservation.

Marit is based in Regensburg and speaks German, English and Spanish.

Project Officer NaturaConnect

Simone Prestes Dürrnagel (BR) simone.prestes.duerrnagel@…

Simone is our Project Officer for Horizon Europe NaturaConnect, working on capacity building, communications and stakeholder engagement.

She holds a bachelor’s in Architecture and Urban Planning and master’s degrees in Social Anthropology (Brazil), Cultural Heritage (Australia) and World Heritage Studies (Germany). Her research and work interests are mainly biocultural diversity of natural and cultural heritage sites, education for sustainable development and international cooperation.

Simone lives in Germany, and you can address her in Portuguese, English, Spanish and German.

Youth Officer

Jessica Micklem-Kolenić (DE & RSA) jessica.micklem@…

Jessica is the Youth Officer at EUROPARC. Her main task is to support the administration and implementation of various projects and, specifically, EUROPARC’s Youth activities across all EUROPARC activities.

Jessica has an MSc in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, and a BSc Honours in Marine Biology. She is passionate about meaningful youth engagement and has been volunteering as a youth activist in European and International biodiversity policy spaces. She is based in Regensburg, speaks English, German and Afrikaans, and is trying to learn French.

Communications and Capacity Building Unit

This Unit is the driving force behind all EUROPARC’s communications and capacity building! From publications to the European Nature Academy: these are the people you can contact if you’d like to know more:

Head of Communications and Capacity Building | Project Manager LIFE ENABLE

Neil McIntosh (UK) neil.mcintosh@…

Neil is Project Manager for the LIFE ENABLE and was previous Project Manager for the ‘LIFE e-natura2000.edu’ project, supporting e-learning, open education and capacity building for Natura 2000 managers. As a qualified trainer and assessor of learning and development programmes, the focus of his work in EUROPARC is to support networking, learning and the professional development of people and organisations. Neil’s native language is English, but he also speaks Dutch.

Policy and Project Manager I Sustainable Tourism Manager

Teresa Pastor (ES) teresa.pastor@…

Teresa is the former Coordinator of Fedenatur and, after its integration with EUROPARC, is currently in charge of the Periurban dossier among other matters. Teresa is based in Barcelona office, kindly hosted by the Collserola Natural Park, and brings a huge knowledge on nature conservation and marine issues to the EUROPARC directorate. Teresa speaks Catalan, Spanish, French, English and Italian.

Project Manager Interreg Europe GREENHEALTH

Anna Castelli (IT) anna.castelli@…

Anna is our project manager for Interreg Europe GREENHEALTH, where EUROPARC is an advisory partner for communication, capacity building and engagement aspects of the project. She supports the work of the Healthy Parks Healthy People Commission, which is a key technical counterpart in the project. Anna has a Master in international cooperation and worked in development aid and humanitarian assistance in several countries. She is passionate about participation, accountability and promotion of rights. Anna is based in Regensburg and you can address her in Italian, English, German, and Spanish.

Communications Manager

Esther Bossink (NL) esther.bossink@…

Esther is our Communications Manager. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative European Ethnology, Political Science and Gender Studies. She also followed a traineeship as a project and event manager in the semi-private sector. After finishing the programme, she started freelancing for both non-profit and for-profit organisations in the field of communications. She is passionate about the environment, biodiversity and equality, which is how she ended up at the EUROPARC Federation. Here she creates content for the EUROPARC website, social media and newsletters. Additionally, she works on EUROPARC productions like the Annual Report, Protected Areas In-Sight, policy papers and webinars. You can contact Esther in Dutch, German and English.

Communications and IT Officer

Fernando Pinillos (ES) fernando.pinillos@…

Fernando is our Communications officer, responsible for multimedia production and managing IT systems. With a mixed background in marine conservation and communications, he speaks Spanish, English and Catalan. His work is focused in supporting the development of European projects, and he is the project manager of Interreg Euro-MED MPA4Change. Fernando also coordinates our activities related with Marine Protected Areas.

Project Officer and Communications Assistant

Sandra Grego (CRO) sandra.grego@…

Sandra is Project Officer and Communications Assistant. She first joined EUROPARC as an intern in the Communications Department, while she was still studying Journalism and Public Relations at the Faculty of Political Science. Her work now contributes to the successful execution of the LIFE ENABLE project and EUROPARC’s communication activities. Sandra speaks Croatian, English and ein bisschen Deutsch!

Finance and Administration Unit

This unit is the backbone of our organisation! These EUROPARC colleagues make sure that our finance and administrative tasks are at an excellent standard.

Finance and Administration Manager

Adelina Nagy (RO) adelina.nagy@…

From a young age, Adelina has been interested in nature and environmental care. She has always been concerned about the ease with which entire environments can be destroyed. She got involved as much as she could, while living and working in Romania, in pro-environmental activities. Adelina joined EUROPARC because working for an NGO that deals with the conservation of natural areas gives her the opportunity to continue her fight for environmental protection at a higher level. Her work consists in using her knowledge and skills to support the Finance department with project reporting and travel administration. Adelina speaks Romanian, English, German, and a bit of Spanish.

Projects Coordinator

Jessie Allgaier (DE) jessica.allgaier@…

Jessie is our Support Officer. Her work supports the directorate staff’s administrative and finance duties.

Jessie joined EUROPARC after living abroad for over 20 years, working in many different industries and roles, including translating and teaching. She is very excited about the opportunity to be on the team supporting the work of the organisation behind the scenes. Jessie is based in Regensburg and speaks German, English, Spanish, Serbian and un petit peu de French. If you speak really slowly, she might understand your Portuguese, too.

Administration Officer

Pia Krämer (DE) pia.kraemer@…

Pia is the administration officer at EUROPARC. Her main task is to support the administration team.

Pia has a MA in Psychology and Sports Sciences. She worked as Programme Director at Espaco do Tempo – cultural association in Portugal and as network manager for European Dance Development Network. She was a board member and later president at EDN. She joined EUROPAC in 2024 and is excited to be part of an organization for environmental protection. She is based in Regensburg, speaks German, Englisch, Portuguese and basic Spanish and French.

Membership Liaison Officer

Nella Sergejeva (LV) nella.sergejeva@…

Nella is a membership and finance assistant at EUROPARC. She has a bachelor’s degree in politics and international relations, as well as a master’s degree in environmental policy and law. Over the years, she has taken on various interdisciplinary roles in operations, office administration, and sales, while successfully interning at numerous governmental and non-governmental organisations across Europe. Nella takes delight in engaging with others in English, Russian, or Latvian.

Bookkeeper

Anton Ogolcov (DE) anton.ogolcov@…

Anton joined the EUROPARC Team as a part-time employee to support the finance team. He has joined EUROPARC as he believes that environmental protection is everyone’s business and that everyone should do their bit. He is very excited about the experience that he will gain at EUROPARC. You can address Anton in English, German and Russian.