Board of Directors

Harald Leibrecht

President of the Board of Directors
Harald Leibrecht is a German-American citizen and has a degree in International Business from universities in France, Germany, and the United States. He earned his MBA from an American university. Mr. Leibrecht was the Executive Director of an international university from 1984-2007. He served in the German Federal Parliament for nearly twelve years. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Committee of Economic Cooperation and Development and was Deputy Chairman for the Sub-Committee on International Cultural and Educational Affairs.

During his time in Parliament, he was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France. Mr. Leibrecht has held positions in numerous functions in the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

In 2011, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed Mr. Leibrecht to be the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Federal Government. This is a position he held until the end of 2013. After retiring from politics, Mr. Leibrecht was appointed as the President of the Board of Directors for CEPA Foundation. He is an active member in numerous international clubs, societies, and organizations such as the Atlantik-Brücke (Atlantic Bridge), Petersburger Dialog, DAFG German Arab Friendship Group, DGAP Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (German Think Tank), and Rotary Club.

Uli Leibrecht

Executive Director of the CEPA Foundation
Uli is a native of Germany and has over 20 years' experience in leadership positions in the field of international higher education. For many years, she studied and worked abroad in the USA, France, and the UK. German is her mother tongue and she is fluent in both English and French. She holds German, French, and British University degrees in International Business Administration as well as an American MBA.

Uli started her professional career at the German National Tourist Board and was responsible for bringing more international visitors to Germany. She continued her career as a Marketing Manager for a major German bank followed by a position as Director of Marketing for an international university with campuses in Europe and the United States. During this position, she developed her passion for international education. She is currently the managing director of a study abroad organization, which she founded almost 20 years ago. This organization offers study abroad opportunities in Europe for over 2,000 international students annually. She is also the President of a French travel organization as well as Director of Operations for a hotel and study center in Strasbourg, France.

Tatiana Visnevski

Director of CEPA Foundation
Tatiana Visnevski has been involved with international education in both private and public sectors for the last 17 years. During this time, she was the Managing Director and owner of a language travel and tourism wholesale operator established in Brazil in 1979. She has held multiple leadership positions and been on several advisory boards.

She has managed private-public agreements between BELTA and governmental agencies, EMBRATUR (Brazilian Federal Agency for International Promotion) and the Ministry of Tourism, with the goals to promoting Brazil as a study destination for international students, to develop Market Intelligence for the sector, and structure it as a pilot destination (São João del Rei - MG) for incoming international students to the country.

Aside from her institutional roles, she has worked as a private consultant for the Ministry of Tourism and FAPEU (2009) to develop course content and publish a book chapter about the "Basic Orientations for the International Education Segment 2010".

Tatiana is Brazilian, speaks English and French, and holds a degree in Social Communication and Advertising at PUC-SP - Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. In 2011, she decided to take some time out from all administrative and political roles to improve her international and academic experiences by living and studying in Strasbourg, France where she has completed a M1 (Master 1) degree in European and International Studies at IHEE - Institute des Hautes Etudes Européens and a M2 (Master 2) degree in Political Sciences at IEP - Science-Po Strasbourg.

Birte Wassenberg

Director of CEPA Foundation

Birte Wassenberg is a German-French citizen originally from Bonn, Germany. Birte is currently a professor of Contemporary History at the elite University of Strasbourg Sciences Po (IEP). She specializes in European Integration and International Relations. She studied in the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies from the University of Bradford, a Master's degree in Political Science from the College of Europe in Bruges, and a Master's and PhD in International Relations History from the University of Strasbourg. She started her professional career in 1993 as an administrator at the Regional Council of Alsace and was responsible for the Franco-German-Swiss cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine Region.

From there, she moved to the European Studies Institute in Strasbourg as a Senior Lecturer in 2006. Birte teaches courses on the History of European Integration, Franco-German Relations, Intercultural Relations and Cross-Border Cooperation. She also developed major research projects on European Organizations (the Council of Europe), on Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe and on Euro-Skepticism and has edited several books on these topics. Since 2013, she has held the Jean Monnet Chair with the European Commission on the contribution of Cross-Border Cooperation to the European Neighborhood Policy.

Andrea Gerdau

Director of CEPA Foundation

Andrea started her career working as a lawyer for a governmental authority. She continued her career by leading the legal department of various companies, such as the Consumer Protection Association as well as a private bank. Later, she worked in the field of auditing and taxation. In this position, she was responsible for the audit of financial statements and for the tax returns of companies and individuals. Andrea lives in Germany and France and speaks German, English, and French fluently.

Currently, Andrea is responsible for the audit and risk management for a German education and health care company which offers educational and health services under the direction of a foundation. She is a lawyer, a certified compliance officer, and has a German law and a German tax consultant degree as well as an American MBA.