The American Council on Germany welcomed a new cohort of American and German professionals to Berlin for the 46th American-German Young Leaders Conference, held from July 18 to 25, 2026. Under the heading “Zerreißprobe: Stress-Testing the Transatlantic Alliance,” the conference challenged participants to examine the current political, economic, technological, and societal pressures reshaping the transatlantic relationship – and to consider what will be required to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Germany in the years ahead.
Throughout the week, Young Leaders engaged in candid discussions on democratic resilience, security and defense, artificial intelligence, economic competitiveness, China, immigration, and social cohesion. Interactive working groups encouraged participants to compare American and German perspectives, challenge long-held assumptions, and develop practical recommendations for the future of the alliance.
The conference featured discussions with senior leaders from government, business, journalism, and national security. Participants had the opportunity to engage with a range of people, including former Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Joschka Fischer; Stefan Kornelius, Spokesperson for the Federal Government; former Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Head of Defense Procurement at the German Federal Ministry of Defense. Other government representatives included Bundestag member Metin Hakverdi (SPD), who also serves as Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation at the Federal Foreign Office; State Secretary State Secretary Steffen Meyer in the Federal Ministry of Finance; Dr. Jörg Semmler, State Secretary at the Federal Chancellery; and Britta Behrendt, Department Head for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization at the Federal Chancellery. The group learned about Germany’s political and economic reform agenda from journalist and author Martin Klingst and participated in briefings from the private sector from Ben Alka, Head of Corporate Affairs & Strategy with Deutsche Bank and Alexander Geiser, Global CEO of FGS Global.
In addition to the formal program, participants visited the German Bundestag, Airbus, the Federal Chancellery, FGS Global, and the State Representations of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. A Berlin walking tour, team-building activities, home dinners with local hosts, and networking events with Young Leader alumni provided opportunities to strengthen personal and professional relationships beyond the conference room.
The conference concluded with a forward-looking discussion on the future of the transatlantic partnership, encouraging participants to move beyond diagnosing today’s challenges and instead articulate a shared vision based on reciprocity, accountability, and democratic resilience. By the end of the week, the newest class of ACG Young Leaders departed Berlin with stronger transatlantic relationships, a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives, and a renewed commitment to shaping the future of the U.S.-German partnership.
Yilmaz Akkoyun (GER)
Senior Policy Officer
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
Berlin
LTC Philip Althof (GER)
NATO Policy Branch
Federal Ministry of Defense
Berlin
Kristina Arakelyan (U.S.)
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service
New York University
New York, NY
Ravesa Bajo (U.S.)
Global Product Strategy and Governance Policy Lead
Meta
New York, NY
Liliana Bakhtiari (U.S.)
City Councilmember
City of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Aline Bastian (GER)
Director
Robert Bosch GmbH
Stuttgart
Verena Bitter (GER)
U.S. Representative
Commerzbank
Washington, DC
Tobias Burmester (GER)
Specialist – Corporate Strategy
BMW Group
Munich
Capt. Andrew Carroll (U.S.)
Nuclear and Missile Operations Officer, U.S. Air Force
Doctoral Candidate, Missouri State University
Washington, DC
Mariella de Carvalho (GER)
Desk Officer Indo-Pacific Policy
German Federal Foreign Office
Berlin
Tommy Choi (U.S.)
Deputy State Director
Republican National Committee
Des Moines, IA
Julia De la Cruz (U.S.)
Energy and Sustainability Manager
Deloitte
Woodbridge, VA
Dillon Curtis (U.S.)
Associate
Latham & Watkins
Nazareth, PA
Henning Dabrock (GER)
Manager, Public Policy Strategy and Projects
Infineon Technologies AG
Munich
Victoria Dixon (U.S.)
North America Public Relations Lead – Global Public Relations
SAP
Reston, VA
Ryan Doherty (U.S.)
Senior Director, National Security
Invariant
Washington, DC
John Drennan (U.S.)
Visiting Fellow, Europe in the World Programme
Egmont – The Royal Institute for International Relations
Brussels, Belgium
Leonard Falke (GER)
Chief of Staff
State Chancellery of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Düsseldorf
Lisa Franke (GER)
Chief of Staff Public Affairs, Sustainability & Safety
Bayer AG
Düsseldorf
Julia Hammelehle (GER)
Senior Policy Advisor
Munich Security Conference
Berlin
Alexander Heintze (U.S.)
Solutions Lead, EMEA
Numeric
London, UK
Charlotte Herrmann (GER)
Business Operations
Morning Brew & Axel Springer
New York, NY
Tyler J. Herrmann (U.S.)
Legal Counsel, Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
City Council Member, City of Powell, Ohio
Chloe Hoffmann (U.S.)
Trilateral Program Planning Manager
AUKUS Acquisition
Washington, DC
Buket Inalöz (GER)
Policy Officer
Office of the Federal Minister of Defense
Berlin
Anna Johnson (U.S.)
Policy Advisor on Energy, Environment, Climate, and Mining – Office of Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan
Minneapolis, MN
Brittany Jones (U.S.)
Platform and Partnership Manager, Societal Impact Communications
Allianz SE
Munich
Philipp Benedikt Jung (GER)
Assistant to the CEO
Deutsche Telekom
Cologne
Alexander Klein (U.S.)
Founding Partner
ENTRADA LEGACY PARTNERS
Seattle, WA
Ulf Krug (GER)
Investment Banking Director
Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG
Frankfurt
Nicolai Kubbig (GER)
Director
FGS Global
Berlin
Pierre Lorenz (GER)
Head of Office to Dr. Johann Wadephul
Bundestag
Berlin
Jill Maassen (GER)
Head of the Office of the First Vice-President Sabine Verheyen (MEP)
European Parliament
Brussels, Belgium
Anum Malik (U.S.)
Foreign Service Officer
U.S. Department of State
Vienna, VA
Allison Meakem (GER/U.S.)
Associate Editor
Foreign Policy Magazine
Washington, DC
Shaun Moore (U.S.)
CEO
TERN AI
Austin, TX
Simon Mueller (GER/U.S.)
Senior Technology Strategy Manager
Telefónica
Munich
Danielle Munoz (U.S.)
Foreign Affairs Officer
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC
David Pfennig (GER)
Vice President
Warburg Pincus
Berlin
Justine A. Revelle (U.S.)
Counsel to the Senate Democratic Leader U.S. Senate – Senator Charles Schumer
Washington, DC
Lukas Rietig (GER)
Vice President, Government and Public Affairs
Deutsche Bank AG
Berlin
Peter Scheuch (GER)
Associated Partner
Noerr PartGmbB
Berlin
Sonja Schweicker (GER)
Chief of Staff to Airbus EVP Digital Transformation
Airbus Operations GmbH
Berlin
Simon Schwerdtfeger (GER)
Policy Officer
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Berlin
Emma Skelley-Stoffa (U.S.)
U.S. Policy and Messaging Manager
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Herndon, VA
Wilhelmine Stenglin (GER)
Journalist
Table.Briefings
Berlin
William Tuttle (U.S.)
Operations Director
BASF SE
Mannheim
Greta Valdés Stünz (GER)
External Affairs Analyst
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Berlin
Julia von Werder (GER)
Chief of Staff
Deutsche Bundesbank
Frankfurt am Main
Madita Weise (GER)
Senior Policy Advisor
Federal Ministry of Finance
Berlin
Matt Westmoreland (U.S.)
City Councilmember
City of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Tyler Williams (U.S.)
Counselor to the Secretary
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Washington, DC
Alexander Wulfers (GER)
Economics and Business Editor
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Frankfurt am Main