| Samuel Emonet Executive Director  |
Samuel Emonet worked from 2000 to 2015 for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). During these years, he has developed extensive field and managerial experience focused on the protection of persons affected by armed conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Rwanda, Iraq, Georgia, Lebanon and Mali. His field of expertise includes the documentation and reporting of violations of international humanitarian law with the ICRC. He joined Justice Rapid Response in 2016 as Director of Operations and was appointed Executive Director in 2022. Samuel holds a law degree from the University of Geneva where he passed his bar exam in 2000. He has a Master’s degree in International and European Law from the University of Bremen. |
| Erwin van der Borght Director of Operations |
Erwin van der Borght brings more than 25 years of management and leadership experience with international NGOs and organizations including Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO). Erwin has extensive knowledge and working experience in the field of rule of law, justice, good governance, international humanitarian and human rights law. A Belgian citizen, working out of our Geneva office, he speaks fluent English, French and Dutch. He holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, and a BA in Business Economics. |
| Heather Preuss Finance Director  |
Heather Preuss is the Finance Director of Justice Rapid Response. She has over 30 years of financial experience in both the private and public sectors. She has a BA in Economics (Focus on International Business) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. |
| Beatrix Adhiambo Operations Officer |
Beatrix Adhiambo oversees most of the administrative aspects of Justice Rapid Response. Her previous experience includes international and multi-national companies in Switzerland. She has 10 years of experience in office management and providing administrative support. Beatrix holds a Business diploma obtained in Geneva, Switzerland and a BA in Business and Marketing from London Metropolitan University. She is fluent in English, French and Swahili. |
| Tatiana Chemali National Justice Programme Officer & Senior Deployment Advisor |
Tatiana Chemali carries out programmatic activities in support of national justice processes at Justice Rapid Response. She also ensures the overall coordination of expert deployments. Her experience includes working at INTERPOL’s Capacity-building and Training Directorate in Lyon; at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States in Lebanon on a Trade Facilitation project in the MENA region; and at the Kosovar Center for Security Studies in Pristina on a research paper relating to NATO’s KFOR. Tatiana holds an MSc in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding from Durham University, and a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from the Lebanese American University (LAU). She is fluent in Arabic, French, English and Spanish. |
| Mary Diaz Marquez National Justice Senior Programme Officer |
Mary Diaz carries out programmatic activities in support of national justice processes and is also Justice Rapid Response’s Transitional Justice focal point. Prior to joining the organization, Mary worked as an advisor in the General Attorney’s Office in Colombia and as a lawyer at the Constitutional Affairs office. She also worked for several years at an NGO called the Colombian Commission of Jurists in advocacy. Mary was a Human Rights professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia. She holds an LLM in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, as well as a Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy. |
| Olivier Clavet Communications and Public Partnerships Associate |
Olivier oversees communications at JRR and supports the partnerships unit. He holds a BA in Journalism, an MA from Université Laval, Canada in International Studies and a MA from the Geneva Graduate Institute in International Law. His professional journey has led him to work in the fields of advocacy for least developed countries, international cultural event management, Canadian federal politics, and into public and governmental relations consultancy. Olivier has thus developed strong communication and leadership skills to carry out complex projects both in Canada and on the international stage. He speaks French, English and Spanish. |
| Nilusha Goonetilleke Civil Society Programme Officer & Deployment Advisor |
Nilusha Goonetilleke is responsible for the implementation of the organization’s Civil Society Programme strategy and for contributing to reaching programmatic objectives and targets. Prior to joining Justice Rapid Response she worked in Geneva with the World Intellectual Property Organization and with various Geneva-based companies in the financial sector such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. Nilusha was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Switzerland and studied in the Netherlands. She holds a BA in International Relations and International Organisations from Groningen University, where she minored in Human Rights and Transitional Justice. |
| Stéphanie Goldstein-Cassé International Justice Programme Officer |
Stéphanie Goldstein-Cassé focuses on partnership development and the use of financial investigative expertise in justice processes within the International Justice Programme. Her professional expertise is in international human rights, criminal justice, sanctions and diplomacy. Prior to joining Justice Rapid Response, Stéphanie worked as sanctions coordinator at the Netherlands’s mission to the UN in New York. She has also worked in several governmental positions in The Hague, including on facilitating the work of international courts and tribunals in The Hague and defending the Dutch government in human rights complaint procedures. Stéphanie has an LLM in European and International Law from Utrecht University and an advanced LLM in International Law from Leiden University. |
| Úrsula Gutiérrez Trápaga International Justice Programme Officer |
Úrsula Gutierrez is in charge of promoting accountability for children in international justice processes at Justice Rapid Response. Her professional expertise is in international human rights law, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law. Prior to joining the organization she worked in Geneva with Plan International and Child Rights Connect, and in Mexico at the Mexican Ministry of Social Development and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their respective human rights departments. She holds a master’s degree in International Law from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva and a BA in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). |
| Issa Hernández Herrera International Justice Programme Associate |
Issa Hernández Herrera is a Program Officer for the Civil Society Program, focusing on Latin America and Ukraine. Her professional expertise is in international human rights law, criminal law, and transitional justice. Prior to joining Justice Rapid Response, she worked with various civil society organizations in Mexico, as well as with the National Human Rights Commission and with OHCHR Mexico’s country office. She holds a Master’s Degree in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and a BA in Law from the Panamerican University in Mexico City. |
| Nina Joyce Partnerships & Resource Mobilization Manager |
Nina Joyce oversees donor relations and fundraising activities at Justice Rapid Response. She shapes fundraising strategy, engages with donors, identifies new donor opportunities, prepares grant proposals and integrates monitoring and evaluation (M&E) techniques. Before joining the organization, Nina spent 10 years as an advocate for human rights with a particular emphasis on education, girls’ rights, maternal mortality and the international weapons trade. Previous professional experience includes the Financial Times newspaper and the World Economic Forum. Nina has a BA and MA in international affairs and a CAS in Advocacy in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. |
| Giulia Latronico International Justice Programme Officer & Deployment Adviser |
Giulia Latronico covers the sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) thematic portfolio at Justice Rapid Response, promoting accountability for SGBV in international justice processes. Giulia has experience in conflict mediation and democracy support at the EU-level. When working at the European Parliament, she supported ad hoc parliamentary mediation initiatives with EU-neighbouring countries. She also consulted on the Women Peace and Security Agenda and on partnerships between civil society and the EU, for a Foundation in Brussels. Giulia holds a MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva, with a research focus on conflict (group) dynamics and State crimes, and holds a BA in Political Sciences. |
| Juliette Leoni National Justice Program Officer |
In her role as National Justice Program Officer (maternity leave cover), Juliette Leoni carries out programmatic activities in support of national justice processes at Justice Rapid Response. She has expertise in international law, human rights, and refugee protection. Her experience includes working as a Protection Officer at the OFPRA in France, and in the legal department of several NGOs. Juliette holds an LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice from University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and an MA in International Law from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris. Juliette speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. |
| Joyce Mutoka National Justice Programme Officer |
Joyce Mutoka is a Programme Officer in JRR’s National Justice Programme where she carries out programmatic activities in support of national justice processes. She has experience in transitional justice, governance and monitoring and evaluation. Her previous experience includes work with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya and with Oxfam GB’s Pan Africa programme where she was involved in a 10 country study on implementation of African union legal instruments. She also worked the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, South Africa conducting research on International Criminal Justice in Africa. Joyce holds a BA in International Law from the University College Roosevelt and an MA in Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame. |
| Daniel Mvogo Senior Finance Officer |
Daniel Mvogo joined Justice Rapid Response in October 2019. He holds two master’s degrees, in Finance, well as Financial Management. He is also a Swiss Chartered Expert in Financial and Managerial Accounting and Reporting, with an Advanced Federal Diploma. Before joining Justice Rapid Response, Daniel worked in financial organizations, and then held financial management positions in a variety of NGOs and non-profit organizations. |
| Philip Napolitano Finance Assistant |
Philip Napolitano, Finance Assistant, joined JRR in 2016 to maintain its general ledger and produce its financial statements. Philip holds a Bachelors in International Relations from Columbia University and is completing a master’s in Statistics at Baruch College. |
| Lieske Pott Hofstede Recruitment & Certification Manager |
Lieske Pott Hofstede is JRR’s Recruitment and Certification Manager. She is an all-round human resources expert with extensive experience in recruiting and selecting legal and policy advisers, researchers, and field- and office-based experts for humanitarian and human rights organisations. Prior to joining JRR, she has worked with humanitarian organisations such as MSF, NRC and the ICRC as well as with global network organisations like ICVA and the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership. Lieske holds an LLM from the University of Amsterdam and has been working in the Netherlands and Switzerland with field missions in the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Liberia, Ethiopia and Kenya. She speaks English, French and Dutch. |
| Federica Tronchin Head of International Justice Programme, Senior Gender and Child Rights Advisor |
Federica Tronchin heads the International Justice Program for Justice Rapid Response, developing JRR strategies to foster accountability for mass atrocities in partnership with multilateral organizations and international initiatives. She also leads the SGBV Program and Children and Youth Rights Programs. She has expertise on gender justice, development, and justice processes in Syria and Iraq. Prior to joining JRR, Federica worked on indigenous people, immigrants and detainees’ rights. At Hands Off Cain, she contributed to the advocacy campaign that led the UN General Assembly to adopt Resolution A/RES/62/149, which called for a moratorium on the death penalty. Federica holds an MA in International Affairs from the University of Trieste and was awarded the Associazione Lorenzin Prize to conduct independent fieldwork research on aid management in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria. |
| Katrin Weilhammer Head of Programme, National Justice Programme |
Katrin Weilhammer leads the JRR National Justice Programme which focuses on providing expertise to States. She first joined JRR on a secondment from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in April 2011. Her areas of focus and interests are international criminal law, human rights and international humanitarian law. Prior to joining JRR, Katrin worked for Directorate of International Law at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, focusing on international criminal justice. Past experience also includes the World Organisations Against Torture and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Katrin holds an LLM in International Law from University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Katrin speaks English, French, German and Italian. |
| Chris West Roster Manager |
” Chris West, Roster Manager, oversees the management of JRR’s roster of experts, as well as administrating the organization’s database. His previous experience includes working for an international organization and a national charity in the UK, before moving to Geneva to work for TRIAL International. In these roles he has built up expertise in database management, as well as experience in community engagement, communications and fundraising. Chris holds a BA in History and Economics from the University of York, UK. |