Our Team

Tom, Kim and their daughter Sienna have lived in Paris for over 17 years.  After living in San Francisco and working in Silicon Valley, Tom now dedicates his time to social impact projects in Paris, including with Serve the City for over 6 years as a volunteer, a Board member and now the Executive Director.  Tom also launched a non-profit Association in Paris called Venture Académie, dedicated to helping immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs start their own business.  His company also created the business plan for the U.S. National Refugee Welcome Center in Philadelphia, and a training program to help new refugees and asylum seekers find employment in France.  Tom is a member of the ACP Refugee Task Force, and holds the Chair position of the Mission Outreach Program at the American Church in Paris.

Maria is from Asturias Spain, but has lived and worked in marketing in Paris, New York, Madrid and even Haiti, where she worked with a non-profit to improve the local economy of women in a rural area of Haiti.   Maria uses her academic background and Master’s degrees in digital marketing, cultural communications and fine arts, along with her work experience in communications, graphic art, illustration, design and even crowd-funding, to lead Serve the City Paris with our Association’s marketing requirements.  Her desire to bring the world of art and philanthropy together is also an exciting project and step forward for Serve the City Paris.  

After graduating from the University of Mary Washington, Lauren worked for WorldStrides in the U.S. as a Visa Specialist, and then worked at the American Immigration Council, on their Cultural Exchange Program, where she was the designated J-1 visa sponsor associate in charge of managing multiple clients with their J-1 visa applications, rolling out communications concerning regulatory changes, and planning annual events.  Lauren plays a critical role at Serve the City Paris, in charge of our language programs, running our team meetings, and overseeing the progress of our programs; all this in addition to her generous time volunteering in the mornings with Serve the City.

Peter DeWit is a Dutch born Canadian, father of five, and comes to us with 27 years of overseas experience in Asia and Europe. He was instrumental in setting up a sponsorship program for disadvantaged children in Thailand and Cambodia, served as Chairman of the Board at Agape Home, a hospice and home for nearly 100 children born with HIV virus, and has been involved with many different ministries among Youth and Church leaderships in Asia and Europe. Today Peter is based out of Paris, France while continuing to take teams to Asia. He has a heart to bring hope, help and dignity to the refugee community in Paris. As well, he enjoys speaking at different events as opportunity presents.

Yuliia is a second-year Ph.D. student working on the ‘Structure and Dynamics of Living Systems’ Doctoral School of Université Paris-Saclay.  She is the recipient of Fulbright Scholarship (2015), ENS Cachan international scholarship (2017) and CNRS doctoral fellowship (2018).  Beginning in 2015, Yuliia volunteered in Ukraine, helping those who lost their jobs due to the military conflict and political repressions that effected the Ukraine economy.   Now at Serve the City Paris, Yuliia is working with our local university partners, managing the Social Responsibility Certification (SRC) Program, and developing a program to help young refugees and immigrants to find grants, scholarships, and funding for their studies.

Asa came to Paris after graduating from the University of Georgia in the U.S. and after receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a focus on social and political philosophy.  It was through these studies in Atlanta where Asa became interested in social improvement and soon after, decided to pursue a Masters degree in International Affairs at the American University of Paris.  Through Asa’s coursework in humanitarian affairs, he became motivated to get much more involved in hands-on activities with Serve The City Paris, working directly with refugees and people in need, and going beyond what he is learning through his academic pursuits.   Asa is also in charge of the social media strategy, posting meaningful content, and he is also running the radio show for Serve the City on World Radio Paris.

Jonathan currently spends half his time on Serve the City Paris, running our P.A.I.R. program.  Currently Jonathan also works for Aurore Market and prior, Jonathan was the Founder of Maintant.co and Co-Founder of Zeta.  Jonathan studied neuroscience, computer science and business strategy at the University of California, Berkeley and at Ecole Polytechnique where he received a Master’s degree in technological innovation & entrepreneurship. Jonathan is leading P.A.I.R.E because he has always had a heart for, and donated significant time to, helping individuals who are in need.

Selin Gureralp is a graduate student based in Paris. She was born in New York and grew up in the tri-state area. After studying at NYU, Selin is now completing her studies at Paris College of Art.  She is passionate about helping others and as a result, she is involved with many activities at Serve the City Paris.   Selin is currently working on the development of CSR partnerships and community service initiatives with corporations, universities and organizations.  She is also using her photography, video and sound editing skills to help with marketing.

Hailing from New Zealand, Jack Goldingham Newsom joins us after completing his studies in Philosophy in Belgium. Having worked on projects in community building, foreign integration, education, and political participation in New Zealand, Japan, Belgium, and now France, he brings  a wealth of experience around international volunteer programs and initiatives.  Jack is also a keen writer and currently working on projects to rethink disadvantaging social structures and reimagine our relationship with the climate.  His strong social conscience has led him to Serve the City where he will help develop, implement and coordinate Serve the City’s new ‘2020’ volunteer initiatives for incoming international volunteers.

Juan E. Marcos is a social scientist with a background in social psychology, sociology, philosophy and now working with Serve the City Paris to help companies and universities with diversity management and how to implement ‘best practices’ of integration. He’s also secretary and Director of Latin American research for of RSE & Interculturalité, a French CSR Think Tank. Prior to Juan’s new role, he was Director of Cross-Cultural Competences development programs for European consortiums & le ‘Chef de pole migration et integration’ at Elan Interculturel, in Les Grands Voisins (Paris).  Juan also helps run a monthly workshops on diversity management, training volunteers on specific intercultural approaches to helping us better integrate with foreigners and our refugee beneficiaries.

Sandrine Poilbois is a former Human Resources Director, with 25 years of professional experience in international business.  Sandrine has coached employees to transform their emotional fears into assets and she runs workshops with companies to reinforce team spirit and motivation.  She is involved in several charities in France such as Fabrique Spinoza, Think Tank for Happiness, Venture Académie, and Je Veux Faire Plus Tard, and helps young students who are seeking for professional guidance.  For Serve the City Paris, Sandrine facilitates some of our CSR projects, has helped build the TIEO program, and continues to run our evaluation committee.

Gina Heatley is a key facilitator with Serve the City’s CSR workshops.  Gina is a wellness practitioner specializing in transformation, mindfulness and personal empowerment. Gina worked in the innovation sector as a behavioral trainer and consultant delivering workshops, speeches and courses all over Asia, where she lived for 11 years. Currently Gina is based in Paris, where she supports entrepreneurs and groups in identifying and implementing simple techniques to encourage greater self-awareness and foster collaborative education. Gina speaks 5 languages, gained her degree in Business Psychology at Derby University (U.K.) and a diploma in Alternative Medicine at IBAM (Kolkata, India).

Manuel is a seasoned CFO with international experience in finance and operations. Manuel has held executive positions and at leading Private Equity firms.  Manuel has helped privately held companies raise capital, manage acquisitions, perform exit strategies, helped attain debt financing and helped organizations with post-acquisition integration. Manuel helps Serve the City Paris with managing finance requirements and fund raising and he dedicates time to social impact initiatives in Paris.

Amélie is our fearless mascot who is always around to make us smile! She loves treats, going on walks, and relaxing under the table during our team meetings.