Team

Michelle has almost two decades of experience in communications, having started off as a journalist and later moving into public relations. She previously worked as the director of communications for a K-12 public policy and advocacy organization and also served as the Communications Director for CCSD, the fifth largest school district in the country. Michelle holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from UNLV.

Conleth has been a bridge-building community organizer in his rural Northern Ireland hometown since he was a teenager, an experience that shaped his determination to help unite divided societies. After graduating in Law from the University of Oxford, he worked in Rome building global peace, active citizenship and politics for unity campaigns for the United World Project. He is based in Northern Ireland.

Kate Carney brings with her over a decade of multisector experience that includes policy advising on Capitol Hill, founding a nonprofit in Haiti, and leading corporate social responsibility programs at a Fortune 100 company. She also is a proud Gold Looper, having circumnavigated 8,000 miles of U.S. eastern waterways on a 31-foot trawler around the Great Loop. She has a MPP from University of Maryland and a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she also serves on the Board of Trustees. Kate lives in Washington, DC.

Julia joins More in Common with over half a decade experience advancing programs and policies to protect and assist migrants and refugees in the United States and internationally. Selected as a Rotary Peace Fellow, she completed an MA in Peace, Conflict and Development at the University of Bradford and has a BA in Sociology, Anthropology and Religion from St. Olaf College. Previously, Julia led peace and leadership development programming for youth in Nepal as a Fulbright Scholar. Julia currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Marion graduated in history and political sciences from Sorbonne University in Paris. She holds a Master's in International cooperation and humanitarian action. Before joining More in Common, Marion worked at Oxfam France, a global NGO specialized in fighting poverty and inequality, as the communication and digital manager.  She lives in Paris.

Naureen began her career at Google in business development and strategic partnerships before joining the New Cities Foundation as its Director of Research. At More in Common, Naureen is driving the organization's efforts to become a world-class learning organization. She is also in charge of More in Common's team development and culture.

Tim Dixon is a social entrepreneur who has started businesses and nonprofits in the US, the UK and Australia, where he was born. He trained as an economist, worked as a tech sector lawyer for law firm Baker & McKenzie from 1999 to 2004 and built a leading educational publishing business that was acquired by Pearson Australia in 2004. From 2004 to 2010 he worked in senior political roles, including as economic adviser and chief speechwriter for two Prime Ministers. He has lived and worked between New York and London for the past decade, co-founding social change agency Purpose Europe in 2013 and helping to start social movement organizations around the issue of modern day slavery, the Syrian crisis, the Colombian peace process, economic inequality, gun control and civic participation. Tim serves on the boards of organizations in the US, UK and Australia.

Mary Bennett holds a bachelor's in Peace, War, and Defense from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a researcher, she has been published in works related to white supremacist extremism and violent misogyny, and as an operations analyst, she has led business development initiatives for security firms in the private sector. Mary Bennett currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fred is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Toronto, specializing in emotions and social behavior. Fred holds a masters degree in psychology from New York University and a PhD in social psychology from Northeastern University. His research centers on how people think about empathy and the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of political conversations.

Jérémie is a political researcher with expertise in conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys for political parties, foundations, and trade unions in Germany. Having worked for the Bertelsmann Foundation, he most recently was head of political analysis at Policy Matters, a polling firm based in Berlin. Jérémie has specialized in issues of political participation, voter disaffection and right-wing populism. He studied political science at the Free University of Berlin and European Affairs at Sciences Po Paris.

Inga joined More In Common after working as a consultant for the public sector as well as a teaching fellow and project manager in the Teach First Leadership Programme. She brings experience in consulting, teaching, conceptualization and project steering and is passionate about accompanying individual and organizational development processes. Inga holds a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from King’s College in London and a Bachelor’s in Public Policy from the University of Erfurt. She has studied in Spain and Canada.

Paulina is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland. Her research interests include the causes and consequences of protest participation, prejudice (especially its reduction), minority stress, and political polarization. Every now and then, she cooperates with Polish state institutions and non-governmental organizations (e.g., the Commissioner for Human Rights or Campaign Against Homophobia).

A multidisciplinary researcher, Míriam has conducted field studies in West Africa and worked for UNHCR in Ghana and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia. She is a qualified lawyer in Spain, where she worked in public law for the firm Baker & McKenzie and obtained a Master’s Degree in international relations from Yale University.

Tristan is a PhD research doctoral researcher at Sciences Po Grenoble, specializing in public opinion, political behaviour and survey research. Tristan holds a master’s degree in political science from Sciences Po. Grenoble and was a visiting student and research collaborator at Princeton University. In his dissertation, he studies the dynamics of political polarization in Western Europe. Beyond academia, he is a compulsive #rstats programmer.

Rubeena comes to More in Common from sharedserviceslink, a small events company, from which she brings 5 years of operations experience working in a start-up environment. 

Since 2016, Stephen has led More in Common’s studies on polarization and division in the United States and across Europe. Stephen has a background in measuring and advising on public opinion for political candidates, Fortune 100 companies such as Microsoft and Ford, and public sector organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and UNHCR. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and is curious about how beliefs and ideology shape people’s experience of the world.

Prior to joining More in Common in April 2023, Lisa worked for the international peacebuilding organisation Conciliation Resources, where she led a portfolio of peacebuilding projects in the Central African Republic. She started her career at the International Crisis Group and the West Africa Peacebuilding Network in Senegal. Lisa holds a French-German Master’s degree in conflict and development studies from the University of Münster and Sciences Po Lille.

Ed joined More in Common after studying Geography at the University of Oxford. There, he focused on the ways in which social media platforms transform places in the UK and abroad, writing his dissertation on how Facebook community groups shape perceptions of crime in small English villages. At the same time, he led the content team at ClimateScience, an EdTech startup producing educational material about the science of climate change.

Falco studied political science and economics in Heidelberg, Istanbul and Darmstadt. He gained practical experience in political foundations, a strategy consultancy and in the German Bundestag. At the German federal election campaign 2017 he was employed as an event manager at the social democrats. Prior to his studies, he completed an apprenticeship as a Computer Science Expert.

Kirsten is an economist with a degree from the Free University of Berlin. She has many years of international professional experience. Through her recent positions at the Frauenenzentrum Schokoladenfabrik e. V. and at the Rote Nasen Deutschland e. V., she brings several years of professional experience in business and divisional management of social associations and organisations to our work. Before that, she worked for many years as an assistant to the director and the diplomats of the Economic Division of the Taipeh Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Berlin and as a freelance HR expert. She lived and worked in Egypt and Nigeria and ran her own business in recruiting and HR consulting

Arisa joined More in Common having recently completed a Master’s Degree in Transnational Studies at UCL, with her dissertation focusing on the relationship between right-wing populism and gender in the UK and France. She has been assisting More in Common’s research studies in the US and Europe. 

Laura is the Founding Director of More in Common Germany and has been building the organization since 2018. Previously she headed the Future of Democracy Program at the Berlin-based think tank Das Progressive Zentrum, worked in political consulting and for election campaigns in the US and Europe. Laura holds a master’s degree from the Free University of Berlin and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle. Laura has twice been named one of “40 under 40” of German Society and Science and is active for a range of social causes. She serves as a board member of the Schöpflin Foundation and is a member of the oversight board of German public broadcaster ZDF.

Jazmin is an attorney with experience working with private, nonprofit, government, and multilateral organizations on humanitarian, civil rights, and human rights issues. She began her career with the U.S. Department of State managing grant programs and advancing policy to protect and assist refugees in countries across Africa. Most recently, Jazmin worked for International Justice Mission, where she led the development of grant proposals for criminal justice reform projects combating human rights abuses around the world.

Mathieu Lefevre is the co-founder and CEO of More in Common, a non-profit working to understand the forces driving us apart, find common ground and bring people together to tackle shared challenges. More in Common conducts detailed opinion research on social fragmentation and polarization, using political science and social psychology to map the identities and values of populations in Europe and the United States.  We use our evidence base to work across sectors and issue areas with more than 160 partners in philanthropy, civil society, politics, the media, unions, faith groups and businesses on initiatives that bridge divides. More in Common’s work has been featured in hundreds of media articles and we are frequently called upon to brief senior leaders in politics, governments, civil society, philanthropy, the media and business. More in Common is comprised of a team of about 45 people working in national offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Poland.

Prior to helping launch More in Common, Mathieu was a co-founder of Make.org, one of the largest civic tech companies in Europe and for several years he led New Cities, a think tank he helped launch on the future of global cities. Mathieu served as a Political Officer in the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations for five years based in Southern Afghanistan, Lebanon and at the UN Security Council. He also worked in the area of governance at the World Bank and has advised political campaigns in France and the US. Mathieu is a dual US-French citizen and lives in Washington D.C. with his wife and their three children.

Anna joined More in Common after working for the digital policy think tank D64. She studied Psychology, Communications and Political Sciences in Freiburg and Berlin and has gained a diverse range of work experience in journalism and public relations, including working for the German Public Broadcaster ARD. She is passionate about all subjects regarding social equality and political participation. 

Ben works on topics around migration and refugees, with a primary focus on Germany but also working closely with More In Common teams in UK, France and Poland. He is a British immigrant living in Berlin, and previously worked at the think-tank better place lab and for the Canadian government. He has a degree in Philosophy and German from Oxford University.

Letizia is a environmental policy student at Sciences Po Paris. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and is finalizing a master's degree in clinical psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Milano-Bicocca. Her interests focus on migration and social and environmental justice. She spent 6 months in northern Jordan, studying Arabic and working at a local center for Syrian refugees. She is fluent in English, French and Italian.

Laurence previously worked at the Fondation de France, France’s largest philanthropic foundation, leading their work in research and international cooperation. In  particular she conducted annual national surveys on isolation and loneliness in France. She has also worked at the French Center for National Monuments, and before that at the French Institute Alliance Française in New York. Laurence is a graduate of Sciences Po, Ecole Normale Supérieure and Princeton.  

Paul holds a masters in government from the University of Texas at Austin. He has previously worked in political polling on local, statewide and presidential campaigns, focusing primarily on the Southern United States. Paul lives in Austin, Texas.

Mutaf leads Future CFO, a London based finance company which specializes in supporting INGO’s & start-ups. Mutaf holds qualifications from Association of certified chartered accountants (ACCA) and Institutes of Chartered Accountant in England and Wales (ICAEW) and has over 9 years senior level finance experience in the not-for-profit sector. Previously he was Head of Finance at Girl Effect, an initiative set up by the Nike Foundation to support programs in over 60 countries. Prior to that he was at Restless Development, a youth-led development agency focusing on social change. Mutaf also holds an MBA degree from Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Before joining the More in Common team, Cath spent several years coordinating data science and supercomputing programmes funded with EU Structural & Investment Funds at Cardiff University, UK. Prior to that, she worked in administration and communications in the UK and Spain within collaborative research teams working on offshore wind and computing systems, and in administration of English language programmes for international students. She holds a Masters in literature in European cultures.

Before joining More In Common, Calista worked as a social psychology research assistant at Columbia University, helping to develop and implement studies on emotion and stress. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from Yale University and a post-baccalaureate degree in Psychology from Columbia University. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Tyron studied History and Politics at the University of Oxford, and then did his Master’s in Atlantic History and Politics at the University of Missouri in the United States – focusing chiefly on early 20th century history, and modern British politics. Together with his studies, he has also held various roles within the Esperanto movement. After graduating in 2021, he joined the More in Common U.K. team.

Anna brings many years of social business and crowdfunding experience to More in Common. As Head of Communications and COO, she has helped build the crowdfunding platform Startnext since 2010 and advised hundreds of founders, projects and campaigns. She is co-founder of Studio Für Morgen and has a background in communication and media studies as well as journalism. 

Adam joined More in Common from the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relation where he remains an Associate Fellow. In 2015, he co-founded an independent foreign policy think tank Global.Lab in his hometown Warsaw, Poland and served as its chairman for five years. Adam studied international relations and political science in Warsaw, Bonn, and Berlin. Currently, he is working on a PhD thesis at the Technical University of Chemnitz where he studies links between democracy and transitional justice. His commentary has appeared in Polityka, Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Le Monde, Die Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wall Street Journal, among others.  

Luke joined More in Common from policy and research agency Public First, where he had a particular focus on public opinion research in the Midlands and North of England. Prior to that he was Director of the New Schools Network, a charity that campaigned for and supported the opening of new schools across the country. He has also been Director of Strategy at Ofsted, and Special Adviser to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, where he acted as chief spokesperson. He was also Head of Education at the charity Stonewall, leading their ground-breaking campaign to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

Prior to joining More in Common, Dan worked on education policy and innovation at the state and national level. Previously, Dan served six years active duty as an Army infantry officer, with one tour in Afghanistan. Dan graduated from West Point and earned an MA in Contemporary China from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore on a Fulbright Scholarship and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Dan lives in New York City. 

Zofia is a social researcher with expertise in conducting qualitative studies for political institutions, grassroots movements, and international organizations. Zofia holds a Master’s degree in sociology from the University of Warsaw and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. Her dissertation research explored the experiences of female refugees fleeing domestic violence and political persecution. Her work also focused on the agency of Polish rural women and Polish feminist movements.

Sarah joined More in Common after working with the German Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for European Policy Studies on a civil society capacity-building project in the Western Balkans. Previously, Sarah worked as Project Coordinator at the Political Platform of the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance and at the German Federal Foreign Office. There she was as Program Officer responsible for the Diplomatenkolleg, a private-public partnership project aiming to provide foreign diplomats with insights into German culture, history and society. Sarah holds an MA in sociology, political science, and media sciences from the University of Trier and studied in Prague.

Jordan is a PhD candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Her research examines how morality and emotions affect what we see, how we think, and what we do. She is also currently a student affiliate at the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding and junior scholar at the Stone Center for Inequality. 

Dr Yudkin is a postdoctoral researcher in social decision-making at Yale University, investigating how transformative experiences change people's values and behaviors. He obtained his PhD from New York University and was a Fellow at Harvard University. His research centers on how people assess and influence their surroundings, including how group membership influences moral judgement.