Summer 2024 TAM Alumni Panel

Katja Geerson ’19 In her current role as Transatlantic Program Director at Aspen Institute Germany, Katja overseas the organization’s initiatives related to transatlantic exchange and U.S. and transatlantic politics and policy. She directly implements the U.S.-German Forum Future Agriculture and the Institute’s U.S. Election Night and Road to Election projects and supports the strategic direction of the program. Prior to joining Aspen Germany, Katja designed and led a U.S.-German exchange program for civic educators with the Arbeitskreis deutscher Bildungsstätten e.V., where she also carried out a comparative research project on transatlantic non-formal civic education as an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation German Chancellor Fellow. Katja began her career working in community organizing, marketing, and fundraising with political campaigns in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina Asheville and a dual Master’s in Political Science and Research in Political Science as part of the TransAtlantic Masters Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. With a transatlantic personal, professional, and academic background herself, she is passionate about transatlantic exchange and opening up such opportunities to new audiences.

Petter Rodebjer ’22 works as a Political Secretary for the Gotland Municipality in Sweden. In 2022, he earned a double degree in European Governance from UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Gothenburg and wrote a thesis titled, “Left Governments and Unemployment Insurance: a Mixed Methods Study of Contemporary Welfare States.” Before TAM, Petter received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and European Studies from the University of Gothenburg. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in the student organizations, Brännpunkt Europa and SG Europa, and he was a Youth Fellow for the International Youth Think Tank, a nonprofit organization that actively seeks to promote a democratic movement among young people in Europe.

Bevan Therien ’22 graduated in the TAM class of 2022. He spent the first two semesters at Chapel Hill before moving on to Humboldt in Berlin to complete his degree. He wrote his thesis on the influence of lobbyists on crypto regulation in the EU.

Bevan has worked for the last two years at PwC Germany, where he helps international banks with risk and capital management, as well as with regulatory compliance at both the German and European level. In addition to his client focused work, he is also a Digital Accelerator, where he identifies internal problems and inefficiencies and works to bring effective solutions to his colleagues across the firm.

Olivia Woolverton ’23 works as an International Trade Analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. She completed the TAM program in 2023, studying at both the University of Bath in England and Sciences Po Grenoble in France. Before TAM, Olivia earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in International Business from Montana State University.