Our Team
Committed to transatlantic exchange.
Andrew Sola
Treasurer
Andrew Sola, Ph.D., is professor of Business English at the FOM University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and professor emeritus of philosophy and English literature at the University of Maryland. Mr Sola is also an author, entrepreneur and co-founder of Streemory, LLC, which developed the first digital therapeutics for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. At the Amerikazentrum his focus is on relations with universities and other German-American Institutes (DAIs) as well as cultural and political programmes. He is also responsible for the podcast The Trans-Atlanticist. In addition, he is the point of contact for governments and responsible for applying for public funding.
sola@amerikazentrum.org
Günter Danner
Board Member
Günter Danner, born in 1955, spent his childhood and youth in Great Britain and Switzerland. After interdisciplinary studies in economics, history and international relations in England, South Africa, Germany and the USA, he began his career as a journalist. In 1982 he joined Techniker Krankenkasse, initially as press officer, and from 1989 moved into the staff department for socio-economic policy issues. From 1992/93 he advised the management and board on European and international matters. In 1993 he additionally became part of the European representation of the German Social Insurance in Brussels and served as deputy director of this institution from 1997 to 2019. Dr Danner is a sought-after expert in EU policy and in the analysis and comparison of social-protection models. His lectures regularly took him to all EU member states as well as countries such as China and Russia, where he worked as an advisor for EU enlargement and country projects. For many years he was also invited as a guest lecturer at universities in Europe and the USA, where he shared his comprehensive expertise on social- and European-policy topics. Since 2021 Dr Danner has been retired, but he remains active in online think tanks in France and Switzerland as well as in academic teaching as a guest lecturer at universities at home and abroad. His interest in intercultural exchange and transatlantic cooperation is also reflected in his role as an assessor on the board of the American cultural association. There he contributes his many years of experience and his passion for international relations to promote German-American dialogue.
info@amerikazentrum.org
Laura Langford
Chairwoman
After almost 30 years in financial services with a focus on portfolio management and securitisation, Ms Langford retired in 2016. Previously she was managing director of Bankhaus Lampe K.G. in Germany and of Unicredit Bank AG in New York. Ms Langford earned her Master of Business Administration with a focus on finance and non-profit management at Columbia Business School. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from the University of Southern California. She took up her position as chair of the Amerikazentrum Hamburg e. V. in 2017. Previously she served as president and vice-president of the American Women’s Club of Hamburg and, for a time, as secretary of the American Club of Hamburg e. V. In 2008 Ms Langford founded GAA Entertainment Inc., a company focused on developing ideas in the entertainment industry. In collaboration with various artists, several plays have since been produced this way.
langford@amerikazentrum.org
Leonie Petzoldt
Consultant for Public Relations and Project Planning
Leonie is a student of International Studies at Leiden University in The Hague. As part of her studies focusing on North America, she was able to expand her knowledge of intercultural exchange and transatlantic cooperation. Alongside her studies, she supports various projects on transatlantic relations as a Young Minds Ambassador of the John Adams Institute Amsterdam. She joined the Amerikazentrum as an intern in 2023 and has supported the AZ as a consultant ever since.
Petzoldt@amerikazentrum.org
Petra Jette Roitsch
Board Member
Petra Jette Roitsch brings extensive experience in marketing, communications and strategic brand management. As a long-standing executive in culture and event management, she has made a significant contribution to developing innovative concepts and successful collaborations. With her international experience and her commitment to transatlantic relations, intercultural exchange and tourism promotion, she is actively dedicated to strengthening the Amerikazentrum Hamburg. In addition to her role as a board member, she has been involved for many years in non-profit organisations such as Youth for Understanding (YFU), the American Womens Club of Hamburg and Skal International Hamburg. Her focus at the Amerikazentrum is on strategic communication, networking and the promotion of German-American educational and cultural programmes.
info@amerikazentrum.org
Petra Vorsteher
Board Member
Petra Vorsteher, founder of AI.HAMBURG and one of the first women in the world to build one of the most successful independent mobile companies with the IT firm Smaato. Among the projects she currently oversees is the Transatlantic AI eXchange, a bridge between the AI ecosystems in the USA and Germany that serves to promote and expand economic, social and academic leadership in Europe. According to Petra Vorsteher, the Transatlantic AI eXchange supports collaboration and the exchange of influencers from industry, research and government. Ms Vorsteher is proud, together with her team, to be a co-founder of this important initiative. And we are proud to have Ms Vorsteher on board as an IT and AI expert and as the newest board member of the Amerikazentrum Hamburg.
info@amerikazentrum.org
Sarah Altmann
Senior Governmental Liaison & Program Director
Born and raised in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Sarah came into contact with different cultures early on. Intercultural communication and cultural exchange have been close to her heart ever since. After finishing school she left Germany and found a second home in Pennsylvania, USA. She completed her studies at the University of Greifswald with a B.A. in English/American Studies and Slavic Studies and an M.A. in Slavic Philology. During her studies, Sarah was involved in various research projects on bilingualism in children and translated texts from Czech into German. She is co-author of several dictionaries on the etymology of idioms. Sarah has been with the Amerikazentrum since 2020, first as an intern and now as Senior Governmental Liaison & Program Director.
altmann@amerikazentrum.org
Suzana Zhuta
Deputy Chairwoman
Suzana Zhuta holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Teikyo Post University in Connecticut, USA. During and after completing her degree in 2003, she gained valuable experience in finance and took on key roles in the aviation industry and at the multinational technology company International Business Machines Corp. (IBM). As an experienced businesswoman and entrepreneur, Suzana has extensive expertise in founding, building and running companies. In 2016, together with her husband and business partner Lulzim Zhuta, she founded the company Forward Energie, motivated by her conviction that preparing for a future of renewable energy is crucial. Under her leadership, Forward Energie has become a leading provider of green energy based in Hamburg, committed to sustainability and innovation. Alongside her entrepreneurial achievements, Suzana also contributes her expertise to the non-profit sector as vice-president of the Amerikazentrum Hamburg e.V., a binational cultural institute promoting German-American educational and cultural exchange.
zhuta@amerikazentrum.org