Dr. Jakob Scherer studied philosophy and economics at Freie Universität Berlin and as a fellow of the Ernst Reuter Society at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He received his PhD in philosophy on the subject of ordoliberalism. Jakob spent several years as a strategy consultant and manager at an international consulting firm and subsequently worked for the State of Berlin as head of strategy for its 1,000-worker strong IT and digitization agency. Since May 2022, he has been managing director of VATMH e. V. He is also chairman of the advisory board of Stiftung Neue Kultur Berlin and co-founder and long-time co-host of a private salon with guests from culture and public life.

Clara Becker studied Theatre Sciences and Culture and Media Management in Leipzig and Berlin. She has been project coordinator for the Basel Sinfonietta, managing director of the Basel Documentary Platform and event manager at the Konzerthaus Berlin. In addition, Clara has been freelance project manager for the reading series artiCHOKE and for choreographer Alexandra Bachzetsis. Since October 2022 she has been responsible for Communications and Program Management in the Berlin office of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V.

Mirko Lux studied modern German literature studies and art history in Berlin and Siena and attended seminars at Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin. After working as a freelance journalist and photographer, Mirko has been responsible for communication and program management in the Berlin office of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. He is a member of KOOK e.V., a non-profit association and independent network of artists for artists.

Katharina Karnitschnig studied economics and foreign languages in her native Austria and cultural management at London’s City University. Her main focus is on finance, fundraising and project management. She has worked in the arts on both sides of the Atlantic, holding a number of senior management roles, including most recently with Berlin’s international literature festival. She has also worked for the annual transmediale festival in Berlin, the Center for Arts Education in New York and the International Association of Music Information Centers in Vienna.

Gesa Schubert studied Comparative Literature and English Literature at Freie Universität Berlin and earned a doctorate in philosophy with a dissertation focusing on Samuel Beckett’s Philosophy of Art. Among other positions, she has worked as project-coordinator for the German Association of Literary Societies and Memorials and in the area of employment services.

Claudia Suhr Gordon studied Egyptology, Sociology and Coptic Studies at the University of Göttingen, Germany where she earned her Ph.D. with a dissertation on Ancient Egyptian first-person narratives. From 2002 – 2007, she was the Director of Villa Aurora, where she has served as Administration Officer from 2010 until 2020. In 2020, Claudia once again assumed the position of Director of Villa Aurora, where she is responsible for Programs and Administration. In addition, Claudia serves as Head Of Administration for the Thomas Mann House.

Friedel Schmoranzer studied German Philology and Sociology at the University of Konstance (BA) and holds a MA in studies in editing from the FU Berlin. In 2010 she was editor-in-chief for the catalogue Transatlantic Impulses - 15 years of Villa Aurora at Villa Aurora's Berlin headquarters. In 2011 she joined the team at Villa Aurora Los Angeles where she has served as Head of Fellowship Programs since 2020.

Kathrin Klüppel studied at California State University Los Angeles and University of Kassel and holds a MA in American Studies and Economic Sciences. From 2008 to 2021, Kathrin worked as a Product Manager in travel; she has been in the role of an Administration Officer at the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House since 2022.

Dr. Oliver Hartmann started his professional career as a contemporary dancer in Germany and Greece. He went on to study Japanese Studies, East Asian Studies, and East Asian History of Art in Berlin and Tokyo. He received a PhD in Japanese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin on the subject of Intermediality in Contemporary Japanese Literature. From June 2018 to spring 2023, he was the Head of the Goethe-Institut Shanghai (China). Since May 2023, he is the Director of the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles.  

Benno Herz worked in the online communication division at the Städel Museum Frankfurt, Germany, before joining the Thomas Mann House team as Project and Communications Manager in 2019. Prior to this, he studied Theater, Film and Media Studies at the Goethe University Frankfurt and completed his M.A. with a focus on new social media aesthetics and interface theory. Since 2009, he has been creatively engaged in several music and film projects as a writer and instrumentalist. He is co-editor and co-author of the publications Thomas Mann's Los Angeles: Stories from Exile 1940-1952 (Angel City Press, 2022) and Das Thomas Mann House – Politischer Denkort am Pazifik (Wallstein Verlag, 2023). As of May 2022, Benno Herz is serving as Program Director at the Thomas Mann House.

Claudia Suhr Gordon studied Egyptology, Sociology and Coptic Studies at the University of Göttingen, Germany where she earned her Ph.D. with a dissertation on Ancient Egyptian first-person narratives. From 2002 – 2007, she was the Director of Villa Aurora, where she has served as Administration Officer from 2010 until 2020. In 2020, Claudia once again assumed the position of Director of Villa Aurora.

Kathrin Klüppel studied at California State University Los Angeles and University of Kassel and holds a MA in American Studies and Economic Sciences. From 2008 to 2021, Kathrin worked as a Product Manager in travel; she has been in the role of an Administration Officer at the Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House since 2022.

Clara Tang studied East Asian art history and Chinese language in Berlin, Hangzhou, and Heidelberg. She was a project manager at the PR agency Artpress and a curatorial assistant at the Times Art Center Berlin. Clara also worked as a freelance writer for international art publications and was the Berlin desk editor for the magazine ArtAsiaPacific from 2020 to 2023. Since March 2024, she works as the project coordinator at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles.