Below our names you will find information about how we like to be addressed and the pronouns we use. We want to set a good example and point out that people's gender identity is not determined by their names or physical appearance. Gender-appropriate language is important and we look forward to a lively, respectful communication with you.
Pronouns: she/her
Managing Director of the VIDC
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 81
straubinger@vidc.org
has been Managing Director at the VIDC since 2018.
She studied political science in combination of subjects with development policy and economics at the University of Vienna and earned a master’s degree General Management MBA at the TU Vienna/DU Krems. She was a member of the provincial parliament, has worked as a provincial managing director, senior consultant in a PR agency, parliamentary assistant and at the beginning of her career also as a freelance journalist.
Pronouns: he/him
Deputy Management
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 91
fanizadeh@vidc.org
His areas of expertise include migration and development, the climate crisis and displacement, human rights and anti-discrimination, and diaspora engagement, with a regional focus on West Asia.
From 1997 to 2008 he was the co-coordinator of the anti-racist sports project "fairplay" and the European network "Football Against Racism in Europe - FARE". Since 2012 he has been the head of the Migration & Development working group in Global Responsibility, Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid. He earned a master's degree in political science at the University of Vienna.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 58
manek@vidc.org
is responsible in the administration of the VIDC for bookkeeping, payroll accounting and various project settlements.
After studying business administration at the Business University Vienna, she gained professional experience in the audit business and the private sector.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 60
bucksch@vidc.org
works at the VIDC in the administration (currently on maternity leave. Substitute Representative: Isabelle Nagl).
She has a bachelor's degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology and a master's degree in International Development with focus on inequality, economics and natural resources at the University of Vienna. Her Master's thesis was on forced resettlement in Chile.
Pronouns: they/them
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94
delfauro@vidc.org
Press and Public Relations
Hannah is a trained graphic designer and has a degree in theatre- film and mediastudies from the university of vienna. They worked together with the Austrian Film Institute and the International Screen Insitute on ProPro – producers programme to support women in the film industry. For several years they were part of the queer_feminist film festival QUEERTACTICS. In addition they have gathered various experience in the art sector working closely with artists as production manager, studio assistant and performer.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 31
ennemoser@vidc.org
project officer for knowledge exchange and capacity building
She studied educational science and sociology at the University of Innsbruck and has a master's degree in urban sociology from the University of Amsterdam. She gained experience in educational and counselling institutions in the fields of migration, inclusion and anti-discrimination. At the European city network EUROCITIES, based in Brussels, she worked in project management and project financing. At Innsbruck City Library, she was responsible for event conception, public relations and digital marketing. In 2024, she completed the Cultural Management certification course at the Postgraduate Centre of the University of Vienna.
Pronouns: he/him
Deputy management
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 91
fanizadeh@vidc.org
is the deputy managing director and project coordinator at VIDC Global Dialogue. His areas of expertise include migration and development, the climate crisis and displacement, human rights and anti-discrimination, and diaspora engagement, with a regional focus on West Asia.
From 1997 to 2008 he was the co-coordinator of the anti-racist sports project "fairplay" and the European network "Football Against Racism in Europe - FARE". From 2011 to 2014 he coordinated the transnational EU project CoMiDe - Initiative for Migration and Development. Since 2012 he has been the head of the Migration & Development working group in Global Responsibility, Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid.
He earned a master's degree in political science at the University of Vienna.
Pronouns: he/him
Tel. +43 1 713 35 94 - 78
gamsjaeger@vidc.org
studied philosophy and international development and has work experience in Palestine, among other places. Thematic focus: violence prevention with an emphasis on masculinity and violence, gender justice, philosophy and phenomenology of violence, critical whiteness.
He coordinates the Gender-TANDEM project and is responsible for the OEAD project “Strong Schools, Strong Society.”
Pronouns: she/her
Tel: +43 1 713 35 94 - 69
hochauer-kpoda@vidc.org
works as an event manager in the VIDC Global Dialogue department - as such she is responsible for the organisation of conferences, panel discussions and workshops.
She was a radio and TV presenter and editor at Radio Afrika TV. Since 2009, she has been deputy chairwoman and co-founder of the association BARKA BARKA, an aid organisation for the town of Foroteon in Burkina Faso. Since 2018 she has been the special representative of the Burkinabè Diaspora in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and the Czech Republic. Since 2019 she has been an integration ambassador for Zusammen: Austria.
She earned a master's degree in tourism and hotel management at the Institut Supérieur International du Tourisme-Tanger in Morocco as well as a master’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the Institut for Tourism and Hotel Management in Salzburg. She also has a diploma in Project and Event Management from Vienna Media in Vienna.
Pronouns: he/him
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 72
hudelist@vidc.org
(currently on educational leave) is a project officer at fairplay and responsible for social inclusion, education and projects in the Western Balkans.
He led the anti-racism activities and fan support during the UEFA EURO 2008 in Klagenfurt. From 2012 to 2015 he established the coordination office for social preventive fan work. Since 2017 he has overseen the Football Zajedno project in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. He is a football trainer and player, mountain guide, health and vitality coach, trainer at the University Sports Institute (USI) and organises sports and football camps.
He studied social work at the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences and the University of Ljubljana. His thesis was on anti-racism and fan work in football. As part of his doctoral studies in sociology at the University of Vienna, he worked on the topic "Social integration of young people with a migration background through football".
Pronouns: he/him
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 - 32
kazemi@vidc.org
project officer for diversity and equity
In addition to his artistic activities, he has been active as an event organizer since 2015 and designed the cultural programme in the former Brick-5 cultural area from 2017 to 2021, where the focus was on performance, theater and contemporary experimental music. In collaboration with choreographer Hygin Delimat, he founded the performance series “Craft Choreography” and subsequently initiated the concert cycle “12TON - Dialogue of Generations”. Together with the operator of the music label Affine Records, he runs the cultural association Erbsenfabrik - Labor für Kunst und Kulturproduktion. In cooperation with the Vienna City Gallery Walk, he also curates the format “Imago Sonus”, which explores the interfaces between visual art and contemporary composition. He studied contemporary composition at the Anton Bruckner University and transdisciplinary art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 61
melrose-doering@vidc.org
project officer for music and international artistic exchange
She has promoted artists in the international music industry, organized concerts and was involved in the conception, organization and implementation of the three-day LIDO Sounds Festival as part of the project management team. She is also active as management and as a label for musicians and music projects. She studied Media and Communication Science and Musicology at the University of Vienna.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 79
mukalazi@vidc.org
is responsible for Africa policy at VIDC Global Dialogue.
She holds a doctorate in political science in the field of security policy and has conducted research at the European University Institute in Florence, Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies in Addis Ababa, among others. She previously worked at UN Women Germany and as a consultant for the World Bank, the European Commission and for political foundations.
Pronouns: he/him
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 93
pinter@vidc.org
works as project officer for the fairplay initiative for diversity and anti-discrimination.
He supervises projects in the field of anti-discrimination as well as the Football Zajedno project, coordinates the cooperation with and support of grassroots initiatives and sports clubs in the organisation of days of action and is responsible for financial management, budget planning and project accounting as well as reporting, including the Erasmus+ projects. From 2012 to 2019 he was a member of the board of the European FARE network.
He has a master's degree in political science and journalism and communication science at the University of Vienna. In 2011 he participated in the seminar "Finance and Controlling in NPOs" at the NPO Academy Vienna.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 68
pucher@vidc.org
divisional management
She has worked in management for artists in the independent scene (dance, theater, performance) and as a producer for film and media. For festivals such as Szene Salzburg, Tanzquartier Wien and Wiener Festwochen she realized community projects and productions in public space. From 2017-2023 she was company manager of the performance group Liquid Loft. She studied international economic relations in Eisenstadt and Brussels and cultural management in Barcelona.
Pronomen: he/him
+43 1 713 35 94-84
schmied@vidc.org
works as a project officer at fairplay and is responsible for the area fairplay prevention – point of contact against dehumanizing ideologies.
He organizes public events, training sessions and workshops, and initiates awareness-raising campaigns to demonstrate effective measures against misanthropical ideologies.
Previously, he was the festival director of this human world – International Human Rights Film Festival for four years. He is still involved in the association Delta Cultura Austria on a voluntary basis and organizes a charity football tournament for the benefit of the Education Centre Tarrafal in Cape Verde.
He holds a Master's degree in International Development at the University of Vienna with a focus on the consequences of mega-events on the spatial and social changes that accompany them.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel. +43 1 713 35 94 - 80
schuster@vidc.org
is a gender expert responsible for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender tandem training. She coordinates a nationwide SRHR working group and is responsible for editing the VIDC online magazine Spotlight.
She has published on SRHR (2022), migration and development (2012), policy coherence for development at the national level (2008, 2011) and sustainable reconstruction in Sri Lanka (2006). She was also a long-standing member of the NorthSouth Parliamentary Dialogue. Master's degree in Development Evaluation and Management at the University of Antwerp, Master's degree with a combination of sociology, international development and gender at the University of Vienna.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel. +43 1 713 35 94 - 75
seewald@vidc.org
is division manager and responsible for the topics feminist foreign policy, gender awareness in the context of migration, and Southwest Asia with a focus on Syria and Palestine.
Research and work stays have taken her to Uganda and Palestine. She was a volunteer board member at WIDE and Frauensolidarität, where she is currently co-auditor.
Magda studied political science with a combination of contemporary history, international law and international development at the University of Vienna and graduated with a thesis on women's peace..
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 96
staritz@vidc.org
is project officer at fairplay and responsible for the area of anti-discrimination.
She oversees international and national projects in the areas of anti-discrimination and inclusive sport cultures, antihomophobia and women & girls in sport. She has published on the topics of sport and gender relations and represents fairplay in the working group "Prevention of sexual violence". Since August 2020 she has been a board member of the ombudsman's office "football for everyone" supporting LGBT athletes in football.
Master's degree in political science and library science. Former handball and football player, active football coach.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 66
stepanik@vidc.org
is a project officer at fairplay in the area of sport, development and human rights.
She supports two nationwide projects on the topics of sport, sustainable development and human rights through coordinative work, campaigning, education and awareness-raising measures, event organization, networking and collaboration in public relations and information work. Previously, she worked at the University of Vienna as a project assistant and at the dance charity South East Dance (Brighton/UK) for fundraising and project evaluation.
Doctoral studies and Master's degree in International Development at the University of Vienna (semester abroad at the University of Chicago), Master's degree in "Media Practice for Development and Social Change" at the University of Sussex.
Pronouns: she/her
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 76
tomic@vidc.org
is responsible for press and public relations in the VIDC Global Dialogue department.
Manuela Tomić studied journalism and media management at the FH Vienna of WKW and then worked as a journalist for various Austrian, German and French media. From 2019 to 2024, she was a journalist at the weekly newspaper „Die Furche“, where she was responsible for the media department, among other things.
Pronouns: he/him
Tel.: +43 1 713 35 94 - 90
wachter@vidc.org
is head of fairplay with a focus on EU application coordination, sport & development and social inclusion through sport.
He founded the fairplay initiative at the VIDC in 1997. From 1999 to 2009 he was coordinator of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network. He has led several EU projects, including Queering Football, Sport Welcomes Refugees, SPIN Women and SPIN Refugees and has published on Football in Africa. As a freelance journalist, he has reported on seven editions of the Africa Cup so far.
Studied Ethnology and African Studies at the University of Vienna and University of Cape Coast (Ghana). Completion of a master's degree in "Sport and Development" at Southampton Solent University.
Vorsitzende, Bundesministerin a.D., Nationalratsabgeordnete
Diplomat, Außenminister a.D., Europastaatssekretär a.D. (Integration und Entwicklungszusammenarbeit)
Bürgermeister und Landeshauptmann von Wien
Kunst- und Kulturstaatssekretärin a.D., Nationalratsabgeordnete a.D., MEP und Vizepräsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments a.D.
Österreichischer Botschafter im Vereinigten Königreich, Großbritannien und Nordirland, davor stv. Leiter der Sektion VII sowie Leiter der Abteilung VII.3, Humanitäre Hilfe, BMEIA
Langjährige Generalsekretärin des Presseclubs Concordia, Journalistin, Mitbegründerin des Frauennetzwerk Medien
Pronomen: er/ihm
University of Ghana, Sport Directorate
bbbitugu@ug.edu.gh
ist Experte für Entwicklung durch Sport. Er lehrte 15 Jahre an der Universität Innsbruck und koordinierte mehre Projekte u.a. „Football for Development“ am VIDC. Nach 20 Jahren in Österreich zog er nach Ghana und war von 2012 bis 2013 Country Manager von Right To Play Ghana. Seit 2013 ist Dr. Bitugu Direktor der Sportdirektion der University of Ghana. Er unterrichtet Sportsoziologie u. a. an der FH Kufstein Tirol und bietet Experten- und Beratungsdienste auf dem Gebiet von Entwicklung durch Sport an.
Pronomen: sie/ihr
Internationales Strafrecht
Sie ist in Syrien geboren und lebt heute in Wien, wo sie als Juristin mit Schwerpunkt auf internationalem Strafrecht und der Anwendung der universellen Gerichtsbarkeit im syrischen Kontext arbeitet.
Pronomen: sie/ihr
Klimagerechtigkeit und Migration
Sie untersucht in ihrem Dissertationsprojekt am Institut für Geographie und Regionalforschung an der Universität Wien, wie (Im)Mobilitäten mit Umweltveränderungen in Indonesien zusammenhängen. Sie ist außerdem Mitglied von WIDE Austria.
Pronomen: sie/ihr
Wirtschaft & Steuerrecht
Sie hat bis Sommer 2026 als Fachreferentin für internationale Wirtschaft und Finanzen beim VIDC gearbeitet.
Pronomen: er/ihm
Afghanistan
Er ist Doktorand am Department für Migration und Globalisierung der Donau-Universität Krems (DUK). Er erwarb seinen Master in Friedens- und Konfliktforschung an der European Peace University (EPU). Zudem arbeitet er seit 2015 als Konsulent für das VIDC und hat Forschungsarbeiten über afghanische Flüchtlinge und Diaspora Gemeinschaften in Europa sowie zur Situation in Afghanistan verfasst.
Pronomen: er/ihm
Afrika
Er war bis Anfang 2025 stellvertretender Geschäftsführer des VIDC und betreute den Bereich Afrikapolitik.
Pronomen: er/ihm
Fußball und Migration
georg.spitaler@vga.at
ist Politologe und Historiker, er promovierte 2005 zum Thema „Mediensport und Symbolische Politik in Österreich“. Er beschäftig sich in seiner Forschung intensiv mit Sport und Politik, hat Lehraufträge an zahlreichen österreichischen Universitäten, ist Mitherausgeber des Fußballmagazins ballesterer und wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Verein für Geschichte der ArbeiterInnenbewegung (VGA).
