The QCEA team

Representative

Alexandra ‘Sasha’ Bosbeer

Alexandra Bosbeer has been a member of the Religious Society of Friends for twenty years. Alexandra grew up in the Netherlands and the US, and she has long been interested in movements beyond national or ethnic boundaries. In the 1990s, she helped organize citizen diplomat exchanges with Siberians. More recently, she worked around the globe, monitoring and managing the accreditation programme for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). She has also lived for fifteen years in the West of Ireland, where she taught environmental and social forest management to undergraduates and to professionals, as well as managing a small consulting business. She is a potter and photographer and has blogged extensively about social inequality in Central and North America.

Alexandra holds a BA in psychology and has been trained in social accountability auditing and facilitation. She also holds a PhD in Botany and an MSc in Forest Ecology and Silviculture, along with professional certification as an ecologist (Ecological Society of America) and as a chartered environmentalist (Society for Environment (UK)).

You can contact Alexandra by emailing abosbeer [at] qcea.org, where [at] is replaced by @.

 

Programme Assistants

Bethany Squire – Sustainability Programme

Bethany arrived at QCEA in September 2012, after completing a degree in European Studies and Modern Languages at the University of Bath. Inspired by a career in the social change, she has pursued work combining international development and advocacy, and has experienced the privilege of living and working in both France and Ecuador. Having worked for a variety of organisations, and now arrived in Belgium, she is excited by the prospect of further delving into the complex world of international relations and global politics, not to mention the Belgian culture.

You can contact Bethany by emailing bsquire [at] qcea.org, where [at] is replaced by @.

Chris Venables – Peace Programme

Chris arrived at QCEA in September 2012, after reading Politics at the University of York. He works on the Peace programme and is currently completing a small research project on the ‘militarisation’ of the European Union. He welcomes any opportunity to discuss his work and the direction of Europe more broadly with regards to security and defence policy.

You can contact Chris by emailing cvenables [at] qcea.org, where [at] is replaced by @.

Imogen Parker – Criminal Justice and Human Rights Programme

Imogen arrived at QCEA in January 2013 upon completion of her Masters in International Relations from the University of Leeds. Her undergraduate degree from Exeter University in French and Geography and love of travel illustrates Imogen’s on-going interest in society and the world. Having been schooled in a Quaker environment and gaining a great amount from Quaker practices and ethics, Imogen looks forward to exploring more about Quaker work internationally and at the European level whilst understanding more about the complexities of the European Institutions. As a bit of a Francophile, Imogen is also intrigued to work in the ‘Belgian bubble’.

You can contact Imogen by emailing iparker [at] qcea.org, where [at] is replaced by @.

Office Manager

Vivianne Nolf

Vivianne is the Office Manager at QCEA, a position she has held since April, 2012. She takes care of room bookings and other practical matters, and she hopes to be at QCEA for a long time. She looks forward to getting to know all the staff, volunteers, and visitors who pass through Quaker House. Viviane is Belgian: she studied French and Dutch, and is now working hard to improve her English. She has always worked in customer service so working as the Office Manager at QCEA represents a new and exciting challenge. She is married and has three children.

You can contact Vivianne by emailing vnolf [at] qcea.org, where [at] is replaced by @.

Recent QCEA Staff

Gordon Matthews

Gordon joined QCEA as one of two Representatives in October 2012. He is a lifelong Quaker and has served Quakers in Britain and Germany in various capacities over many years. He joined the Quaker Peace Action Caravan in 1981 before going on to work for the Fellowship of Reconciliation in England until 1986. He then served as Resident Friend at Charney Manor before moving to Germany to work for Church & Peace, the European peace church network. For seven years he was warden of the Friends Meeting House in Evesham. He served for three years as clerk of the Peace Campaigning & Networking group of Quaker Peace & Social Witness.

Liz Scurfield

Liz joined QCEA as one of two Representatives in November 2002 after working for nearly 30 years in language education at the University of Westminster where she co-founded the Chinese Department. It was the first Chinese Department in the UK to undertake undergraduate exchange programmes with the People’s Republic of China as early as 1977. Liz joined the Religious Society of Friends in 1995 after having been an attender for two years. A member of North West London Area Meeting, she was instrumental in developing a spiritual friends’ network within one of the local meetings there.

Martina Weitsch

Martina joined QCEA as one of two Representatives in November 2002 after working in public sector social housing in the England for nearly 25 years. She has been a Quaker all her life, having been born into a first generation Quaker family in Germany. She became a Member of German Yearly Meeting in the 1970s before moving to the UK. She was subsequently a member of Brighouse Monthly Meeting and is now a member of North West London Area Meeting. She has served on a number of committees at Yearly Meeting level and was a warden of a Meeting House in North London for a while.

Oversight

Oversight of QCEA’s work programmes is the responsibility of the Council, a body made up of representatives of other Quaker organisations.

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