Advisory Board
Christian Euvrard
Christian Euvrard, one of the Founders of the Euroseminar, is a former Director of the Paris Institute of religion. He holds a M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Paris, a master’s in sciences and theology of religions from the Catholic University of Paris, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the Sorbonne. He has authored a biography of Louis A. Bertrand, one of the 1st converts in France in 1850. He edited, with Ornella Ulrich Bicchierri, another book on French speaking women in Europe, a collection of more than 20 portraits of Sisters by other women mainly. Currently he is working on a two-volume book on the Socio-History of the Church in French speaking Europe. He is also involved as Director of the French site of Scripture Central, a non-profit organization of members. He is married to Marie-Françoise, and they are the parents of two sons.
Hans Noot
Hans Noot, hailing from the Netherlands, brings nearly fifty years of experience as a religious educator across Europe. During the past 43 years he has been involved in coordinating seminaries and institutes of religion in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, the Balkans, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Türkiye, Azerbajian and Uzekistan.
Holding a Baccalaureate Degree with three majors, and a Master’s in Organizational Development and Global Strategy from Brigham Young University, his journey evolved into the realm of human rights in 2008. Since then, he has spearheaded various human rights initiatives, serving as the chairperson of three prominent Human Rights organizations in the Netherlands. Additionally, Hans is the co-organizer of EuroSeminar, and he holds a pivotal role as a member of the Board of Directors for Human Rights Without Frontiers, further advancing his commitment to promoting and safeguarding human rights worldwide.
He and his wife are parents of four children, and grandparents of twelve.
Michelle Graabek
Michelle Graabek has a Ph.D. in History and Civilisation from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. She studies the intersection of migration, religion, and gender, with a focus on Scandinavian Latter-day Saints and Lutheran communities. Michelle Graabek has a B.A. in Archaelogy from the University of Reading and an M.A. in Cultural Heritage Studies from University College London. Prior to starting her Ph.D., Michelle worked in the cultural heritage sector in England for several years, managing education and event programmes at various historic houses.
Traci de Marco
Traci de Marco began her career as an entrepreneur and later shifted into mental health counselling, working with Family Services and the University of Northampton. She served as an area organisation advisor for the Europe Area (and subsequently Europe North Area) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is originally from Glasgow, Scotland. Traci and her husband have twin sons, and they live in England.
Julie Jones
Julie Jones is the director of the all-party parliamentary group for the International Freedom of Religion or Belief in Westminster, London, United Kingdom. She served a full-time Latter-day Saint mission in the England London Mission (1992-1994). She is the mother to five children and grandmother to three. She currently lives in Merthyr Tydfil in the southwest of the United Kingdom.
Louise Paulsen
Louise Paulsen is the Founder and CEO of By Women, For Women, a non-profit that seeks to amplify the voices, stories, and impact of women. Louise has a background in non-profit management. She has previously worked for international non-profits in Denmark, the USA, Belgium, and the UK. She holds an M.Sc. in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science from Brigham Young University. Louise is a native of Denmark.
Fred Axelgard
Fred Axelgard is an independent scholar with a deep interest in global affairs and was a founding organizer of the EuroSeminar. He also coordinates working groups for the G20 Interfaith Forum, which seeks to provide faith-based inputs to the G20 process. He holds MALD and PhD degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He had a 35-year career in Washington, DC, focused on Middle East politics. He and his wife Robyn have five children and sixteen grandchildren. His research interests are The Book of Mormon and peace studies. He is a former bishop and served a full-time Latter-day Saint mission in Beirut, Lebanon.
Tony Brown
Tony Brown is a professor of Russian and German at BYU. Raised in Denton, Texas, USA, his musical upbringing and love of Russian composers influenced his decision to pursue the study of Russian as a freshman at BYU. He married Emily Barrett in 1995 and is a father of four children: Andrew, Hannah, Christian, and Sofia. Aside from music and Russian, he have a deep and abiding love of horses and farming.
Executive Committee
Janine Fingerle
Janine Fingerle, originally from Frankfurt, Germany, is currently pursuing studies in Educational Science. In addition to her work as an educational professional, specializing in children’s development, she also dedicates her time as a wedding photographer. Furthermore, she serves as ward Young Women president, where she mentors and motivates young women to grow spiritually and personally. A cancer survivor, Janine cherishes life and finds great joy in expressing her creativity through various artistic endeavors.
Jonatan Fingerle
Jonatan Fingerle, born in Nuremberg, Germany, served a full-time mission in the England London South Mission. He is completing his studies to become a teacher, preparing for the Staatsexamen, and currenly works as a working student at an international law firm in Frankfurt. Jonatan is happily married to his wife Janine, and together they embrace life’s adventures.
Eric Hachenberger
Eric Hachenberger hails from Austria. After his mission in Barcelona, Spain, he moved to Hawaii to study peacebuilding and conflict resolution. He currently lives with his wife and baby daughter in Germany and works as an account manager and culture advocate at doTERRA Europe.
Marjory Khilobok
Marjory Khilobok was born in Arequipa, Peru. She served in the Buenos Aires North Mission (2016-2017). As a member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, she participated in symposiums at Brigham Young University. She ran for political office in Peru and promoted mental health projects in 2020. She teaches English in Madrid, Spain. Marjory volunteered at the Special Olympic Games in Berlin in 2023. She has served as a seminary and institue teacher, in her local Relief Society presidency, as a Sunday School teacher, and as a temple worker.
Philip Loynes
Phil Loynes is a law graduate with an interest in religion, civil liberties, and human rights. After working in insturance law, Phil moved on to international shipping and logistics consultancy, working in the USA in 2016. He was heavily involved in UK politics from 2015-2020, serving as an elected chairman of the local association of his political party, which included regularly represetning Lancashire in London at national political meetings. Phil has a wealth of knowledge of both local and international politics and how they interact with voluntary organisations.
Erinda Nela
Erinda Nela, originally from Tirana, Albania, holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History, a Master’s in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, and a degree in Finance-Accounting, all earned from universities in Albania. She is currently pursuing a degree in Applied Health from Brigham Young University – Idaho. She actively served in student government and as class president during her university years. Additionally, she served as the chairwoman of a district section within the local branch of a political party in Albania. Within the LDS community in Albania, she serves as a Sunday School teacher, Relief Society First Counselor, and Audit Committee Member. She has also taught seminary and institute courses. Since 2014, she has worked as a financial accountant, demonstrating a diverse skill set and commitment to personal and professional growth.
Ondřej Neulinger
Ondřej Neulinger is from Czechia. After graduating from the University of Ostrava in Information Systems, he served a full-time mission in Calgarary, Alberta, Canada. Recently, Ondřej married in Scotland, where he works in the IT industry as a Business Intelligence Developer.
Richard Sleegers
Richard Sleegers is from the Netherlands and works as a lecturer/researcher at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegen, teaching philosophy, professional ethics, sociology, law and research methodology to future social workers. He also researches societal issues around youth at the lectorate ‘Improving Social Quality’. He has a masters’ in philosophy with a minor in theology, a masters’ in education and recently a bachelors’ in social work. For twelve years now he’s been connected to a local youth intervention in Nijmegen that combines sports and personal coaching and now also works there as a youth social worker and care coordinator. In his hometown of Den Bosch he is a yearlong member of the council of churches and the platform for religions, representing the Church in interfaith dialogue. He was active for Family Services as an addiction recovery group leader for 7 years, served his mission in Greece and Cyprus and went back to Greece to give refugee aid. He and his wife Sarah currently serve as Institute teachers. Together they raise four teenagers.
Sarah Sleegers
Sarah Sleegers is from the Netherlands and works as a freelance educator for child daycare leaders and teaching assistants. She has her own small business in training and treating horses, developing tailor-made workshops. Sarah holds a bachelors’ degree in group psychology & coaching/training and did several courses in horse wellbeing, groundwork and instruction. She served a mission in London South and was always active in callings with the Young Women. Now she teaches Sunday School and Institute with her husband Richard. They have four kids, each with their unique talents and challenges, which makes motherhood a delight and a unique learning experience that deserves and gets her full devotion.
Grant Emery
Grant Emery has a B.S. in Management from Brigham Young University (’12) and a M.S.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University (’19). He consults on large-scale healthcare software implementations throughout North America and Europe. On the side, he researches French Latter-day Saint history and advocates for solutions at the intersection of religion and LGBT identities. He served a full-time mission in the France Paris Mission (2005-2007). Originally from the United States, Grant currently lives in London.