The GCCIRÂ Team
Michael Bernd Reuscher, Dipl.-Ing.
President
Mr. Reuscher graduated with a Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Technical University of Hamburg, Germany and served for 20 years in several Senior Executive positions with SIEMENS AG in Europe, South America and South-East Asia. In 1994, Mr. Reuscher immigrated to Canada as an entrepreneur. Since then, he has established, managed and served on the Board of several privately held Canadian Corporations, as well as publicly traded US Corporations.
Among several other appointments, Mr. Reuscher is the Past President of the German- Canadian Business and Professional Association of Alberta, the Founder and Chairman of the German-Canadian Advancement Foundation of Alberta (since 2004), and the Founder and President of the German-Canadian Centre for Innovation and Research (since 2009). From December 1, 2021 to April 14, 2022 Mr. Reuscher served as Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for Northern Alberta and the North-West Territories in Canada. Mr. Reuscher was also a member of the Senate and Board of Governors of the University of Alberta from 2008 to 2014. Through these activities, he has been profoundly involved in establishing, fostering and financially supporting cooperation and partnerships between universities and research organizations in Canada and Germany, as well as in promoting business to business relationships in both countries.
Mr. Reuscher was recognized as “Paul Harris Fellow” by the Rotary Club of Canada and received the “Saxonian Flood Medal” of the Free State of Saxony, Germany for assisting the flood victims of the City of Grimma in 2002. In 2012 he was awarded the “Cross of the Order of Merit” of the Federal Republic of Germany for significant contributions made in fostering the relationship between Canada and Germany.
Katelyn Petersen, PhD
Executive Director
Katelyn Petersen has managed the German-Canadian Centre for Innovation and Research since March, 2014. Prior to assuming her role at the GCCIR, she worked as Regional Coordinator for Europe at University of Alberta International, where she managed the university’s partnerships and initiatives with European institutions. Katelyn completed a Master’s Degree in translation in 2007, and a Doctorate in contemporary German literature in 2013 at the University of Alberta and the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich as part of a Joint Degree Program.
She has lived, studied, and worked in Germany and speaks fluent German.
Jonas Kuhn, MPP
Senior Project Coordinator
Born and raised in Germany, Jonas Kuhn came to Canada in early 2015. He completed his undergraduate degree in International Politics and History at the Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, and obtained a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Two years at the United World College in Singapore and a semester abroad at the University of Cape Town enabled him to gather international experience.
Prior to coming to Canada Jonas worked for the international communications agency FleishmanHillard in Berlin, where he consulted clients on issues of Public Affairs, Corporate Communications, CSR and Crisis Management.
Stanley Shane Walter, MA
Project Coordinator
Completing an internship with the International Office at MacEwan University, Stanley Walter came to Canada in late August 2016. Also born and raised in Germany, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in education at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, focusing on English language, literature and cultural studies, as well as fine art and art history studies. Receiving a Master’s Degree in North American Studies, he graduated from that very same university in August 2016. Two semesters abroad at Belmont University in the United States and a sister cities exchange to Gastonia, North Carolina during high school allowed him to gain his first international experiences.
Jonas Fobel, MA
Project Assistant
Jonas began working as Project Assistant at the GCCIR in February 2018. He grew up in Germany, where he studied business and sociology for his bachelor’s degree. During that time, he gained his first experience abroad studying in Scandinavia. He completed another semester abroad at Charles University in Prague during his master studies. In his studies at the Technical University of Dresden, he focused on Corporate Social Responsibility Management, and was able to apply his knowledge completing several internships with NGOs and global companies. His master thesis concentrated on CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and Europe.