Laurențiu Pleșca is a scientific researcher and PhD candidate of the Doctoral School of Political Sciences at the University of Bucharest. His main areas of expertise are Russia's geopolitics in the Black Sea, the Eastern Partnership, EU common policies (foreign and security policy, and the Eastern Neighborhood), and the internal and external policies of the ex-Soviet states. 

Pleșca has a master's degree in international relations and European studies, and a bachelor's degree in political science, from the University of Bucharest.

Joanna Kopacka, as a program coordinator in GMF's Engaging Central Europe (ECE) initiative, is responsible for some of the key segments of all ECE programming. Her primary focus lies on Poland and strengthening the resilience of civil society within the region.