Central and Eastern Europe
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 is a former Senior Program Coordinator, Engaging Central Europe at GMF.
Yuliia Korotia is the office manager at GMF’s Warsaw office. She is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, holding a master’s degree with honors in international relations.
Her areas of expertise include Eastern Europe–US relations as well as the situation in Ukraine, with a focus on reconstruction, domestic politics, and disinformation resilience. Within the Transatlantic Security program, Korotia is involved in research and event organization promoting cooperation with Ukraine. She also provides insights into its domestic political landscape.
Prior to joining GMF, Korotia honed her skills in operations management and event coordination in the business sector. She also gained programmatic experience at the Polish Ministry of Environment.
Korotia is fluent in Polish, English, Ukrainian, and Russian, and has a basic command of German.