About Staff and Directors
Heidelberg University Association Staff
Dr. Katja Simons, Executive Director
Katja Simons has been the Executive Director of Heidelberg University Association since September 2024. Katja has a strong background in nonprofit, higher education and research management, and has experience with building international networks and university partnerships, as well as alumni relations.
Previously she was Executive Director at other German university liaison offices in the German House in New York, and was the founding Director of GAIN, a network of researchers and scholars in North America, at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in New York. She has also worked at the Institute of International Education for the Generation Study Abroad initiative in New York. Katja studied sociology, political science, and history at the University of Freiburg and at Freie Universität Berlin in the 1990s, and she received her doctorate in the social sciences at the Ruhr-University Bochum in 2002.
Katja has fond memories of Heidelberg where she grew up after moving from Helsinki to Heidelberg with her family.
Melanie Grossmann, Program Officer
Melanie has worked for Heidelberg University Association since 2019, focusing on supporting and expanding our extensive alumni network. Over her career, Melanie has worked on both sides of the Atlantic for companies of all sizes in the technology, ecommerce and advertising industries. She has over 20 years of marketing experience, having held various roles in corporate event management and design. She has extensive knowledge of graphic design and website management. Melanie is a dual German/U.S. citizen with a strong connection to Heidelberg, where she was born.
