After almost a decade of outstanding work with the Global Diplomacy Lab, founding Dean Ruprecht Polenz decided to step down from his position. His successor is former German Ambassador Dirk Brengelmann. On 07 March, Ruprecht Polenz was given a ceremonial farewell in a digital round and officially handed over to Ambassador (ret.) Dirk Brengelmann. The whole CASSIS congratulates very warmly!
As Dean, Dirk Brengelmann advises the members of the Global Diplomacy Lab on political challenges, participates in the decision-making body and takes part in the GDL's most important events. He will accompany/represent the GDL at international events, such as the Bled Security Forum in August. In October, he will attend the GDL Festival in Tunisia, which focuses on community building and networking. Due to the tremendous growth of the GDL, such events are meant to give members a chance to connect more with each other,
In November, he will also participate in the Realigning Diplomacy by Networking Lab. The aim of the event is to rethink the future of international diplomacy education.
With various international positions, Dirk Brengelmann can look back on a long and successful diplomatic career. Among other things, he was Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs of NATO and most recently German Ambassador first to Brazil, then to the Netherlands. After leaving the diplomatic service in 2021, he accepted a lectureship in political science at the University of Bonn. Since March 2022, he has been a Senior Fellow at CASSIS. As a Commissioner (Boardmember) of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), he supports its programmes for the Middle East and Ukraine, for example. In addition, he is active in the Board of Trustees of the Bonn Academy for Research and Teaching of Practical Politics.