Julia Mayerhofer is the Co-Executive Director of PILnet.  She joined the team in July 2018 and in addition to leading the organization, she also oversees all operations and programs of PILnet in Asia. Previously she was with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) for seven years and led the Network as Executive Director/Secretary General from 2015-2018. Prior to her work with APRRN, Julia worked with a refugee community center in Hong Kong where she supported fundraising, project development, and also community outreach. Julia is an Austrian national and has a B.A. in Educational Sciences and a M.A. degree in Development Studies. In addition she has participated in various trainings related to human rights/refugee rights and remains a strong interest in this area.

Andrej Nosko is PILnet’s Co-Executive Director. Prior to joining PILnet, Andrej was head of a division at an international foundation overseeing portfolios on policy research, innovation, democracy, governance, anti-corruption, and law enforcement. There he also spearheaded design, innovation and uptake of new technologies in research and communication. Andrej also worked for the European Commission on law enforcement and internal security. Nosko received his PhD (Summa Cum Laude) in political science from Central European University in Budapest.

His professional interests include resilience of civil society and human rights defenders and future of democracy, as well as Environment and Climate Justice, Environmental, Social, and (Corporate) Governance (ESG), and the related societal, energy and industrial transition.

Kristen Allison is a Junior Legal Officer based in London. Kristen works across multiple teams and jurisdictions at PILnet, focusing primarily on the Global Clearinghouse and refugee projects. She has worked and volunteered for numerous international NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation, and Mina’s List. Kristen is particularly passionate about access to justice for forced migrants, previously working in direct legal aid for asylum-seekers and specializing in International Refugee Law during her Masters. In 2022, she graduated with a Distinction for her MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford. Kristen also holds a Bachelor of Arts in History (First-Class Hons) from University College London (2021).

Jonathan Davis is the Assistant Director of PILnet’s office in Hong Kong. He began his legal career in the corporate immigration sector, where he spent over a decade working as a US and Irish immigration lawyer in New York, London, Dublin and Hong Kong. Jonathan’s human rights experience includes a bonded labor abolition project in South Asia with the International Justice Mission, and more recently, a year at Justice Centre Hong Kong providing legal support to refugees and asylum seekers. In addition to a JD degree, Jonathan has an LL.M. from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Rights Law from the National Law School of India. He is qualified to practice in Hong Kong, California, Ireland and England & Wales.

Judit Geller is a Senior Legal Officer  based in PILnet’s Budapest office. Judit is an experienced human rights lawyer who has been leading strategic litigation and legal advocacy challenging human rights abuses and discrimination of Roma in Europe. Prior joining to PILnet, Judit worked as a senior lawyer for the European Roma Rights Centre and represented victims of discrimination at domestic courts, at the European Court of Human Rights and UN Treaty bodies, focusing on advancing equality and access to justice for women and children. Judit holds a Master Degree in Law, an LLM in Children’s Rights, and a BA in Public Administration and is admitted to the Budapest Bar of Hungary.

Sarah Gibbs is the Special Projects Coordinator based in the New York office. Prior to joining PILnet, she earned her MS at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs where she consulted with multiple international nonprofits while studying peacebuilding and international development. Prior to her time at NYU, Sarah served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Georgia where she worked on multiple projects focused on youth civic engagement and gender equality. She has seven years of administrative experience in a small law firm and holds a BA in English and Psychology.

Toby Greenfield joined PILnet in 2018 and serves as the Director for New York and the Director for Development and Communications. She is involved in creating and implementing PILnet’s development and communication strategy and responsible for managing the development process for foundation and government grants. She also leads the operations and administration of the New York office. Prior to joining PILnet, Toby worked for the SUNY Center for International Development as a Communications Coordinator and for the UN’s International Organization for Migration as a Communications Fellow. Previously, she spent 16 years in the private sector working in strategy and planning for television networks. Toby has a Master’s in Public Administration, concentrating in Nonprofit Management and Global Policy, from Rockefeller College, part of University at Albany, and a Bachelor’s of Science from Syracuse University.

Candice Johnson is the Communications and Technology Manager based out of the New York office. In this role, she works as part of the Development and Communications team to develop PILnet’s internal and external communications as well as manages all of PILnet’s digital platforms. Prior to joining PILnet, Candice worked at Odyssey Impact as a Project Manager where she managed and developed their online multimedia resource and worked to broaden their faith-based network. Previously, she worked as Marketing Manager at Liaoyuan International High School in Shanghai, China. Candice received her M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University with a specialization in International Relations.

Mavis Lam is the Project Officer of PILnet’s Hong Kong office. She provides support to the Asia Pro Bono Clearinghouse, helping to connect pro bono lawyers with NGOs and social enterprises working on diverse social issues. She also plans and coordinates logistics for workshops for NGOs and law firms.

Prior to joining PILnet, Mavis worked as a program officer at several non-profit organizations, including a social service center and a human rights organization, where she was involved in project management, resource coordination, and database management. With the passion to promote social change, previously she initiated a project to address the problems of consumerism and poverty in Hong Kong. Mavis graduated with B.A. in Japanese Studies from the University of Hong Kong.

Annie Li is a Project Coordinator based in Hong Kong. Before joining PILnet, she worked at small- and medium-sized civil society organizations in Hong Kong in advocacy, research, and communications, with a focus on non-discrimination and migration. She also worked with the International Organization for Migration as a consultant on research, business partnership, and evaluation projects in Hong Kong. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Hong Kong, and studied at Sciences Po Paris for a year as an exchange student.

Madeeha Majid is a Project Officer (Forced Displacement) based in India. Madeeha has engaged on a broad range of legal issues and worked with international organizations and NGOs, including the United Nations International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (Syria), Kofi Annan Foundation (Geneva), UNDP, Global Rights Compliance (The Hague), and the ICRC (New Delhi Delegation). She has also provided pro bono legal support to refugee led organizations and been involved in advocacy matters. Madeeha graduated cum laude from Leiden University (2020) with an Advanced LL.M. in Public International Law, where she also participated at the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law. Previously, Madeeha completed a 5 years integrated law training (with distinction) from the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, India (2019).

Garth Meintjes was the executive director of PILnet from 2015 through 2021 and now serves as a Senior Consultant based in the organization’s New York office. Prior to joining PILnet, Garth served as the executive director of ISLP for nearly five years. In this role, he led the integration of the organization’s operations in the United States and Europe. Previously, Garth was chief operating officer at the International Legal Foundation, where he oversaw the expansion of their programs in Afghanistan and Nepal. Before this, he led the JEHT Foundation’s international justice program, which focused on challenging U.S. exceptionalism to international justice, particularly in its national security policies. Garth has a B.A. from the University of Stellenbosch, an LL.B. from the University of Cape Town, and LL.M. and JSD degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

Anastassiya Miller is a Senior Legal Officer at PILnet, based out of the New York office. Anastassiya joined the team in July 2018 and currently leads the Eurasia Program and overseas, PILnet’s global portfolio on civic space. Anastassiya is a Kazakh human rights lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in the human rights field, focusing on protection of civic space through different tools. She previously worked with Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, and pioneered strategic litigation in Central Asia on national and international levels (before the UN treaty bodies).

In 2015, Anastassiya held an internship in Germany at the Institutfür Ostrecht, conducting research on human rights issues in post-Soviet countries, drafting conclusions for courts. She graduated with an LL.M. degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame du Lac in 2018.

Wendy Otieno is the Communications Consultant based in Nairobi, Kenya. In her role, she works as part of the Development and Communications team supporting the implementation of the Communication strategy. She has nearly 8 years of experience in her field. Prior to PILnet, she gained her skills working with several organizations both in the private and nonprofit sectors in different capacities, most specifically in development communications, grant management, website management, social media and corporate strategy design and implementation, stakeholder management, and event planning. 

Wendy holds a BA in Applied Communication from Multimedia University of Kenya and is currently finishing her MA in Corporate Communication from the same University. 

Giulia Patane has been a Senior Legal Officer at PILnet since 2018. She holds a Juris Doctor, a Specialization Degree in Law (Universita’ degli Studi di Perugia) and a Master of Art in Human Rights (Mahidol University, Bangkok). After working for a civil and criminal law firm and assisting the Public Prosecutor Office in Italy, Giulia moved to Asia in 2012 to design and implement NGOs and academic projects predominantly on Access to Justice for victims of trafficking in the South East Asian territory.

Giulia was based in PILnet’s Hong Kong office leading the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Project across Southeast Asia since 2018. In 2021, Giulia relocated back to Europe where she currently manages the implementation of programs related to vulnerable groups (children’s rights, minority rights, anti-trafficking in persons) and of PILnet’s Online Regional Course on Public Interest Lawyering. Since moving back to Italy, Giulia also helps develop pro bono collaborations in the space of children’s rights and unaccompanied minors.

Ana Pérez is a Legal Officer at PILnet’s Budapest office. She is involved in a range of topics including ESG, SLAPPs, training for resilience of civil society, as well as the Global Clearinghouse. Prior to PILnet, Ana was a legal researcher on migration and human trafficking in Spain and has worked in the fields of Business & Human Rights and ESG for the last five years. Specifically she was a Researcher and Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Datamaran, a Project Manager at Columbia University’s Business and Human Rights Clinic, and lastly a Project Officer on Human Rights and Sustainable Investment at the International Federation for Human Rights in Paris. Ana earned her M.A degree in Human Rights from Columbia University. 

Raisa Shumeyko is the Finance Manager in PILnet’s New York office. As a Finance Manager, Raisa is responsible for a range of programs involving business and fiscal affairs of the organization. She works closely with the Budapest and Hong Kong offices to maintain grant reporting, allocations, and financial transactions. Prior to joining PILnet, Raisa worked extensively in the nonprofit sector providing accounting and consulting experience.  As a senior accountant at the Cathedral School and Greenwich House, she had managed financial aspects of operations ranging from bookkeeping functions to preparing the 990 form and Board reports. Raisa holds a BA in Accounting from National College of Finance in Moscow, Russia.

Jasmine Simperingham is currently the Global Project Coordinator (Forced Displacement) based in Geneva. She is working with the global legal community to advance refugee rights pro bono and to facilitate partnerships with refugees and others affected by displacement that use the power of law to increase access to rights, justice and solutions. Jasmine joined the team in September 2020, coming to PILnet with over 15 years of international experience in the refugee response, human rights and justice sectors. This includes more than 8 years experience with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as experience in the legal and justice sectors working for government authorities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Jasmine holds a Master of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, specializing in international human rights and international criminal law.

Qian Wu is the Finance Manager of PILnet Asia. Since 2012, Qian has been responsible for the financial functions of the office, including budgeting, accounting, and reporting. She has more than a decade of experience with nonprofit groups, including an organization that promotes the rule of law in China, a British charity assisting children and young adults with life-shortening conditions, and a Chinese policy bank focusing on agricultural development in China. She received her B.A. in economics from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and her masters in finance and accounting management from the University of Reading (U.K.).

Edwin Rekosh is the founder of PILnet, was its president and CEO until 2015, and continues to serve the organization as a senior advisor. He is currently a co-founder & managing partner of Rights CoLab, a platform for experts in the fields of civil society, technology, business and finance who collaborate to build new ways of organizing civic engagement and leveraging markets to improve the impact, resilience, and sustainability of human rights initiatives.

The original inspiration for PILnet, which Rekosh established as a program of Columbia Law School in August 1997, came from his work assisting the development of human rights groups in Romania and then elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe during the early 1990s as they sought to engage with their countries’ newly emerging constitutional orders. Rekosh lived for a cumulative total of 10 years in Romania and Hungary and has assisted civil society organizations and law schools to develop public interest legal programs in China and over 30 other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. He has also been a leader in the global growth of pro bono practice.