EUFASA Board of Directors

Jarka’s professional background is in public policy, international relations and research. She worked in multiple national and international organisations across the public and non-governmental sector. As the Head of the EUFASA Research Department she focused on issues related to employment, social security and economic dependency. She also served as the Secretary of the Irish Foreign Affairs Family Association. Married to an Irish diplomat, she has been posted to Vienna, Dublin, Brussels and Bratislava.

Jarka represents Ireland: Irish Foreign Affairs Family Association (IFAFA)

Valentina is a Vice-President of EUFASA, representing Austria as the country prepares to host the 2027 EUFASA conference. She has been a member of the EUFASA Research Department since 2021 and has attended EUFASA conferences as a delegate. In addition to her role at EUFASA, Valentina is the Vice-President of the Austrian Family Association (CDA), where she has been an active member since 2020. Valentina is a medical doctor currently completing her paediatric residency. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and has professional experience in this field. Married to an Austrian diplomat, Valentina has lived on posting in New York and Berlin and is a proud mother to an infant.

Valentina represents Austria: Club der Angehörigen, Familien und Partner*innen im BMEIA (CDA)

Francesca is Vice-President of EUFASA and has been representing Germany since 2023. She is also part of the EUFASA Research Department (ERD), where she analyses data and prepares reports on labour mobility for the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the EEAS. Since 2020, she has served as a board member of the German family association of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together with her colleagues from the Social Committee, she has created a service aimed at supporting foreign service partners abroad and in the home country. Francesca has a PhD in employment policies with a focus on skills, social protection, and individual capabilities. She also worked for five years at an agency of the Government of Tuscany (Italy) and completed the Blue Book programme at the European Commission (DG Employment). Married to a German diplomat, she has been posted to Berlin, Moscow, and Brussels.

Francesca represents Germany: Familien- und Partnerorganisation im Auswärtigen Amt (FFD)

Hyppolito is an accomplished human resources leader with extensive experience in people development, international relations, and organisational change. Married to a Luxembourgish diplomat, he has lived and worked on three different continents, giving him both a global perspective and a strong understanding of cross-cultural dynamics.

He holds board roles in two key organisations as Director and Treasurer: the ALCAT (Association Luxembourgeoise des Conjoints d’Agents Transférables) and EUFASA (European Union Foreign Affairs Spouses, Partners and Families Association), where he is a board member working on advocacy, support, and community-building for diplomatic families.

An alumnus of the University Paris-Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) with a specialisation in People Management and Labour Law, he is also a certified professional coach. He has led and supported numerous business transformations, including mergers & acquisitions, and is particularly passionate about enabling individuals and teams to reach their full potential.

Driven by the belief in collaboration and the power of the community, he is committed to expanding the voice and influence of diplomatic spouses, addressing their specific needs and creating synergies among members to generate meaningful opportunities.

Hyppolito represents Luxembourg: Association Luxembourgeoise des Conjoints d’Agents Transférables (ALCAT)

Melissa completed her Masters of Public Health in International Maternal and Child Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and has lived and worked in eight countries on four continents. She has extensive experience in project management and research. In addition to her work in reproductive health, mental health, disability issues, and peace and human rights, she conducted research on spouse/partner employment for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and built-up employment supports for partners/spouses in the Swiss foreign service system from 2012-15. She served as President of the Swiss foreign service partners’and spouses’ association ACET-VEEDA from 2020-2023. She has been an active member in the EUFASA Research Department since becoming a Swiss delegate to EUFASA in 2020 and has conducted research on foreign service partners and spouses on burnout and resilience, financial dependency, and employment, among other issues. She has been a Director of EUFASA since 2023. 

Melissa represents Switzerland: ACET-VEEDA.

Manuela is married to a Portuguese diplomat for 26 years and mother of two children. She accompanied her husband on postings in Kinshasa, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Brussels, and currently in Hamburg. A journalist and event manager, she is passionate about promoting Portugal and Portuguese culture. When in Mexico she was designated to assume the post of Cultural and Press Attachée at the Embassy, a role she held for two years pro bono.  Since 2009—with a break between 2011 and 2017—she has represented Portugal at EUFASA and has been coordinating the “Children” working group. She is on her third term as the President of the Portuguese Diplomatic Families Association (AFDP) and strongly believes in the role of the spouse as a pilar of diplomacy.

Manuela represents Portugal: Associação das Famílias dos Diplomatas Portugueses (AFDP)

Martina brings more than twenty years of experience in financial management, strategic planning, and international collaboration, along with a background in finance and leadership in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She currently oversees the financial monitoring of Horizon EU projects at the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia. In her roles as President and co-founder of the Slovenian Diplomatic Families Association (DSD) and Director of EUFASA, she works on programs that improve the visibility and ties between diplomatic families. In international diplomacy, Martina is passionate about creating transparent structures and empowering communities. She is skilled in organizational governance, communication strategy, and digital presence development.

Martina represents Slovenia: Društvo družin slovenskih diplomatov (DSD)

Nadia is a fully qualified lawyer who holds two master’s degrees (LL.M. from the College d’Europe in Bruges and a Maîtrise en Droit International from the University of Paris X). She currently serves as Of Counsel for a Brussels-based law firm that specialises in EU subsidy law. 

Having worked as senior consultant, postgraduate lecturer and senior visa officer in Ethiopia, Namibia, Belgium, Palestine and Germany, Nadia has acquired in-depth skills in EU competition law, WTO trade law, international business law, and migration and residence law.

She has been active as board member and president of the EU foreign service partners’ and spouses’ association, EUDPN ASBL/EUFN, since 2014. Nadia was Director of EUFASA from 2020 to 2022 and is serving in this role again. Among other things, she has chaired the EUFASA Working Group on Legal Matters since 2019 which is responsible for legal and administrative matters within EUFASA.

Nadia represents the EU association, the EU Delegations Partners Network (EUDPN) ASBL.