Heidi Knuff
Executive Director
Heidi Knuff has over 20 years of experience working in international exchange and diplomacy. Prior to serving as Executive Director of SDDC, she served as SDDC’s Director of Custom Programs and Services. She has also held positions at American Councils for International Education, the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the MIT Center for International Studies, and Pacific Intercultural Exchange. Heidi is a native of San Diego and has a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of San Diego. She lives in Kensington with her husband, Ryan, and her children, Luca and Pearl.
Lulu Bonning Elamri
Senior Manager of Community Engagement
Margaret Greco
Operations and Grants Administrator
As the San Diego Diplomacy Council’s Grants and Operations Administrator, Margaret Greco brings a wealth of experience in the nonprofit sector, spanning 8 years of grants and strategic planning expertise. Margaret most recently served as the Director of Funding at Paper Airplanes, Inc. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and Theatre Arts from the University of Redlands and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) from Regis University. Over the past 4 years, Margaret has actively contributed to the Torrey Hills Community Board in San Diego, collaborating closely with fellow community leaders throughout the County. Margaret’s impact in the nonprofit world extends beyond local boundaries, reflecting her commitment to the progressive movement and driving positive change on a national and global scale.
Adrianna Borja
Program Manager
Adrianna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies from California State University Channel Islands where she was the president of the Triathlon Team and studied European Politics and Studio Art in Florence, Italy for a year. Adrianna holds a Master’s degree focusing in International Relations and Cultural Diplomacy which she earned in Berlin, Germany. Adrianna recently completed her thesis, exploring new domestic policies to tackle human rights abuses by multinational corporations with case studies on water privatization and chemical spills; and how this can improve the quality of life for people in the Global South.
Carmelina Herrera
Program Officer
With an aspiration to become a global change maker, Carmelina is enthusiastic about rejoining the San Diego Diplomacy Council as the newest member of the programs team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business from San Diego State University (SDSU) and possesses over three years of experience in International Business Research and Global Diplomacy. She has previously worked as an Executive Intern for the SDDC, an Associate for SDSU’s Wendy Gillespie Center for Advancing Global Business and served as President of SDSU’s International Business Society. Originally from the Bay Area, Carmelina enjoys exploring new dining spots and discovering emerging music artists. She is thrilled to return to San Diego and collaborate with the SDDC to establish inclusive and secure spaces, both locally and globally, that embrace individuals of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, and abilities.
Isaac Finestone
Program Officer
Isaac brings a rich cross-cultural background in international relations and politics to the programs team at SDDC. Originally from San Francisco, he majored in political science and East Asian studies at Oberlin College before pursuing a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies and international relations at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University. Isaac previously worked in the diplomatic and think tank circles of New York, bringing practitioner experience to his academic background in the intersection of foreign policy and domestic politics. Now back in California, Isaac is excited to work with San Diego’s diverse community to foster local engagement in international affairs and help global leaders better understand what this area has to offer the world.
Sophia Razi
Program Officer
Sophia, a San Diego native and daughter of refugees, is a dedicated advocate for fostering international understanding and connectedness. As a first-generation higher-education student, Sophia holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Anthropology from George Washington University, where she was President and Co-Founder of GW Folklorico, and a Master of Science in Health and International Development from the London School of Economics. Sophia’s career has been marked by her commitment to connecting local and global changemakers, driving inclusive and innovative solutions through her work with international organizations like FHI 360 and Sangath. At the San Diego Diplomacy Council, she brings her passion for cross-cultural collaboration and community empowerment.
Drake Hills
Sports Diplomacy Fellow
Drake Hills is a journalism lecturer at San Diego State University. Before returning to his hometown, Drake deployed his reporter talents in local newsrooms across the USA TODAY Network, covering American soccer, the NFL, MLB, college men’s basketball and high school sports, sending Drake to Chicago, Phoenix, Nashville, Ghana, England, Spain and Mexico to tell stories that live at the intersection of sports, race and culture. Naturally, Drake’s interests led him to discovering sports diplomacy and international relations through sport. One of his favorite stories he’s written was how Major League Soccer’s $25 million loan with a Black-owned bank syndicate in 2022 paid more than lip service — it drove change, starting with a loan from a Black bank to local housing redevelopers in Birmingham, Alabama, rehabilitating dilapidated units in predominantly-Black neighborhoods.
