Fabienne Perlov

Executive Director

Fabienne has over thirteen years of growing experience in policy development, institutional fundraising, program management and capacity-building in the field of public diplomacy, international affairs, refugee protection and humanitarian assistance. Beyond her Executive Director role at the San Diego Diplomacy Council, she also has leadership experience at the United Nations, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the United States, Canada, the West Bank, Israel, France, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, and the Caribbean area. She has a track record of success in supporting result based management. She speaks English, French, Russian, Hebrew, and Spanish.

Jim Davis

Operations Director

Jim has been working in the nonprofit industry since 1988. He has lived in San Diego 11 years, where he was the Vice President of Operations at Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Executive Director for Kids Turn and the Regional Director for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps.  With 28 years in the sector, Jim has experience in all aspects of non-profit management.

Natalie Maroun

IVLP Program Director

Natalie deeply believes in the power of human relationships to address root challenges of shared global issues, and enjoys facilitating opportunities to ‘build bridges’ between San Diego and individuals around the world. As part of the San Diego Diplomacy Council team since 2013, she now leads our efforts in expanding partnerships with various stakeholders and program alumni. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Security and Conflict Resolution.

Heidi Knuff

Custom Programs & Services Director

Heidi Knuff is the director of custom programs and services at SDDC. Heidi has traveled independently in over 30 countries and sailed on Semester at Sea. Those experiences solidified her belief in the importance and power of intercultural and international exchange to positively impact our world. Heidi went on to work at an international children’s camp in England, and later at Pacific Intercultural Exchange in San Diego overseeing the placement and counseling of high school foreign exchange students throughout the U.S.   She then moved to academia, working at MIT’s Center for International Studies and most recently at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) as International Conference Coordinator and Program Manager before joining the San Diego Diplomacy Council.

Juliette Ramberg de Ruyter

IVLP Program Associate

Juliette is a Swedish native with a passion for global relationships, youth empowerment, and citizen diplomacy. She holds a BA in Social Sciences and Cultural Analysis, and an MA in Education from Linköping University and the Catholic University of Leuven. She has international programming and research experience from BRAC Bangladesh, Engineers without Borders Sweden, and Regent College in South Asia.

Igor Harris

Custom Programs and Services Associate

Igor was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, received his BA from Indiana University, and has traveled to and studied in over 10 countries, including Greece, Turkey, Belgium, and Spain.  Prior to joining SDDC, Igor worked in the Social Expertise Exchange Program at the Eurasia Foundation where he gained substantial experience interacting with high-level international entrepreneurs and community leaders. While obtaining his MA in International Relations at the University of San Diego, Igor worked with the 1to1 movement, a nonprofit that collaborated with San Diego businesses and communities to promote sustainable development and environmental awareness, and contributed to the construction and establishment of two successful San Diego restaurants