Melanie Franzen

Melanie Franzen is a career diplomat for the Federal Republic of Germany. She has a background in security policy having served as a political officer at the NATO desk in Berlin from 2021 to 2024. Among her responsibilities were NATO-Ukraine relations, preparing for NATO summits, and strengthening the defense industrial base. In this role, Melanie has been part of shaping the German “Zeitenwende” — a significant shift in Germany’s military and security policy. Currently, she is serving as head of the Cultural Affairs Section at the German Embassy in Washington, DC. Previously, she also worked as a political officer at the German Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. She holds a master’s degree in Arab world studies from Edinburgh University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Heidelberg. During high school, she spent a year in Angola, Indiana, as an exchange student.