Moderator: Symeon Keletzis, Vice President of Égalité, European External Action Service

Biography:

Symeon Keletzis is Vice President of Egalité, the EU institutions, Bodies and Agencies LGBTI+ staff Association, elected member of the Staff Committee of the EU Diplomatic Service as well as member of the European External Action Service Joint Committee for Diversity and Inclusion. He has also served as EEAS confidential counsellor.

He holds a Master of Advanced studies (DEA) in International law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI), Geneva and an LLB from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He was member of the Athens Bar Association from 2004-2008. He joined the Hellenic Diplomatic Service in April 2008. Prior to his current post as Political Assistant to the EEAS Managing Director EUROPE, he was policy officer coordinator for Foreign Affairs Council, Head of Justice Home Affairs (JHA) – Schengen Unit and Brexit delegate of the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU as well as the Deputy Head of Mission and Consul at the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Kuwait. He has worked at the JHA – Schengen Department of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was appointed at the Greek Permanent Mission at UN in New York as a diplomatic Attaché. From 2006-2008 he worked as a consultant at the IGC (Inter-Governmental Consultations on migration, asylum and refugees/ IOM, Geneva).

Valerie Benguiat First Secretary, Political Section of the British Embassy in Athens, diplomatic network “FLAG”

Biography:

Valerie Benguiat (pronounced μπενγιάτ) (she/her) is a political officer at the British Embassy in Athens, covering Global Issues and Open Societies (including LGBTQI+ rights). She joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2008 and again in 2018, and has served in Mexico, UK, Brussels and now in Greece. She is a committee member of FLAG, the LGBT+ staff network of the Foreign Office. Prior to her diplomatic career, Valerie worked as a journalist in Mexico City and held several press officer and spokesperson roles in the third sector. She has a BA in Journalism and a MEng on Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tongji University (Shanghai, China). Prior to coming to Greece, Valerie and her wife Eva founded an organisation to address the gender gap in STEM by teaching programming for free to women, non- binary and gender identity minority folx.

Dr. Jessica G Copeland Human Rights Officer, US Embassy Athens, glifaa (LGBTQI+ Pride in Foreign Affairs Agencies) post representative

Biography:

Jessica G Copeland (she/her) is a political officer at US Embassy Athens, where she works on human rights issues, including LGBTQIA+ rights.  She joined the State Department in 2014 and has served in Mexico, Croatia, and Washington, DC.  She served three years as the parent and family coordinator for glifaa (LGBTQI+ pride in foreign affairs agencies) and is now a glifaa post rep here in Greece.

Prior to her work at State, Jessica taught child development at Vanderbilt University and the University of Colorado.  Jessica and her husband Jason hail from Colorado and are mountain sport enthusiasts. They have two children:  Jacob (12) and Luca (22).  Luca is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where they served as president of Berkeley’s first trans/gender fluid fraternity.

Stefano Crescenzi Counsellor, United Nations System Unit, Italian MFA, diplomatic network “GlobeMAE”

Biography:

Stefano Crescenzi (he/him) career diplomat since 2012 and member of GlobeMAE, the association of LGBTQIA+ staff of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Currently based in Rome, at the United Nations Department, Political Affairs Directorate General, previously posted at the Italian Mission to the UN in Geneva in charge of humanitarian and political affairs and at the Italian Embassy in Tbilisi (Georgia), serving as Deputy Ambassador.

Before joining the diplomatic career, for over three years, he was a consultant on human rights issues for the Prime Minister’s Office. Two university degree in International Law and Aid and Cooperation Studies from Rome University. Former professional artistic roller skater.

Cas van der Horst Vice Chair Works Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the association “Out There”

Biography:

Cas van der Horst is Chair of Out There, the LGBTIQ+-association of the Ministry of Foreign of the Netherlands. Cas has been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands for more than 30 years. At present he is Vice Chair of the Work Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Member of the Board of the Group Work Council of the Dutch Central Government.

Cas has been posted to Embassies in India, Albania, South Africa, Vietnam and, most recently, as Deputy Head of Mission to the Embassy in Athens, Greece. He left Greece in December 2019 (but has been back many times on holidays ). In between he held functions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, predominantly in European and EU affairs.

Cas holds a MA in Econometric from Tilburg University. He has been married with Gavin since 2008. The wedding took place while on posting in South Africa.