Maria-Elena supports the delivery of data protection services and projects to AWO clients across a range of sectors, in particular humanitarian and non-profit.

Maria-Elena has worked for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as their Senior Data Protection Officer and previously for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as their Data Protection Officer for Europe and Central Asia. She has a long field experience in the humanitarian sector, that lead her to work on and coordinate a variety of programmes, including visits to detainees, support to families of missing persons, the protection of civilian population and the reuniting former child soldiers with their families. This work included postings to Gaza and the West Bank, Uganda, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Central African Republic, Libya and India. From Brussels, she represented the ICRC before the Council of Europe, the EU/EDPS and several Data Protection Authorities on a range of data protection issues. In her earlier days, Maria-Elena worked on EU-funded international cooperation projects and, before, held several legal positions.

Maria-Elena holds a Master’s degree in Law and an Advanced Diploma in Comparative Law. She is currently studying Privacy Management with the European Centre on Privacy and Cybersecurity (ECPC) at Maastricht University, Belgium.