The Board

IAWHP Board

2024-2027  

  • Khrystyna Ahner (Chair)

Since 2017 I have been responsible for PR and Marketing at the Chair of Power Distribution and High Voltage Engineering at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg in the context of various projects.

In same time I have had a pleasure and honor to work as a coordinator for the Ukraine Art Aid Centre (UAAC) since July 2023. Together with the highly motivated team of UAAC we have been involved in numerous projects and initiatives aimed at safeguarding and providing necessary relief to Ukrainian cultural sites damaged as a result of russian military aggression.

From 2015 to 2017, I coordinated the Master’s program Power Engineering M.Sc. at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and was able to work intensively with German and international students. In addition, I gained valuable experience in the field of cultural heritage management through internships at Edinburgh World Heritage and the World Heritage Coordination Regensburg.

As a former board member of IAWHP e.V., I served as treasurer and also co-organized two international conferences with over 100 participants with the financial support of DAAD.


  • Klaus Zehbe (Treasurer)

As an alumnus of the World Heritage Studies Programme and former member of the teaching staff at the UNESCO Chair in Heritage Studies of BTU Cottbus, I have a lasting interest in World Cultural Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage. Transmission processes in both heritage categories are crucial for protection and use. Frequently, transmission takes the form of interpreting heritage values, however there is a connection to educational theory which I would like to explore further in the framework of IAWHP.

I consider IAWHP a unique opportunity to generate new projects and new research in the field of heritage theory. As a previous member of the board, I offer my expertise in running the association in the previous term. My aim is to make the association more robust and sustainable in the long run.


  • Susanne Pöverlein (Assessor)

Since I completed my World Heritage Studies in 2010 I have worked for ten years for the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Paris and currently am working from Bordeaux for a conference organizer.

Despite not working directly in the heritage sector, I find myself always confronted with heritage issues, living in a world heritage city, recently being involved in organizing a conference at UNESCO Headquarters, following up on political decisions and frowning at their impact on heritage.

I believe that it is associations like the IAWHP e. V. that need to continue to put forward the importance of heritage matters.

I think it is very important to continue the work of IAWHP e.V. and I am confident that I can contribute my international work experiences and organizational skills to the missions of the Board.

  • Hoshil H Dhanji (Assessor)

I have been a member of this excellent association of professionals dedicated towards preservation and transmission of cultural and natural heritage of mankind through promotion of science and research as well as professional development of its members.

My experience in conservation and management of Stone Town of Zanzibar, a World Heritage Site, through endeavours in both state and civil society organisations will make a good fit for the board member position.

I being a youth practitioner of conservation and management of world heritage site in Africa with keen interest to further develop my skills will provide the much-needed insights and inputs from this part of the world.


  • Chang Liu (Board Member)

I have been working in the most authoritative and sophisticated ministry-owned think tank, China Academy of Urban Planning & Design (CAUPD), as the cheif researcher focused on heritage management in the context of urban planning and studies the innovative modalities of heritage preservation amid urbanization.  The most important part of my job is to arouse the awareness of heritage preservation and renaissance to the public by conducting pilot projects and publishing reports.  In years, I have been working in close collaboration with governments and private sectors to develop and implement applicable and sustainable management plans and programs that have enhanced the quality of urban regeneration while ensuring the well-maintained statues of the local cultural heritages.

I have been working as the Director of the new branch of the institute – Yangtze River Delta Culture & Tourism Research Institute of CAUPD since my last term.  With the support of my organization and my level, I shall continue to contribute to IAWHP e.V., and dedicate myself to the community by connecting more opportunities concerning research, networking, publicity and multi-national collaboration projects.


Former Board 2020-2023

Chairperson: Patricia Alberth (Germany)
Deputy Chairperson: Rolf Schuett (Germany Bolivia)
Secretary: Manana Tevzadze (Georgia)
Public Information Officer: Dr. Chang Liu (China)
Membership Officer: Dr. Klaus Zehbe (Germany)
Treasurer: Dr. Li Fan (China)
Deputy Treasurer: Miki Shimizu (Japan)

Former Board 2017-2020

Chairperson: Ona Vileikis (Colombia-Lithuania)
Deputy Chairperson: Sijin Chen (China)
Secretary: Yunuén Olivia Herrera Fuentes (Mexico)
Public Information Officer: Nicole Franceschini (Italy)
Membership Officer: Christine Gleisner Vergara (Chile)
Treasurer: Susann Harder (Germany)
DeputyTreasurer: Sarah van der Linde (Australia)

Former Board 2014-2017

Chairperson: Stephen Dicks (Canada)
Deputy Chairperson: Alexandra Lotz (Germany)
Secretary: Xenia Panfilova (Russia)
Public Information Officer: Amilcar Vargas (Mexico)
Membership Officer: Moses Katerega (Uganda)
Treasurer: Khrystyna Shakhmatova (Ukraine)
DeputyTreasurer: Andreza André da Rocha (Brazil)

Former Board 2012-2014

Chairperson: Ona Vileikis (Colombia-Lithuania)
Deputy Chairperson: Henry Crescini (Venezuela)
Secretary: Katharina Sandberg (Germany)
Public Information Officer: Paul Frater (Canada/Germany)
Membership Officer: Manana Tevzadze (Georgia)
Treasurer: Khrystyna Shakhmatova (Ukraine)
Deputy Treasurer:  William Wei (Canada)

Former Board 2011-2012

Chairperson: Iryna Shalaginova (Ukraine)
Deputy Chairperson: Adreza André da Rocha (Brazil)
Secretary: Ona Vileikis (Colombia-Lithuania)
Public Information Officer: Manana Tevzadze (Georgia)
Membership Officer: Sarah Shortliffe (Canada)
Treasurer: Katharina Sandberg (Germany)
DeputyTreasurer: William Wei (Canada)

Former Board 2010-2011

Chairperson: Smriti Pant (India)
Deputy Chairperson: Andreza André da Rocha (Brazil)
Secretary: Ona Vileikis (Colombia-Lithuania)
Public Information Officer:  Beate Ruppe (Germany)
Membership Officer: Sarah Shortliffe (Canada)
Treasurer: Kate Pierce-McManamon (USA)
DeputyTreasurer: Ariane Fritzmann (Germany)