AWC Berlin Board of Directors 2021
PRESIDENT – SHWETA GUPTA
Shweta Gupta, a long-time resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, moved to Berlin in July 2015 with her husband and two children. She has been an active member of the American Women’s Club of Berlin and is currently serving as the President of the Club. She also previously served as the Club’s Parliamentarian. Outside of the Club, Shweta volunteers as a parent representative to the Parent Council at her children’s school. Prior to moving to Berlin, Shweta practiced law for over 15 years in various capacities, including as a law clerk to a federal judge, as an associate at two international law firms, and as senior counsel at a major financial institution. Though she practiced in a variety of areas in her career, her primary focus ultimately was in the area of employment law. She holds her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and her undergraduate degree in Political Science from The George Washington University. During her time in Berlin, she also gained experience in teaching during a short stint as lecturer of Business Law to undergraduate students. Shweta loves and appreciates the opportunities and experiences living in Berlin has provided to her and her family. This will be her second term as President.
FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT – SILVIA MALO RASINSKI
Silvia Malo Rasinski was born and raised in Mexico City. She studied Media and Communication at the Universidad Iberoamericana (majoring in Advertising and Filmmaking) and worked as a brand strategist. In 2015, After almost 20 years in the NY/NJ area, Silvia and her German husband Georg decided to move to Berlin with their 2 children, Nicolas and Verena, then 13 and 11, in order to provide an opportunity for the children to experience life in a different country, and where part of their heritage is. Upon landing in Berlin, Silvia deep dove into learning German, earning her C2 level. After 4 years, she is finally fluent -with some mistakes, yes, but happy to be able to communicate with those who do not speak English or Spanish. Silvia is passionate about authentic, well curated Mexican food. She is the queen of Guacamole and loves to cook for friends. A most enjoyable thing for her is a long “sobremesa” with a good mezcal accompanied with sliced oranges and some sal de gusano. Silvia worked as stage manager of the AWC Berlin’s 2018 production of The Vagina Monologues and volunteers in the club’s Programs team. Silvia currently serves as 2nd Vice President of AWC Berlin.
SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT – KATHY LYON
Kathy Lyon moved to Berlin in May 2018 when her husband accepted a position at a Berlin tech company. She grew up in Florida and got her master’s in Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Since then she’s lived in Seattle, where she learned to sail; in Vermont, where she did not learn to ski; in Zürich, where she began an enduring love affair with fondue; and in New York City, where she became obsessed with real estate—just like a real New Yorker. Along the way she’s worked as a customer service rep for an Internet startup, a book buyer for an online retailer, and as an editor for a digital-first publisher. She served as managing editor for AWC Zürich’s monthly magazine and completed a short stint as a volunteer coordinator for a presidential primary candidate. Now happily back in Europe, she’s fighting the good fight to become a bona fide German speaker. Currently serving as the Club’s Second Vice President (Programs), Kathy served as Secretary on AWC Berlin’s 2020 Board and on the 2020 Constitutional Committee. She has volunteered as the editor of AWC Berlin’s blog, Berlin Americana. She has also volunteered as a co-organizer for the Book Club, Women’s Writes, and German Conversation (Ost),, and she served as co-chair for the club’s Newcomers Orientation Program (N.O.W.) in 2019.
SECRETARY – MELANIE BAUR
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Melanie Baur has lived in Germany for over four years; first in Düsseldorf and now in Berlin. Previously, Melanie served as the Vice President, Communications Chair, and FAWCO rep for AIWC Düsseldorf. In the FAWCO world, Melanie previously chaired the Brand Strategy Taskforce and is currently the Club Workshop Coordinator. Professionally, Melanie has worked in international education and marketing in both Germany and the US. She is currently working as a Project Manager for Quadriga Media, a professional development company based in Mitte. In her free time, Melanie is an indoor cycling instructor and avid trail runner and she also loves playing with her dog Moses and drinking a nice hoppy craft beer with her husband.
TREASURER – TWANA RHODES
Twana Rhodes: Lived in Berlin for many, many years, long enough to raise an “original Berliner,” who is now 20 years of age. Studied Business Marketing in the early 90’s and recently completed my studies with a Bachelor’s in Multidisciplinary Studies in 2017. I enjoy balancing numbers. Numbers are so ‘sane’ and reliably accurate. Having officially registered and established a small business in Germany in 1999 (Redwind Music Promotion), I’ve been solely responsible for providing tax returns, payroll, travel, miscellaneous expenses, cost/budget projections, profit/loss statements, et al. In 2014, I successfully cleared/completed an audit by the German Tax Office, with kudos from the ‘Colombo Style Female Auditor,’ who suggested that, in the future, I use Excel. (Yes, I can—I’m fully acquainted with Excel, currently diving into Datev.)