/Staff

Staff

AMERICAN SWISS FOUNDATION Staff

Dr. Vanessa BearyYL 2016

Executive director

Dr. Vanessa Beary was appointed executive director of the American Swiss Foundation in 2023. Dr. Beary, who participated in the 2016 Young Leaders Conference hosted by Syngenta in Basel, began working for the Foundation in 2018.

As executive director, Dr. Beary works together with the Foundation’s Co-Chairs, Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. and Markus U. Diethelm, and the Foundation’s Board of Directors to strengthen the longstanding friendship between the United States and Switzerland.

Dr. Beary's background is in international education, development, and diplomacy. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as a Senior Advisor for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Office of Commercial and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and as an Adjunct Professor at American University’s Kogod School of Business. She began her career working for the U.S. Department of Defense and received the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, the third highest public honor that the Army can grant to a civilian, for her work in Iraq.

Dr. Beary holds an Ed.D. from Harvard University, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and a B.A. with honors from Brown University. She currently serves on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association.

Rachael Reardon

PROGRAM Manager

Rachael manages all programming for the Foundation. She supports the Executive Director to advance the mission of the Foundation, to bring together promising young leadership from the U.S. and Switzerland to strengthen relations between both countries.

As Program Manager, Rachael supervises the annual Young Leaders Conference and manages U.S. nominations processes. She facilitates in-person events in New York, DC, and Switzerland, as well as virtual programming. Rachael coordinates event logistics, maintains communication with corporate stakeholders and sponsors, and assists with the onboarding of new employees. In addition, Rachael manages the New York office. Rachael began working for the Foundation in 2021.

Rachael graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and French Language Arts.

Bella Way

PROGRAM Assistant

Bella supports event coordination, membership & development, and fundraising. In addition, she manages communications & marketing for the foundation, overseeing social media, invitations, press releases, publications, and the weekly newsletter. Prior to ASF, Bella interned for the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Bella holds a M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. in International Relations from Bowdoin College.