International Sonnenberg Association e.V.
Executive Committee
PhDr. Jan Čapek
Chairperson
PhDr. Jan Čapek was born on 24 May 1959 in Pardubice and currently lives in the municipality of Jeníkovice in the Pardubice District. He began his professional career in 1983 as a teacher at the secondary grammar school (Gymnasium) in Semily. After completing one year of military service as a second lieutenant and platoon leader, he continued his teaching career at the Gymnasium in Přelouč, where he taught until 1993. From 1993 to 2024, he worked at the University of Pardubice. Since 2024, he has been employed at the University of Hradec Králové (Königgrätz), at the Department of German Language and Literature. He teaches a wide range of subjects in German studies, including selected topics in German literature, contrastive lexicology, tolerance of cultural differences, Business German, academic writing, an introduction to linguistics, Czech and German regional and cultural studies. He also conducts regular workshops on intercultural competence with a focus on the Czech Republic and publishes academic papers.
Dorothea Göcke
Deputy Chairperson
Doris Göcke grew up in Rheine, Westphalia, and lives in the Hanover region. She studied teacher education for vocational schools in Hanover, specializing in home economics, with chemistry as her teaching subject. She holds a degree as a Diplom Vocational Education Specialist and is a trained mediator. From 1980 to 2020, she taught at a vocational school in Hanover, where she also served on the school management team from 1993 to 2020. She was responsible for a wide range of areas including school development, educational counseling, and committee work with school-based, non-school, and corporate cooperation partners. She was actively involved in teacher training and held teaching assignments at the University of Hanover. Her particular focus lies on language support, inclusion, migration, and integration. Her collaboration with the International Sonnenberg has existed since 1996; from 2020 to 2024, she was a member of the Executive Board of Sonnenberg-Kreis e. V.
Vita Hamaniuk
Board Member
Prof. Dr. Vita Hamaniuk was born on 11 August 1965 in Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine) and currently lives in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine. From 1982 to 1988, she studied German Studies at Dnipro State University. She completed her doctorate in 1995 and her habilitation in 2013. Since 1988, Vita Hamaniuk has been working at Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, where she has served as Head of Department (Department of Foreign Languages; Department of German, Literature and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching), as a lecturer, and as a professor at the Faculty of Foreign Languages. Since 2017, she has held the position of Vice-Rector for Research. She teaches a wide range of subjects, including linguistics, intercultural communication, stylistics, methods of teaching German, and the history of German literature. Her academic interests include German studies, contemporary German literature, multilingualism didactics, intercultural communication, and mediative techniques.
Irene lewis
Board member
Irene Lewis was born in Manchester, England, spent her childhood there, and now lives in London. She studied history first at University College London, earning a B.A., and later at Birkbeck College London, where she completed an M.A. She trained as a teacher at the Institute of Education in London and also conducted research there, during which she visited schools in France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. She spent most of her career teaching history at upper secondary level (ages 14–19) in London’s East End. In addition, she taught part-time at the Open University, the United Kingdom’s principal distance-learning institution. Since 2005, she has been involved in the Sonnenberg Movement.
Tilman Zschiesche
Treasurer
Tilman Zschiesche grew up in Erlangen and, after several stays abroad, studied social sciences in Göttingen and educational sciences in Münster. After graduating as a Diplom Social Economist in 1982, he worked as a research associate at the University of Göttingen. From 1986 onwards, he worked at the Academy for Distance Learning and Continuing Education e. V. in Bad Harzburg, first as a staff member and later as its Educational Director. He has been connected with the Internationales Haus Sonnenberg since that time. From 2020 to 2024, he served as Managing Director of Sonnenberg-Kreis e. V. His main areas of work and ambition are the organization and moderation of international encounters, as well as educational work with young people and educational professionals on current and forward-looking topics.