Speakers for the 2026 Spring Arrival Orientation

Sophia is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Doctoral Programme (DENVI) in affiliation with the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) at the University of Helsinki. Her interdisciplinary research explores the socio-cultural aspects of sustainable transition and food system redesign in the Finnish countryside. In addition, Sophia works part-time as a researcher in the consortium project, “The socio-ecological and politico-economic dynamics of ecological restoration through tree planting schemes in the global South" (TreesForDev.fi), which is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is involved with the Global Extractivisms and Alternatives Initiative (EXALT) at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki, including co-hosting the EXALT Initiative podcast, a monthly conversation with academics, artists, and activists (exalt.fi).  

Dr. Heikkinen has been with the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland since 2005. Her tasks consist of national and international science policy responsibilities. An essential part of her work takes place in national and multinational networks. Dr. Heikkinen is heading the Science Policy Division of the Department of Higher Education and Science Policy.

Birger Holm currently works as a Vice Principal, History and Civics Teacher at Haukilahti School in Espoo. He is the U.S. State Department’s Voluntary Visitor Program alumnus and has promoted interdisciplinary studies in Finland by inspiring English teachers to introduce more U.S. History content in English classes.

Since August 2024, I have been working as a principal in the Viikki training school of the University of Helsinki, my primary responsibility being that of high school principal’s duties.

I find that I am development-oriented principal in an otherwise traditional school environment, and my personality and enthusiasm fit the culture of a training school. Colleagues say that I make it visible how everyday successes are a part of larger entities and goals.

Before starting in Helsinki I worked as a regional principal in Porvoo, Finland. I acted as a supervisor for the principals and school secretaries in the Finnish-speaking secondary schools. Part of my job was also high school content development in cooperation with the director of education and the upper secondary school management team. The most important thing in my job as a regional principal was to bring a strategy level content for the principal's everyday life, strengthen the structures of cooperation and operational culture among principals and help principals in their everyday-life challenges. I have also worked as a principal for four years in a high school with 150 students. From my background I am a teacher of English and German languages, and I profiled very much as an advocate for international studies; I have lived and worked abroad on many occations. I graduated from the University of Jyväskylä in 2010.

Reetta Härönoja is currently the Director of the Unit for North America at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. She has served in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs since 2005 and has extensive experience in matters related to the European Union and Transatlantic Relations. She has been based for example in Brussels, Washington, D.C., and as an exchange diplomat in Tallinn. Before joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament of Finland and in the Permanent Representation of the Parliament of Finland in Brussels. She has a Master’s Degree in Political Science, and speaks English, Swedish, French, German and Estonian.

Kristiina Jomppanen, MA, is a Finnish, German, and North Sámi language teacher. She is currently working with Sámi language learning materials at the University of Lapland, and as a language teacher at the Inari Community College. She specializes in adult foreign language education, and is also working towards her second master’s degree at the University of Oulu. She spent her Fulbright grant period as a Finnish Language and Culture Teaching Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017-2018. 

Teemu Kokko Ph.D. (Econ.) and adjunct professor is the President at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. During his career he has lived and worked abroad a total of twelve years (Moscow, Budapest, Oslo and Stockholm) and he is deeply involved in numerous international activities. Teemu is an ad hoc columnist for two Finnish hospitality industry magazines.

Mr. Petri Lehikoinen was appointed Counsellor of Education and Head of Unit to the Finnish National Agency for Education in March 2018. He has been executive leader of the national core curriculum revision process of general upper secondary education since then. Before that he served over 20 years as headmaster at two Finnish general upper secondary schools – one of them also offering International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme education. During his leadership career he has worked as an educator of school leaders in 15 long lasting leader training programmes. He holds a Bachelor degree in History and Social Sciences (teacher specialization) from the University of Eastern Finland. He also holds two Specialist Vocational Qualifications: one in Product Development and another in Leadership.

Marika Ojala works in educational administation in the city of Seinäjoki, Finland. Her background is in class and English teaching, including bilingual education. She has coordinated EU-funded programs as a teacher, school leader and on administrative level. In 2011-2012 she worked in educational export program in United Arab Emirates. Currently she works in administration as head of basic education in Seinäjoki. The area of responsibility includes comprehensive, upper comprehensive and upper secondary schools. Additional tasks are support in learning and school attendance, projects, international cooperation and multicultural education in general education.

Anna-Maria Peltomäki is a University Teacher of Finnish as the Second National Language at the University of Helsinki. She is also a co-author of Finnish as a Second and Foreign Language textbook series Suomen mestari. 

Anna-Maria was a Fulbright Foreign Language and Culture Teaching Assistant at the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, during 2011-2012 and later also worked there as the Visiting Lecturer of Finnish Language and Culture in 2021-2023.

Jukka Tanskanen is the Head of Science Policy and International Affairs at the Research Council of Finland (RCF). He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Eastern Finland and has a diverse background spanning materials science, nuclear waste management, and science policy. Before joining the RCF in 2014, Tanskanen worked as a materials physicist at Posiva, a leading expert organization in nuclear waste management, and as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. In 2017–2018, he also served as a part-time process engineer for Applied Materials in Santa Clara, California. More recently, during 2023–2024, he took a leave of absence from the RCF to work as a senior specialist at the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Department for Higher Education and Science Policy. In his current role at the RCF, Tanskanen is responsible for shaping science policy advocacy, advancing knowledge management and utilization, and coordinating the agency’s international engagement. His work plays a key role in strengthening Finland’s research landscape and global scientific engagement.