Dr. Paul Kohlenberg, is the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC's Executive Director. Born in Osnabrück, Germany, he received a MSc in modern Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford, a LLM in International Law and Human Rights from the University of Warwick, and a PhD (Political Science) from Freie Universität Berlin. 

Paul began his career in international relations working as a program assistant for the American Field Service (AFS) in Costa Rica and later for a German university consortium in Cameroon. Following a traineeship with the European Union Delegation in Beijing in 2011, he continued working on and in China. Research stays at Zhejiang University (Hangzhou) and Tsinghua University (Beijing) preceded a position as researcher in the Asia Division of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP; one of Europe's largest foreign policy think-tanks) in Berlin, where he focused on Chinese politics, the UN Security Council, and regional politics in Asia.

In 2019 Paul joined the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and has since served in various positions. He was responsible for the Foundation's cross-sectional (global) work on China, served as Director (“Chief Representative”) of the Foundation’s office in Beijing, and now, since February 2026, as Executive Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Washington, DC, the Foundation's office in North America.