Marilyn von Hoenning

Marilyn is a Co-Founder of GreenUnity Ukraine, bringing more than three decades of international experience in business development, sales, marketing, technology, and cross-cultural collaboration to the organization.

Born and raised in the United States, Marilyn earned a Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Following her graduate studies, she moved to Germany, where she developed an international career spanning the technology sector and work across diverse professional and cultural environments.

Professional Experience
Over the past 30 years, Marilyn has held a variety of sales, marketing, and business development positions within the information technology industry. During the most recent seven years, her professional work has focused particularly on the cybersecurity sector, providing her with experience in technology-driven organizations, strategic communications, relationship management, and international business development.
Her extensive private-sector background contributes to GreenUnity Ukraine’s efforts to build sustainable partnerships between nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, international organizations, government stakeholders, and the private sector.

Humanitarian Engagement with Ukraine
In recent years, Marilyn has also gained valuable experience working with and supporting humanitarian relief organizations in Germany and the United States assisting Ukraine.
Through this engagement, she became increasingly aware of the interconnected humanitarian and environmental consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the need for long-term international cooperation that extends beyond immediate humanitarian assistance.

Environmental Engagement
In 2022, Marilyn expanded her community involvement by participating in the local environmental initiative Food Savers, supporting efforts to reduce food waste and promote more responsible use of resources.
Her growing involvement in environmental initiatives, combined with her humanitarian work related to Ukraine, contributed to the development of the idea behind GreenUnity Ukraine.

GreenUnity Ukraine
In November 2023, Marilyn co-founded GreenUnity Ukraine with Stanislav Sonich.
The organization was established in response to the urgent need to connect environmental recovery, humanitarian considerations, scientific expertise, and international cooperation in addressing the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Within GreenUnity Ukraine, Marilyn contributes her experience in international partnerships, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, organizational development, and relationship building, helping connect the organization with experts and institutions in the United States, Europe, and Ukraine.

Today, she continues to support GreenUnity Ukraine’s mission of bringing together science, international expertise, institutional partnerships, and practical action to contribute to Ukraine’s environmental recovery and long-term resilience.