Dr. Dorothea Kolland (*1947, Germany) has been cultural director of the Neukölln District Authority, Berlin since 1981. She studied singing, music studies, sociology and Italian, with a doctorate in youth music movements in Berlin. She is/has been a member of various committees and supervisory councils, including the Arts Council, Berlin and the Capital City Fund, and in 2000 was elected to the board of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. She has brought out numerous publications on musical, cultural and regional history topics, youth culture, urban development and articles on cultural political subjects, in particular intercultural affairs and diversity, social inclusion and suburban cultural development.