Dr. Verena Staats, lawyer, has been a Sole Director of the German Association for Public and Private Welfare (Deutscher Verein für öffentliche und private Fürsorge e.V.) since 1 August 2025. She holds a doctorate in law and studied in Berlin and Kiel, completed her legal clerkship in Brandenburg and then began her career as a research assistant at the University of Rostock. She then worked as a legal advisor for a large internet service provider in Berlin (2006 – 2008) and at the Association of German Foundations as a member of the management board and head of the legal department and representation of interests (2009 – 2018). In 2018, she moved to a larger supra-local law firm as a lawyer before becoming Managing Director of the General Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired in Berlin (2020 – 2022). From 2023 she was again a member of the management and Head of Legal and Assets at the Association of German Foundations.