Klaas Ornelis was an Executive Assistant to the Vice President, COO and Chief of Staff. Before joining EWI he worked at the Consulate General of Belgium in Los Angeles where he was an intern for the Consul General. He conducted research on California’s policies and its influence in Washington, drafted reports for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and helped formulate a comprehensive earthquake crisis plan. He also was an intern at the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, where he wrote for the U.N. Department of Public Information and reported on European Parliament Committees and international conferences. Klaas was also a trainee at a consultancy in European Affairs in Brussels, where he researched and monitored European law and provided legal advice to European citizens.