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We support everyday heroes working for the betterment of their communities
We support everyday heroes working for the betterment of their communities
We empower young changemakers.
We support everyday heroes.
EDYN Headquarters is located in Bratislava, Slovakia and provides management, coordination, strategic guidance and fundraising support to the network.
Ľubica Kováčová is the Executive Director at the EDYN HQ. She previously worked as the Head of the Office of the Minister at the Slovak Ministry of Environment. Her experiences include mostly political party development, campaigning, communication and public administration. Lubica holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and M.A. in International Relations from University of Groningen.
Carlotta Serioli leads HQ's fundraising and outreach efforts, focusing on grants and international activities implemented with external stakeholders as well as developing and expanding the network's partnerships with a range of organizations, institutions, think tanks, and universities across Europe, the US, and the UK. She has a background in policy advocacy and project management at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; political research and communications at Italy’s leading think tank (the Institute for International Political Studies); and strategic consulting for Europe’s largest investment banks. Carlotta holds a B.A. in Politics and International Relations from the University of Manchester and a M.Sc. in International Political Security from University College London.
Lucia Jasenovcová is the Communications Manager at EDYN HQ. She has a strong background in content creation and worked in various fields including corporate and political communication, SaaS marketing, and public relations. She holds a BA in Translation studies from Comenius University in Bratislava and an MA in Journalism, Media, and Communications from Cardiff University in Wales.
Naser comes to us from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and he also has experience in multiple multinational institutions (European Commission, Council of Europe, OSCE, ODIHR), international organizations (NDI, WFD) and non-profits in North Macedonia and Sweden. Naser holds a master's in International Development from Lund University in Sweden and an advanced master’s in European Policy and Governance from the College of Europe.
Monika brings a wealth of experience to EDYN, having served as the Head of Accounting and Finance Director. She is a seasoned tax advisor with a successful accounting business of her own. Monika holds an engineering degree from the Economical University in Bratislava. In addition to managing EDYN's finances, she is dedicated to continually improving her skills and expertise in the field.
A founding partner of Prism Communications, Peter Cari is one of the country’s leading experts on campaign tactics and strategy. He brings his blend of research-driven strategy and hands-on client involvement to campaigns ranging from the legislative level to statewide races, ballot initiatives, and independent expenditure operations. Over the course of his career, his expertise has delivered results in over 1000 campaigns, from small state and local campaigns to some of the most pivotal statewide and federal races. With Prism Communications, Cari has served as the media consultant and lead strategist for numerous Democrats elected in often-hostile territory – particularly Republican-leaning districts in the South and industrial Midwest. In addition, Cari has helmed multimillion-dollar independent expenditure efforts for organizations such as the National Education Association, Democratic Governors Association, League of Conservation Voters, America’s Families First Action Fund, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Wisconsin Education Association Council, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Cari began his political career while completing his B.A. in Political Science at American University, working as an intern at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He went on to serve in various senior-level roles at the DCCC from 1996 to 2004. As Political Director in the 2004 cycle, he was responsible for the committee’s overall strategic direction, candidate recruitment, polling, paid communications and messaging. In both 2002 and 2004, he directed all aspects of the DCCC’s $40 million independent expenditure campaigns. In 1998, Cari served as the DCCC’s chief tactician, directing the Committee’s polling, research, and issue advocacy operations. In 1996, he headed the research department and led the issue advocacy program, which assisted in the pick-up of nine seats. In 1999, Peter founded Cari Strategic, a firm dedicated to providing planning, crisis communications, branding, party building, media services and strategic guidance to candidates, advocacy groups, NGOs and political parties in the United States and internationally. An avid hunter, fisherman, subsistence gardener and University of Wisconsin Badgers fan, Peter lives in Arlington, Virginia or on his farmland in Southern Maryland.
Jonas Rolett has worked on democracy and governance issues in Europe for much of his career. His focus has been on building civic resilience, opening the political process, promoting good governance and defending human rights. He has lived in Budapest and Tirana and remains closely involved in Albania's political and social development. From 1998 to 2021 Mr. Rolett served in a variety of roles at the Open Society Foundations, including Regional Director, Advocacy Manager and Special Advisor to the Chairman. He worked a broad range of issues, including debt relief, vaccine justice and citizen engagement. Prior to joining the Open Society Foundations, Mr. Rolett was a Senior Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), where he promoted democratic development across Eastern Europe. He managed programs related to governance, civic participation and political party building, and established domestic election monitoring organizations in five countries. Mr. Rolett is co-founder of the Transatlantic Democracy Working Group and has served as a steering committee member on the World Bank's Global Partnership for Social Accountability. He holds a BA in Literature and Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar.
Kathryn Walt Hall is an attorney, businesswoman, and former US Ambassador to Austria. Ms. Hall began her public career as Assistant City Attorney in Berkeley, California. Later, she joined Safeway Stores, where she was responsible for developing and administering one of the first and largest affirmative action programs in the United States. Subsequently, she worked as an attorney and businesswoman in Dallas, Texas, where she was the President of an inner city development company and partner of Hall Financial Group, Inc. Throughout her distinguished career as a successful businesswoman, community activist, and humanitarian, she has been active in a number of civic issues, serving on numerous non-profit and institutional boards, addressing issues related to social care and mental health. Ms. Hall co-founded the North Texas Food Bank, served on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Hunger Advisory Committee, and was the Director/Vice President of the Texas Mental Health Association. In 1995, Ms. Hall was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the National Advisory Council for Violence Against Women and as a trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. From 1998 to 2001, she served as the United States Ambassador to Austria. Ms. Hall has also been a leader in numerous business organizations, including the Dallas area Chambers of Commerce, the Dallas Assembly, Commercial Real Estate Women, and the Texas Retailers Association. Ms. Hall serves on the Napa Legal Aid Board, the Board of Directors of Festival Napa, and is a Trustee of the Southwestern Medical Center. She is fluent in French and German, earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, a joint MBA from UC California, Berkeley & Columbia University, and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
GS Strategy Group clients benefit from Greg Strimple’s unique combination of expertise in public opinion and consumer behavior, his award-winning advertising work, and his extensive knowledge of regulated industries, the political process, and public policymaking. Greg has leveraged his research, analytical, and communications skills to devise and execute successful public policy and marketing campaigns for some of the country’s leading corporations and institutions. Prior to starting GS Strategy Group, Greg was a founding partner of Mercury Public Affairs, a national public affairs consultancy that was acquired by The Omnicom Group. At Mercury, Greg was the firm’s senior strategist overseeing polling and advertising. He was personally involved in many of the firm’s most critical accounts, and has extensive experience in healthcare, energy, entertainment, financial, and telecommunications issues. Greg has served as pollster and senior advisor in presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional campaigns across the country, including Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in his upset victory of 2009 and reelection in 2013, Illinois Senator Mark Kirk’s victory in 2010, and Texas Senator John Cornyn’s reelections in 2014 and 2020. More recently, he conducted polling and guided strategy on behalf the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Congressional Leadership Fund. Greg has conducted and interpreted the results of hundreds of local, state, national and international opinion surveys for campaigns, corporations, NGOs, and business coalitions. Greg currently resides in Boise, ID with his wife, Kari, and their four children.
Caryn Eggeraat is the principal of the Endicott Group, a political consulting firm specializing in donor development for Republican federal candidates. Over the years, Caryn has served as Finance Director for a center right caucus in the House of Representatives, eight Members of Congress and nine United States Senators. She has overseen small to multi-million-dollar campaign operations, strategizing and executing a plan to fund each. Caryn earned her bachelor’s from Western Michigan University and her master’s from Suffolk University. She resides in Washington, DC.
Alison Kelly is a retired Irish diplomat, She holds an honours degree in Social Science from University College Dublin and a postgraduate degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Much of her career involved multilateral negotiations in the EU, UN, OSCE and other international frameworks. Diplomatic assignments abroad included The Hague, Cairo, OSCE Vienna, Madrid, Washington, Ambassador to the Czech Republic, non-resident Ambassador to Ukraine and Ambassador to Israel. Her headquarters assignments encompassed EU internal and external relations, the UN, OSCE, Africa, the Middle East and disarmament and non-proliferation issues. She lives in Dublin.
Nicholas Whyte is a Senior Director at the Brussels office of APCO, a global strategic public affairs consultancy. A candidate and activist in the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s, he worked for the National Democratic Institute in Bosnia and Croatia in 1997-98, and then in Brussels for the Centre for European Policy Studies and the International Crisis Group as a Balkan and Eastern European analyst. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ulster University. HE reads science fiction unashamedly.
Leadership Council serves as the representative and decision-making body of the network and is supported by three committees: Communications, Partnerships and Elections.
Giorgi Agirbaia serves as an Executive Director of ProActive Group Georgia, one of the leading independent youth NGO. He is Internationalization Development Manager at Alterbridge University in Georgia. Giorgi is a young professional with 10 years of working experience in CSO's and 6 years in the education sector. Held different positions as an international youth and educational programs manager, team leader, certified trainer. He is German Marshall Fund of United States TILN Fellow of 2024 cohort. Since 2014, Giorgi actively implements International programs supported by EU, CoE, German Foreign Office, USAID/Georgia, conducted dozens of Erasmus+ youth mobility projects in UK, Sweden, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia to contribute the Development of a free, democratic and proactive-minded inclusive society. Holding MBA and PhD in Public Governance from GTU, as an Erasmus+ doctoral exchange student studied at Alcala University, Spain, 2021. Giorgi is the consultant of the book: “Regional Policy of EU Countries”. He is advocating for Youth Meaningful Participation as a Council of Europe Conference of INGO’s Youth Delegate, EDYN Ambassador and Generation Democracy member, defending democracies and empowering youth locally and globally. Giorgi is actively invited in different international forums, conferences as a moderator, panelist, such as Economic Forum of Young Leaders and Innovation Forum in Poland. Youth Delegate at Global Peace Summit in Seoul, South Korea (2017), World Forum for Democracy (2022-23) at CoE and European Parliament.
Ana has 7 years of experience in politics, holding various positions such as coordinator of one of the largest youth forums in Albania, a member of the forum's leadership, part of the leading group of election campaigns, and an advisor to a member of parliament. She is focused on the field of economy, and mainly in youth issues such as education, emigration of young people and the encouragement of decision-making among young people. Fueled by her passion and extensive political background, Ana, along with her friends, founded the "Veliera Institute," an NGO committed to political education and media literacy, where she serves as a Board Member. Additionally, Ana has completed her bachelor's studies in finance, and alongside her political involvement, she works as a financial analyst in the telecommunications sector.
Hubert Tadych (29 y.o.) serves as Ambassador in Poland and is responsible for external relations in the rank of Partnership Officer. He cooperates with the Campus Poland Foundation, with which he coordinates a number of international projects. He was the Vice-President of European Democrat Students and an expert of the European Youth Forum. Professionally a lawyer and trainee lawyer. He worked in the European Parliament and in the European Committee of the Regions. Graduate of the MBA programme in energy and climate. Participant in the Office for International Leadership programmes of the US Congress, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the School for Political Leadership.
Petru Crețu is a political science graduate with over five years of experience in the political landscape of his country. During this time, he has held several significant roles, including Vice President of the youth wing of the governing party, campaign staff member, and advisor to a Member of Parliament. In addition, Petru has three years of experience in non-formal education, where he has organized and facilitated educational projects and activities aimed at fostering the personal and professional growth of young people. Currently, he works as a Project Manager in a Moldovan NGO, focusing on democratic development and promoting active citizenship.
Amila Husić is a young jurist and independent researching, with experience in legal analysis, advocacy, and youth policy. She has held diverse roles, contributing to NGOs and international organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her expertise spans human rights, policy development, and transitional justice initiatives, with five published academic articles. With a strong commitment to fostering youth engagement, Amila is dedicated to advancing impactful legal and advocacy work both locally and internationally.
Born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, he completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees at VMU and VU in Lithuania in the field of political science, with minors in economics and international law. He also spent 2 semesters at the University of Oslo. Currently, he is pursuing a Master's Degree in International Relations at the University of Warsaw. Vladislav has extensive experience in various fields, primarily in private, public, and NGOs. His job experience includes working in banking/finances and on projects within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, as well as with a Youth Policy NGO and a Human Rights/Mental Health NGO. He has also worked with ethnic minority youth, focusing on their integration. Additionally, his master's thesis centers around research on ethnic minorities in Ukraine. Regarding politics, Vladislav has been involved in Tatsiana Karatkevich's election campaigns in Belarus and is affiliated with the "Tell the Truth!" campaign. He is a native speaker of Belarusian and Russian and is fluent in English, Polish, Lithuanian, and Norwegian. Moreover, he has a strong command of German, Ukrainian, and Latvian, and possesses some knowledge of Italian and Arabic. In his free time, Vladislav enjoys traveling, cycling, skiing, inline skating, and hiking.
Jan Gondek is a 21-year-old student in the second year of a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Public Policy at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. Passionate about non-profit work, Honza focuses primarily on education policy and youth participation at the regional level. In addition to academic and civic engagements, Jan enjoys staying active through sports, including football, volleyball, and running. Politically involved at the municipal level, he is a dedicated member of the TOP Team youth organization and the TOP 09 party.
Ana Puljić is a Master of Economics with six years of dedicated experience in civil society, specializing in the promotion of democracy and youth participation. Currently, she is an Ambassador for EDYN Croatia and has completed a traineeship in the Office of Member of the European parliament. Throughout her academic journey, Ana received numerous commendations from her faculty for exceptional contributions through extracurricular activities, along with various awards primarily in the fields of finance, energy, and agricultural policy. She actively continues her professional development by participating in various seminars and conferences, such as the "Women in Politics and Society" program organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Croatian Statehood Foundation. Additionally, Ana is certified in writing and implementing projects funded by EU resources, further expanding her expertise and impact in European initiatives.
Blerton Vehapi holds a Bachelor's Degree in Individualized Program with a concentration in Management and Public Policy from RIT Kosovo. He is the President of the youth wing of Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! in Lipjan and a member of the board of the national presidency of Rinia për VETËVENDOSJE!, and he is also an ambassador of European Democracy Youth Network - EDYN Kosovo. Currently, he serves as the assistant to the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
As a youth activist, he's an Ambassador for youth information and counseling at the European Youth Information and Counseling Agency (ERYICA), sits on the supervisory board and works as project coordinator for the Young European Federalists (JEF), and is an Ambassador and elections committee member of EDYN. As a freelance researcher, he has authored policy papers on the Western Balkans' European integration, regional cooperation, youth mobility, and socio-political trends in the WB and Europe. He holds a Bachelor's degree in International and Intercultural Studies and is pursuing a Master's degree in European Studies.
Aleksandar Mijailović is a lawyer and a political and civic activist. He completed his studies at the Faculty of Law at the University of Novi Sad. After that, he worked as an intern in a lawyer's office, passed the Bar exam, and then established his own law firm. Aleksandar is a member of the Youth Union of Šabac, where he has organized protests against the government and also initiated activities for the youth such as public opinion research, workshops, various green actions, debates for young politicians, and more. He is also a member of the TOGETHER political party and serves as the Head of its Legal Team. Additionally, during the 2022 parliamentary elections, Aleksandar was a member of the Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia. He also ran as a candidate for MP in a local parliament during the 2023 local elections. Furthermore, he was in charge of legal control of the elections for the coalitions of political parties he represented during the local and parliamentary elections in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Country Chapters located across 23 countries bring together young people who are active in public life. They develop initiatives tackling the most pressing societal problems by identifying solutions from across the political and ideological spectrum that EDYN represents.
