INTERNATIONAL
MAYORS SUMMIT 2024

Maia Sandu was born on May 24, 1972, in Risipeni village, Falesti district.
She studied at the Risipeni village school.
In 1994, she graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Faculty of Management. From 1995 to 1998, she studied at the Academy of Public Administration in Chisinau, obtaining a Master’s degree in International Relations.
Between July 1994 and March 1998, she has held the position of Consultant, Deputy head of department at the Ministry of Economy.
From March 1998 to August 2005, she worked as an economist at the World Bank Office in Chisinau.
From August 2005 to July 2006, she was the Director of the Directorate-General for Macroeconomic Policy and Development Programs at the Ministry of Economy and Trade.
Between 2006 and 2009, she worked as a consultant in various projects in the field of good governance and public administration reform.
In 2010, she obtained a Master’s degree in public policy, after completing her studies at the Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University (USA).
From June 2010 until July 2012, she was the Adviser of the Executive Director of the World Bank in Washington (USA).
In July 2012, she became the Minister of Education in the Government of the Republic of Moldova, a position she held until July 2015.
In May 2016, she founded the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). She was appointed PAS Party President until December 2020, resigning after winning the presidential election.
From February to June 2019, she acted as a Member of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.
In June 2019, she was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, a position she held until November 2019.
On December 24, 2020, Maia Sandu was sworn in as the President of the Republic of Moldova, after her victory in the second round of the presidential elections (November 15, 2020)
She speaks Romanian (mother tongue), English, Russian.

Ned Price serves as the Deputy to the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, overseeing the U.S. Mission to the United Nations’ Washington office and regularly representing the Mission in inter-agency policy discussions. Deputy Price has worked at the Department of State since January 2021, when he assumed the role of Department Spokesperson, a title he held until March 2023.  He then served as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken until he assumed his current role in February 2024. Prior to the State Department, Deputy Price was Co-Founder and Director of Policy and Communications at National Security Action, a non-profit advocacy organization. During the Obama-Biden administration, he served as Special Assistant to President Obama on the National Security Council staff, where he also was the Spokesperson and Senior Director for Strategic Communications. He previously was at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was a senior analyst and Spokesperson. He has been an NBC News analyst and contributor and taught at Georgetown University. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and received a Master’s from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is originally from Dallas, Texas.

Natalia Gavrilița is a member of the Supervisory Board of the National Bank of Moldova, as well as member of the ECFR Board. Natalia Gavrilița served as the 15th Prime Minister of Moldova between August 2021 and February 2023. She led the Government through multiple overlapping crises caused by the war in neighbouring Ukraine, while also advancing ambitious anti-corruption, economic, and governance reforms. During her time in office, Moldova received the largest influx of Ukrainian refugees of any European country, managed to diversify its energy market away from Russian gas, and became a candidate country to the European Union.

Gavrilița has had a long history in economics and politics. She served as finance minister from June 2019 to November 2019 when President Maia Sandu was Prime Minister. Earlier in her career, she was Managing Director at the London-based Global Innovation Fund, a hybrid investment fund supporting social innovation in developing countries. She has also worked within the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and for Oxford Policy Management. Throughout her career, she has worked in a number of countries across Africa, Central and South Asia.

Gavrilița graduated from Moldova State University with a bachelor’s degree in International Law and also earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Iryna coordinates the Local Economic Development Program under which Western NIS Enterprise Fund supported a number of projects. In particular, the e-public procurement system ProZorro, ProZorro.Sale 1991 Open Data Incubator, Technovation Challenge project, CANactions Scholl of Urban Studies, reconstruction of schools in post-war territory, “Hub Schools” project and others.

Previously, Iryna worked at ADETEF, a public agency of French international technical assistance under the Ministry of Finance of France that ensures intergovernmental cooperation between the two countries at the national and regional levels in the field of public finance, audit, public service reform, energy efficiency and transport.

She is a member of the Board of the Professional Government Initiative, which brought together graduates of foreign universities to support the reforms. Iryna conducted a study on the role of graduates of foreign universities as change agents in Ukraine, the results of which were provided to the team of reformers at the Presidential Administration.
Master of Advanced European Studies at College of Europe (Warsaw), Iryna taught European integration policy at the National Academy of Public Administration, where she did her thesis.

Andriy was elected as a Mayor of the city on March 26, 2006, on October 2010 was re-elected as leader of the city.

He started his career in 1989, working as traffic controller of electronics at production association “Lvivprybor.” He held the post of Deputy Director of the Lviv office of social adaptation of youth, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Pivdenzahidelektromerezhbud”, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Broadcasting company Lux”, Director of City Development Institute and leader of the political party “Samopomich”.

Andriy Sadovyi takes part in social activities of the city since 1997.

He received three degrees: Electronic Technology Engineer, Economist of Finance and Credit and a Master of Public Administration.

Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA since 1999, has a senior experience in promoting local democracy, empowerment and participation of civil society, and good governance in Europe, in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe, and in the Mediterranean area. She is a European senior consultant on local development with a focus on the implementation of participatory processes for urban regeneration. She manages a network of 300 members mainly composed of local authorities and civil society groups, in over 40 countries in Europe and beyond.

Antonella Valmorbida was President of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and Member of the Advisory Board of Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development, Armenia. After 6 years as President of EPD, she is now part of the Board. She has been Chair of the EPAN working group of CONCORD until 2016, Chair of the Committee on Democracy and Civil Society of the Conference of the INGO of the Council of Europe from 2008 to 2011, and she was the coordinator of the subgroup on local government and public administration reform of the Civil Society Forum for Eastern Partnership. In 2012-13, she was a board Member of CIVICUS – the World Alliance for Citizens Participation.

Antonella Valmorbida has an academic career at the university of Padova, Italy, and published two books on the involvement of citizens at the local level to promote democracy as well as various articles. Antonella Valmorbida is a French and Italian native speaker and she is fluent in English and Russian.

Born on February 4, 1982 in Mykolaiv.

He has two higher education qualifications. 2004 — graduated from Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University, 2007 — graduated from the Educational and Research Complex “Institute for Applied Systems Analysis” of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”. 2020 — received the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences.

He started his career in December 2002, when he became a teacher in the Mykolaiv branch of the private enterprise Shah Computer Academy.

From June 2005 to November 2015 — worked at Quadrologic LLC.  Initially, he held the position of a software engineer. From September 2005 to December 2006 — hold the position of the HR and Household Issues Director. In December 2006, he became the Director of Quadrologic LLC. He has worked as a director of this company until November 2015.

In 2014, in order to participate actively in the life of Mykolaiv, he founded Holos Hromady Public Association.

On November 24, 2015, Oleksandr Sienkevych was elected to the post of mayor of Mykolaiv, he became the youngest mayor of the regional centre in Ukraine. On November 22, 2020, he was elected for the second time as mayor of Mykolaiv.

Oleksandr Fedorovych Sienkevych defined as his main task the transformation of Mykolaiv into a truly comfortable city, where conditions are created for every resident to realize their potentials. He believes that it is necessary to declare the ambitions of a competitive city as a major player in the investment market. To achieve these goals, he directs his activities, inter alia, to the infrastructure projects, the establishment of a system of quality and accessible services for city residents, the attraction of investors. One of the core principles of his work is the open and rational use of Mykolaiv’s budget.

Oleksandr Sienkevych knows what Mykolaiv of the future should be. And he has a clear vision of how this should be achieved.

Oleksandr Fedorovych Sienkevych, mayor of Mykolaiv, appreciates decency, honesty and diligence of people.

Victoria Butuc-Guranda became the mayor of Dănceni, a village in the Ialoveni district of the Republic of Moldova, in 2019 at the age of 28, after serving as a local councilor. Now in her second term, she has led significant projects for her community, including the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, the installation of an aqueduct, and the modernization of street lighting, among others. During her first term, she successfully doubled the number of businesses operating within the village.

Emphasizing the importance of dialogue, Victoria prioritizes continuous communication with Dănceni’s residents, ensuring their voices are heard and their concerns addressed. This approach has helped in fostering a collaborative spirit within the community. Additionally, she established several partnerships with localities in Romania, furthering the development and prosperity of her village.

Born on the day the Republic of Moldova declared its independence, Victoria has always felt that her birth on such a momentous day was no coincidence but a sign of her destiny to dedicate herself to society.

Silvia Știrbeț is the mayor of Văleni, currently serving her fifth term, having been recently re-elected with 70% of the vote. Throughout her tenure, she has spearheaded numerous projects funded both locally and internationally, many of which were realized with the help of the community.

Under her leadership, Văleni was awarded the ‘Best Tourism Villages’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the 2023 edition, competing against 260 villages from 60 countries. This marked the first time the Republic of Moldova received recognition in this prestigious competition, highlighting Văleni as a must-visit tourist destination.

Additionally, Văleni became the site of Moldova’s first SMART Village pilot project, launching the village’s solar tree. This initiative, the first of its kind in a rural community in Moldova and Eastern Europe, was realized through the transfer of best practices from Romania.

Mayor Știrbeț is optimistic about the Republic of Moldova’s prospects of joining the European Union by 2030 and is committed to working towards integrating Moldovan citizens into the European family.

Volodymyr Shmatko is a politician, manager, mayor of Chortkiv (since November 2015), a member of the Ukrainian national football team among city mayors, a participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war. He was awarded the title of “Best Young Politician of the Year” according to “Pershyi Natsionalnyi” channel in 2008, received the Acknowledgement from the Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2017, and was a laureate of the “Person of the Year” competition (Ternopil region) in 2019.

In one and a half terms, his team managed to do a lot: to prevent the water utility enterprise from bankruptcy, bring the company’s work to a quality level; complete reconstruction of biological treatment facilities; build a new communal market; open an administrative services centre, and start the reconstruction of the central town park.

From the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, an operations headquarters was formed on the basis of the Chortkiv town council headed by Volodymyr Shmatko. It is still actively helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces and providing humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons who have found refuge in the community.

Bogdan Kelichavyi is currently a Mayor of Kopychyntsi municipality in Ukraine. For over two years he serves as board member of Ukrainian Association of Ammalgamated Territorial Communitie and leads its International Relations platform. Previously, as a Local Economic Development Officer for Global Communities office in Kyiv, he contributed to the growth of 75 communities through the USAID-funded program. Additionally, during his time as a Program Officer in Dnipro, Bogdan played a crucial role in supporting decentralization and municipal governance progress in 4 communities. Bogdan’s career exemplifies his commitment to fostering economic development and driving positive change in local municipalities.

Ambassador Logsdon is the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova and is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He most recently served as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment and prior to that was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Energy Resources. He was also the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany, serving as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. from January 2017 to May 2018.

Prior to Berlin, Ambassador Logsdon was the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, and also served as Deputy Executive Secretary of the State Department. His previous positions include Director of the Operations Center, Director of the Office of Russian Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has also served as Political Counselor in Kyiv, Ukraine; and held a variety of positions in Bangkok, Thailand; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Stuttgart, Germany. Ambassador Logsdon speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Thai, and German. He is studying Romanian.

Ambassador Logsdon is originally from Sewickley, Pennsylvania. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame. He is joined in Chisinau by his wife, Michelle, who recently retired from a career in diplomatic service. They have two adult children.

Stella Jemna serves as the Country Representative for the Western NIS Enterprise Fund, a regional investment fund dedicated to fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises for over 29 years. She boasts prior experience in strategic coordination and planning as the Chief of Staff for Moldova’s former Prime Minister, Natalia Gavrilita, where she collaborated closely with cabinet ministers and government agencies. As a Fulbright Scholar holding a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Stella has dedicated over 15 years to project management for organizations such as USAID, the United Nations Development Program, and the European Union, among other development projects. Additionally, she is an active participant in the feminist movement and has co-authored the children’s book ‘Wonder Women in Science, Art, and Sports’, which celebrates the achievements of notable women throughout history.

Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova

Before joining the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Ambassador Jānis Mažeiks was Under-Secretary of State, Political Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia. He formerly served as Latvian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Ambassador Mažeiks holds a degree in political science and a master’s degree in human rights and democratization.

Constantin became the mayor of Edineț in 2007, after having been a teacher at one of the best schools in the Republic of Moldova. As a mayor, Constantin Cojocaru prioritizes the citizens’ active involvement in the decision-making process and attracting investments for local projects.

Constantin has capitalized on his experience gained in local public administration to develop the Project “Edineț — a town with future prospects”. It has several components:

1. Developing the first digital General Urban Plan in the country, the town’s mobility plan and the plan for energy and adaptation to climate changes for the period 2022-2030;
2. Providing the public utility municipal enterprise in Edineț municipality with modern equipment for managing the green areas and biomass collection;
3.     Developing the concept of a new smart public transport service implemented in 2022-2023 in Edineț municipality.

In the spring of 2023, Constantin Cojocaru, together with a group of Moldovan mayors, founded the League of Cities and Communes. As a Co-President of the organization, Constantin actively advocates for the rights of local and regional authorities, such as the right to self-governance.

In 2006–2007, director of the Investor Acquisition Department at the Łódź Special Economic Zone S.A. In 2008–2009 he was the director of the Entrepreneurship Department at the Marshal’s Office in Łódź (Regional Government). He participated in the management of over 40 investment projects with a total value exceeding EUR 1 billion. Marcin has been involved in the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) since 2011. Today ZPP belongs to the group of three largest employers’ organizations in Poland.

As part of the ZPP, he coordinates corporate and sectoral relations departments. Marcin also oversees all foreign relations and partnerships, including the ZPP Representation in Brussels, participating in critical regulatory processes for Polish entrepreneurs in the EU. Initiator and head of the European Enterprise Alliance, an organization of entrepreneurs registered in Brussels associating with organizations of employers from Central and Eastern Europe.

A graduate of international relations at the Faculty of International and Political Relations of the University of Lodz, a scholarship holder at universities in England, France, and China. In 2009-2012 he was the chairman of the Alumni Association of his Faculty at the University of Lodz. For many years active in the movement of think tanks in Europe and the United States. A graduate of the Atlas think-tank MBA program. Marcin has been a member of the Social Dialogue Council (RDS) since 2018 and has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since September 2020.

In 2022, Marcin was honored with the Steven M. Sass Economic Freedom Award by the Heritage Foundation. In April 2023, Marcin Nowacki assumed the role of Chairman of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform in Brussels.

As the City Manager of the City of Oradea since December 2020, Mihai Jurca oversees the IT Department, Public Relations Service, Real Estate Heritage Directorate, Local Transport Company, Municipal Sports Club, Oradea Local Development Agency, the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Oradea and its Region, Oradea City Museum, among others.

He is also responsible for the development and implementation of the “Smart City” concept within the City of Oradea.

Additionally, Mihai serves as the president of the Bihor Destination Management Agency, and the Federation of Tourism Promotion Associations in Romania, and is also a member of the Board of Directors at R.A. Oradea Airport. These roles underscore his dedication to the tourism and economic development of the region.

His career in public administration began in 2008 as an advisor at the Oradea City Hall, focusing on strategic projects for the sustainable development of the city. Later, as a development manager at Eurobusiness Park Oradea between 2010 and 2015, Mihai played a key role in attracting foreign investments to the local industrial parks, thus strengthening Oradea’s economic growth.

Allen Coliban was elected Mayor of Brașov, Romania, on September 27, 2020. Previously, between 2016-2020, he was a senator in the Romanian Parliament, where he acted as President of the Environment Committee for 4 parliamentary sessions. He has distinguished himself as the initiator of the “Forests’ DNA”, the Foul Smells Law, and the #NoWasteInNature project – the implementation of a deposit-refund scheme for packaging.

During his term as mayor, Allen Coliban aims to make Brașov the Romanian city with the highest quality of life and to transform it into the Green Capital of Romania. He proposes a bold vision of sustainable development for the city, with an emphasis on alternative mobility, energy independence, environment-conscious tourism, developing and diversifying university education, attracting investors from the Tech & IT area, as well as capitalizing on the historical, cultural and natural heritage that Brașov prides itself on.

Among the most ambitious projects started for Brașov are the construction of two hospitals, the establishment of the Brassovia Natural Park – which brings together all the metropolitan forests, and the establishment of socio-cultural community centers.
Allen Coliban, born in Brașov in 1979, is the father of two daughters. He has studied Computer Science and Management and his work experience ranges from IT and European funds consulting to organization development and performance management. He has a passion for mountains, winter sports, and strategic board games, such as chess and GO.

Ciprian Ciucu serves as the Mayor of District 6 in Bucharest, Romania, and was the president of PNL Bucharest until 2023. His career before becoming mayor was marked by roles aimed at improving governance and promoting transparency. He was a general councilor for the Municipality of Bucharest from June 2016 to 2019 and led the National Agency of Public Servants in Romania from 2019 to 2020. Ciucu’s background includes co-founding the Romanian Center for European Policies and establishing the Center for Urban and Territorial Development. He has over ten years of experience as a consultant in public administration reform projects across Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, supported by the European Commission, World Bank, and UK Aid.

As mayor, Ciucu has focused on upgrading infrastructure, improving public services, and making the city’s administration more open and accountable. His administration has contributed to urban development, the regeneration of green spaces, and the provision of quality housing. Achievements include building the first nursery in Bucharest in 46 years, two kindergartens, three after-schools, and upgrading 35 schools to nZEB standards. Ciucu also values the use of technology for governance and encourages citizen participation in decision-making. In 2022, District 6 was recognized as the most transparent city hall in Romania, and Ciucu received the Mayor of the Year award at the 2023 “Smart City Industry Awards” Gala.

Director for the European Territorial Cooperation, Macro-regions, Interreg and Programmes Implementation I
Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy

Sławomir Tokarski obtained PhD degree at the European University Institute in Florence in 1995. He joined the Polish administration and headed a team co-ordinating the preparations for the accession negotiations and preparing policy analysis for the Chief Negotiator. In 2004 he joined the Commission as a Cabinet member of the Commissioner responsible for the regional policy. In 2009 he was nominated Head of Unit dealing with economic policy and co-ordination of EU funding in DG MARE. In March 2012 he became Head of Defence, Aeronautics and Maritime industries in DG Enterprise. From 2016 until 2021, he was a Director in DG GROW responsible for Industrial policy and Innovation.
In 2021, Sławomir Tokarski joined DG REGIO as a Director for the European Territorial Cooperation, Macro-regions, Interreg and Programmes Implementation I.

Oleksandr Chumak has 14 years of experience in business-support organizations, his field of in-depth knowledge – ​​simplification of doing business for SMEs in matters of taxation. Over a span of more than 12 years, Oleksandr has excelled in advising SMEs on various aspects of business development, notably through engagements with CIPE, GIZ, and the “Ukrainian Veterans Fund.” As the president of the “Association of Private Employers,” Oleksandr has effectively fostered a dialogue between the private sector and both national and local government entities in Ukraine. His expertise extends to leadership within business associations, adept project management, and the conception and execution of local economic development initiatives in the Kharkiv Region. Mr. Chumak has served on numerous Public Councils under the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, including heading the Public Council under the primary office of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, as well as councils associated with the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Department of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region. Additionally, he has been a member of the Council for the Promotion of Small Business Development under the President of Ukraine from 2020 to 2022.

Natalia Otel Belan is Director of the Europe and Eurasia Division at the Center for International Private Enterprise. With over 20 years of experience, Otel Belan is leading a portfolio of programs on business advocacy, economic security, anti-corruption and business ethics, association management, corporate governance, women’s economic empowerment, and private sector role in enhancing accountability and transparency. CIPE’s programs strengthen the role of business associations, chambers of commerce, think tanks and other organizations in advancing market reforms and democratic governance.

Prior to CIPE, Otel Belan worked on rural economic development at the World Bank. She holds an MA degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington DC, and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Organization Management. Otel Belan is a native Romanian speaker and is fluent in Russian.

Teofil Gherca is, from October 2022, the URBACT Programme Director.

With an educational background in political science and in public administration, Teofil has a long professional experience in the field of spatial planning, territorial and urban policies and territorial cooperation.

He worked during 11 years for the Romanian Government in the Ministry of Transports and Infrastructures and Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration. Before joining URBACT, he worked for 6 years as Head of Unit for Administration and Management at ESPON EGTC – the single beneficiary of the ESPON territorial cooperation programme.

With over ten years of experience managing governmental digital transformation projects and public services reengineering and digitization, Igor is currently leading the Digital platforms division within the e-Governance Agency. His responsibility is to digitize public services using the FOD platform and reusing existing e-government infrastructure and platform services such as MPass, MSign, MNotify, MPay, MCabinet, MDelivery, MPower, MConnect.

Since 2022 Oksana Remiga is EIB Senior Loan Officer responsible for housing operations in Ukraine. She has worked with the EIB since 2017 both in capacity of expert and coordinator of EIB/UNDP technical assistance programmes. Prior to her work with EIB, her carrier was linked with UNDP activities in Europe and CIS region. In 2006 Oksana Remiga has joined UNDP Ukraine as a Senior Programme Manager of Local Development/Human Security Cluster. For more than 10 years she was leading UNDP Ukraine decentralization practice area.  She led the development and implementation of the largest municipal programmes in the region. In 2014-2017 she worked for Recovery and Peacebuilding programme of UNDP Ukraine, dealing with the recovery and development challenges of conflict-affected regions. She serves in UNDP offices in Slovakia, Turkey, Myanmar. Prior to joining UNDP , Ms. Remiga was Deputy Director of the International Centre for Policy Studies.  In that role, Ms. Remiga headed the research unit and also provided policy advice and advocacy in local governance and economic development. She was involved in the design and implementation of numerous international programmes for state and local governments, NGO in public administration reform domain.  Ms. Remiga obtained her PhD. in Economics from the Institute of Economics in the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where she later worked as a research fellow for seven years.

Stella Bădin, currently serving as Deputy Mayor of Cahul, Moldova, has been instrumental in spearheading initiatives across Economic Development, Project Management, International Relations, Investment Attraction, and Digitalization since June 2020. In her capacity as Crisis Cell Coordinator beginning February 2022, Bădin has adeptly managed the municipality’s comprehensive response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, facilitating significant international aid and establishing key healthcare services through the Adventist Help Mobile Medical Clinic.

Her leadership extended to managing the “Elaboration of the Cultural Development Strategy of Cahul municipality” project from June 2021 to November 2022, a pivotal role under the EU-funded “EU4Culture” initiative aimed at leveraging culture and creativity for economic and social advancement in Eastern Partnership countries. Furthermore, from August 2021 to July 2023, Bădin efficiently handled the financial management of a cross-border project enhancing transport infrastructure between Cahul and Oancea, Romania, under the EU and ENI-funded Romania – Republic of Moldova Joint Operational Program.

Prior to her tenure as Deputy Mayor, Bădin contributed to the municipal governance of Cahul as a Municipal Councilor from November 2019 to June 2020, demonstrating her longstanding commitment to local development and international cooperation.

Studies:

Oct 2006 – Jun 2008 – MASTER degree in Bank Financial Management, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Romania

Oct 2000 – Jun 2004 – BACHELOR’S DEGREE – International Economic Relations, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Administration. “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Romania

Sept 1999 – Jun 2000 – English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, “B.P.Hasdeu” University in Cahul, Republic of Moldova.

Luke Cooper is the Director of PeaceRep’s Ukraine programme and an Associate Professorial Research Fellow in International Relations with the Conflict and Civicness Research Group based at LSE IDEAS, the LSE’s in-house foreign policy think tank. Since the full-scale Russian invasion, his research has been focused on the political economy of the Ukrainian war-effort, working in close collaboration with a research network on the ground in Ukraine. He has provided advice to the Government of Ukraine as well as major stakeholders and donors through the Ukraine Recovery Conference process. In his wider academic scholarship, he has written extensively on the theory and history of nationalism and authoritarianism. He is the author of Authoritarian Contagion; the Global Threat to Democracy (Bristol University Press, 2021).

Since 2008, Marian has been serving as a public administrator, and currently, he is the public administrator for the city of Dragasani, Valcea County. The Romanian Association of Public Administrators, an affiliate member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) since 2013 and a member of UDITE (European Federation of Local Government Chief Executives), represents public administrators from over 700 local public institutions (county councils, municipalities, towns, and villages). The Association is dedicated to professionalizing the role of public administrators and establishing a clear, relevant, and unified image of their role and activities as outlined by their management contracts. The goals of the Association focus on professionalizing and enhancing the capacity of this contractual public service function, which is pivotal in ensuring administrative efficiency.

Piotr Grzybowski, Deputy Mayor of Częstochowa, is responsible for the economy, investments, EU funds, and environmental protection. He is also a member of the management board of a subregional association comprising 31 communes. He graduated from the University of Wrocław with a degree in Regional Development. Piotr is a CEEPUS scholarship holder at the University of Brno, Czech Republic, and he holds an MBA from the Silesian University of Technology and Nyenrode Business University.