Prelegenci

Michael Capponi is known as one of the instrumental key pioneers in shaping the image, popularity, and growth of Miami Beach. Over the past 30 years, Michael has been a leading force in the hospitality and entertainment industries and one of the most accomplished residential real estate developers in South Florida. Michael has since fully retired from the private sector and focuses 100% of his time and efforts to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM). He now brings the skills of his prior endeavors to his philanthropic work with GEM. He has built an international organization that is disrupting the disaster sector through innovative, efficient, and modernized systems. GEM has the ability to immediately respond around the world to all phases of disasters. By harnessing the power of social media, celebrity influencers, strategic public-private partnerships and a strong, knowledgeable base of experienced volunteers, Michael has created a replicable formula to have an efficient and effective response to global disasters. GEM has responded to disasters in 44 countries, distributed over $250 million in supplies, coordinated over 336 disaster mission trips and built or repaired more than 148 homes, 15 schools, and has supported children in Haiti with their education for the last decade. Currently, Michael Capponi is serving as a member of the Advisory Board to World for Ukraine Summit 2022.

Maryna Denysiuk, since the war outbreak, is the Senior Project Manager and Team Lead developing and coordinating the Ukraine Recovery Plan under the auspices of the Reforms Delivery Office of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. She has extensive experience in the fields of government relations, providing advisory services in the field of the environmental protection system, climate actions, and coordination of the European Green Deal initiatives at the Ukrainian government level. She has also two years of experience in the fields of ecology and sustainable development, waste management, and attraction of investments in the communities of the region in the public sector. She has previously also worked in the field of energy efficiency of industrial enterprises and green energy. Ms Denysiuk completed 17 projects under the Kyoto Protocol in industries such as the generation and distribution of thermal energy, alternative and small energy, solid waste landfills, water and electricity distribution networks, chemical enterprises, coal mining and enrichment, and energy efficiency in industrial enterprises. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Ms Denysiuk has also carried out energy and technical analysis of environmental investments of more than 40 industrial enterprises in all regions of Ukraine.

Iryna Koshel-Repnevska is the Director of the Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine. The Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine (RST) represents one of the components of the Ukraine Reforms Architecture (URA) programme, an instrument developed jointly by the EBRD and the European Union. RST provides expert technical support to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine in implementing priority reforms identified by the Government of Ukraine. Before her current position, Iryna held various other positions with the Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Infrastructure including a legal adviser role, consultor with private companies. In 2015, Iryna serves Deputy Chairman of the Board Railway Transport Company. She also worked with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and various private companies.

Barrie Hebb is a development economist currently consulting with aid and development agencies for providing aid to vulnerable people in the context of natural, man-made and economic disasters and investing in disaster preparedness. His research interests have focused on the impact of institutional failures on poor communities in transition economies.

Magnus Liljeström is a Senior advisor to the international development projects of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). He has been working in development cooperation for more than 30 years and for the last dozen of years has been focusing on the local aspects of good governance, democracy and the development of local government associations. Since 2016, he has been engaged in projects in Ukraine in support of the decentralization reform. Mr Liljeström is also an experienced local politician, currently as a member of the municipal council, executive committee and social welfare committee of his home municipality.

Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak is Secretary of State in the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland. Madam Minister oversees the implementation of EU funds for Operational Programme Eastern Poland, Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development and Regional Operational Programmes. Her duties also include coordination of the preparation of the new programming period for 2021-2027 and supervision of the Accessibility Plus Programme (she also co-authored the Accessibility Act in Poland). Previously she was the minister of development funds and regional policy.

Konrad Fijołek is Mayor of the City of Rzeszów. Konrad Fijołek has been involved in the management of the refugee crisis since 24 February 2022. Together with the municipal staff and citizens of Rzeszów he provided support to refugees in many different aspects. Rzeszów, as the first large city near the border with Ukraine, has been heavily affected by the war. At the peak of the crisis the city which normally is inhabited by around 200 000 people, now hosted 100 000 refugees. All of them were provided with proper support. In appreciation of the city’s and its citizens’ involvement, Rzeszów became the first city in the world to be granted the Rescuer City title by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The support has not ceased, now Mr Fijołek and the city are focused on the integration of refugees into local society and the preparation for winter. Mr Fijołek is a graduate of the Pedagogical University in Rzeszów and Apsley Business School of London.

Liana Khorovytska is CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) Ukraine Country Director. Liana oversees CORE immediate humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine, with a focus on the most vulnerable territories. Liana is dedicated to identifying and addressing the acute humanitarian needs of people affected by the war. She coordinates the response with the Government of Ukraine, international help agencies, as well as civil society partners, and volunteer hubs in frontline areas and the liberated territories. Liana has over 15 years of experience in leading complex teams in international organizations as well as the business sector. Her expertise includes crisis management in dynamic environments, social cohesion in conflict-affected territories, dialogue and mediation, humanitarian aid, freedom of expression, and media environment. Prior to CORE, Liana served as OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Project Coordinator in Ukraine, where her work overlapped with key stakeholders in the country, including, the Office of the President of Ukraine, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, Ministry of Reintegration and Temporarily Occupied Territories, Ministry of Culture and Informational Policy, Council of Europe, Internews, USAID and the US and German embassies, among others.

Darja Gonstarova is an international relations expert and former diplomat, working for the European institutions since 2016. She holds Masters’ degrees in International Law, in International Relations and in Communication Studies. At the European Committee of the Regions, she has been responsible for relations with Ukraine, including offering support to the decentralisation reform, and bringing EU and Ukrainian cities and regions together within the CoR Working Group on Ukraine. Since February 2022, this support includes also intensified political ties and the recently launched European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

Zhan Beleniuk (born 24 January 1991) is a Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and politician. In 2019, he became the first black member of the Ukrainian Parliament. Beleniuk was born in 1991 in Kyiv to a Ukrainian mother and a father from Rwanda. His father was a pilot who studied in Kyiv at the National Aviation University and died during the Genocide in Rwanda. Beleniuk began wrestling in 2000 when he was nine years old. Thee-time European, two-time World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in under-85 (87) kg weight category. In 2016, he won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2021, he won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He was educated at the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (Master of Sports Psychology) and the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management with a degree in business management. Beleniuk was elected a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election as a member of the Servant of the People political party. He was one of the first ten candidates on the party’s electoral list. He’s served as the first deputy head of the parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports. Beleniuk’s vision of Ukraine’s future involves building the necessary infrastructure to support athletes and the improvement of public health by promoting sports.

As Ukraine response field team lead, Jake Wheeler oversees Americares shipments of critical medicine and support for local organizations assisting adults and children affected by the war in Ukraine. Wheeler leads a team, based in Kraków, Poland, focused on delivering medicine and medical supplies to health facilities in Ukraine and providing emergency funding and other assistance to local organizations in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Americares Ukraine response supports more than 60 partner organizations providing medical care, mental health support and other essential services to adults and children across all four countries. Wheeler has played a key role in Americares response to the war in Ukraine since April 2022, when he joined the health-focused relief and development organization as an emergency response and assessment officer in Romania. Americares responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings preparedness programs to communities vulnerable to disasters. Americares relief workers are among the first to respond to emergencies, helping to restore health services for survivors. Prior to joining Americares, Wheeler worked for multilateral development organizations, bilateral government agencies and international non-governmental organizations. Most recently, he worked in South Sudan for four years as country representative for The Carter Center, overseeing all public health programming in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. He previously worked in the Ministry of Finance, Republic of Liberia and consulted with the World Bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on refugee and migration issues. Wheeler earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a certificate in refugees and humanitarian emergencies from the Institute for the Study of International Migration. He received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University.

Alona Shkrum is a Ukrainian politician and lawyer. Since 2014, she is MP of Ukrainian Parliament. Ms Shkrum works in the Parliamentarian Committee on taxation, banking and finance. She is a member of the President of Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group with France and a Secretary of Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group with Great Britain. Ms Shkrum is also a member of the Bureau of Committee on peace and security of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Her focus areas include: international relations, inter-parliamentary diplomacy, public administration reform and support for local small and medium businesses. Before being elected an MP, Ms Shkrum worked on matters related to IDPs as an advocacy expert and implementing partner of UNHCR, as well as a lawyer in Ukraine, France and Great Britain as a Pegasus Scholar in the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. In 2017 and 2020 she was at list of top-100 most successful Ukrainian women. In 2016, she was awarded «Top 30 under 30» by the Kyiv Post as one of the young leaders of Ukraine. Ms Shkrum is a graduate of Cambridge University, University Pantheon-Sorbonne Paris 1, and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Grzegorz Gruca is a vice-president, member of the Management Board and an expert working at Polish Humanitarian Action. He participated in establishing PHA missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Ukraine and has also participated in humanitarian missions to North Korea. Between 1990 and 1994 he worked as an executive manager and consultant at various trade companies. From 1995 to 1997 he was the NGO liaison coordinator of the Warsaw office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He has been working for PHA since 1997, as a Management Board Member and an Executive Manager. In 1998, Mr Gruca completed a technical cooperation program under the Program of the Agency for International Development of the Government of the United States of America in the field of Emergency Management. He is a member of Polish Fundraising Association. In November 2011 he was awarded the Bene Merito badge by the Minister of Foreign Affairs for strengthening Poland’s position on the international stage. In 2016 Mr Gruca joined the regional round-tables, organized by NOHA and the European Commission as part of the preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit. In 2017, he obtained a certificate from the Union Civil Protection Mechanism Training Programme for the Technical Experts Course. The certificate is honored by the European Commission.

Andriy Sadovyi is a Lviv city mayor since 2006. When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Lviv became one of the leading cities of the Ukrainian homefront, receiving wounded soldiers and civilians, providing shelters for internally displaced people (IDPs) and undergoing frequent missile attacks. Lviv city mayor implements a number of scale programs that enable full-fledged functioning of the city in these unusual circumstances.

Joanna Porath has 17 years of professional experience as a director in TSL sector. Experienced in management and business development within the field of customs services, maritime and intermodal forwarding and air freight. She is fluent in 3 languages. A dynamic leader specialized in creating and developing long-term business strategies and building company’s image on the Polish, German-speaking (DACH) and Dutch market. She is an active participant in women’s business groups: Ladies Logistics Lounge Hamburg, Damen Logistik Club Vienna, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association. She is MBA candidate, having Master’s degree in Transport Engineering and Commodity Science.

Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She leads a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe created by Notes from Poland and produces and hosts The VoiCEE podcast. She has previously worked for Polish mainstream media: Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy and Duży Format.

Zygmunt L. Ostrowski (MD, PhD, MPH) is a pediatrician in Paris, a former WHO Regional Advisor, and currently the president of the European Association for Child Development (ADE) – a humanitarian and nonprofit organization created in 1976. The aim of ADE is to promote studies concerning the psychomotor development of children at each stage of age. While conducting scientific studies in Southern Sudan, Dr Ostrowski found himself at the heart of the Sudanese civil war (1984-2005). He saved children in war conflicts and created a Center for Children in Distress in Uganda to de-traumatize them through art-therapy (also later in Afghanistan and former Yugoslavia). Dr Ostrowski has published sixteen scientific and geopolitical books and over 100 scientific articles and speeches. For one of his books, he received the Henri Duveyrier Prize (1840-1892) of the French Geographical Society in 2007. Officer of Polish Order of Merit and UNICEF Order of „SMILE”, he continues humanitarian actions and research through art-therapy and group stimulation to prevent the worsening of the mental state of traumatized children. Since the war in Ukraine, he is also concerned with the health of traumatized Ukrainian children arriving to Poland.

Oleh Berezyuk is an Advisor to the Mayor of Lviv on health issues. He is an alumni of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, where he works now too. Psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and Member of the USP community (Ukrainian Union of Psychotherapists).

Phil Oldham is International Medical Corps’ Deputy Country Director for Programming in Ukraine, where he oversees programs in health; mental health and psychosocial support; gender-based violence prevention and treatment; water, sanitation and hygiene; nutrition; and cash assistance. He has been working in international relief and development since 1992, and has extensive experience in conflict and emergency operating environments, including assignments in Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Libya and Ukraine. He also has managed development programs in Africa and Haiti in health, economic development, agriculture, financial services, climate resiliency and other sectors. His work includes assignments with some of the leading international NGOs in the field, as well as smaller organizations with a geographic or sectoral focus. Before joining International Medical Corps in September, Phil worked with International Orthodox Christian Charities in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, establishing programs in Romania, Poland, and Ukraine. He holds a B.A. in Soviet Studies from Middlebury College, speaks Serbo-Croatian, French and Russian, and is learning Ukrainian.

Being passionate about Startups, Uliana Pereskotska is currently covering Health & Wellbeing Vertical at Kickstart Innovation, helping organizations become more sustainable and innovative. She leads the Ukrainian Chapter of Diaspora TV and multiple projects at Ukrainian Swiss Business Association (USBA). Uliana has been synergistic professional with over 9 years of experience in logistics, communication, and innovation industries, including 5 years in project managing.

Jean-Christophe Bonis is a futurist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, TED speaker, investor, and writer. He is passionate about new technologies and is a tireless globe-trotter. Jean-Christophe was recognized in 2019 among the most influential French experts in the field of artificial intelligence across the planet. After a career as a VC, he decided to leave everything to give a meaning to his life. He travelled the 5 continents to meet the different cultures impacted by today’s digital challenges. An entrepreneur committed to the ecosystem of successful start-ups, Jean-Christophe led for 10 years a start-up studio dedicated to projects in the field of artificial intelligence (anomaly detection, computer vision, smart city and industry 4.0). Facing successes and failures, he believes in «Tech for Good» and empirical experience. Having dedicated all his career to innovation strategy and people, Jean-Christophe created the foundation Team4UA/Team4Humanity in February 2022 to link technology with emergency humanitarian answer in Ukraine. As chairman of the board, he’s leading since then all the operations in the field.

Brock Bierman was sworn in on January 8, 2018 as Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia. Mr. Bierman brings considerable experience to the Bureau from previous leadership positions with the Rhode Island House of Representative USAID, FEMA, Department of the Interior, and the private sector, as well as extensive knowledge of the region. Prior to his current appointment with USAID, Bierman spent more than twenty years in the private sector as a successful entrepreneur, launching two small businesses from the ground up. Throughout his career in public service, Bierman has demonstrated a commitment to expanding transformative development across Eastern Europe and Eurasia. From 2002-2007, he served as Chief of Staff in USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, where he helped implement strategic priorities for the Bureau and provided oversight of conflict mitigation, democracy, health, and trade initiatives within the region. Bierman also managed all aspects of the Bureau’s public outreach activities. While at FEMA Bierman led a program to recruit, train, and monitor nearly one million emergency management volunteers on a $20 million budget. A recognized leader, Bierman also served three terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he cultivated strong bipartisan support and received public recognition for extraordinary ethical integrity and accountability.

Oleksander Yakovlev is a Skadovsk city mayor. He served his first term in office in 2015-2018 and was re-elected in 2020. Now the city of Skadovsk (Kherson region) is occupied. Mr Yakovlev manages it remotely, looking for solutions and ways that enable the functioning of the city and its services even under the occupation.

William McNulty is a social entrepreneur, United States Marine veteran, and the Head of Mission for White Stork. In February 2022, William traveled to Ukraine where he cofounded Operation White Stork. In 2010, William cofounded Team Rubicon, an internationally acclaimed veteran-led disaster response organization with over 100,000 members and 500 operations around the world. In 2014, William founded Team Rubicon Global, serving as CEO until 2017 and then again from 2020-2021. In ten years, William helped raise over $100M and launched five Team Rubicon country units in Australia, Canada, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States. William holds a BA from the University of Kansas – with a double major in Economics and Communication Studies – and an MA in Government from The Johns Hopkins University. William is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr Stanisław Mazur is a medical doctor, specialist in internal diseases and cardiologist, scholarship holder in Hamburg and Philadelphia, and author of several scientific publications. He is a precursor of private health care in Rzeszów. For over 33 years, Dr Mazur and his family have been running the Medyk Medical Center – the first private medical company in the city of Rzeszów, one of the fastest growing networks of medical facilities in the Podkarpackie Province. Currently, the Medyk Medical Center provides services to over half a million patients, 8,000 companies and employs a total of over 1,000 people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he actively participated in the pandemic prevention efforts by creating hundreds of testing sites and vaccination clinics, as well as isolatories for patients and medics working in COVID wards. Dr Mazur is a winner of many awards, including the award of the Patient Rights Ombudsman „Golden Leader” in the Healthcare competition 2019. In 2021, he received the PR Wings award for communication and crisis management of the vaccination process. From the very beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, he was deeply involved in helping people who fled violence. He is the originator and main founder of the emergency accommodation point for refugees at Full Market in Rzeszów, a medical clinic dedicated exclusively to Ukrainian refugees, the Language Institute, where Ukrainians with medical degree have the opportunity to learn Polish language and the “Little Medyk” kindergarten for children from Ukrainian families.

Oleksandr Syenkevych was elected as Mykolaiv City Mayor on November, 24, 2015. Mr Syenkevych is the youngest mayor of the regional centre of Ukraine. On November 22, 2020 he was reelected as the Mykolaiv City Mayor. His main task as a mayor of a half a million city is transformation of Mykolaiv into the best city for the citizens’ life. On February, 24 with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syenkevych has become the head of the city, which has been on the front zone. He has organized the work of the city council executive bodies under martial law. Prior to his position as a mayor, Mr Syenkevych founded a public organization «Golos gromady».

Krzysztof Stanowski is a member of the regional board of the underground Solidarity movement, a political prisoner, and co-founder of the independent scouting in Poland (1988). Since 1989, he has been a co-founder and leader of various non-governmental organisations including the Education for Democracy Foundation and the Zagranica Group. He is an experienced trainer and educator active in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Mongolia. Author of numerous educational programmes and publications concerning NGO management and civic education. Krzysztof is also a coordinator of long-term development cooperation and democracy support programmes in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa. Member of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy, as well as Ashoka fellow. Furthermore, he has served as under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education of Poland (2007-2010) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-2011). He was the President of Solidarity Fund PL – Polish Democracy Support Agency (2012-2017). Since 2013, he is a co-organiser of the Polish support for the Revolution of Dignity. Co-founder of Civic Committee of the Solidarity with Ukraine. Member of the Polish-Ukrainian Dialogue Group. On February 23, 2022 he co-founded Lublin Civic Committee to Aid Ukraine – an umbrella organization to integrate assistance from local government and NGOs. Since 2022, he is a member of Committee of Experts on the Intercultural Integration of Migrants Council of Europe.

Dr Graziella Piga is an international specialist on gender equality and social inclusion. She combines over 20 years of experience in field missions (OSCE, UN Women, INGO) with consulting work, research, analysis on gender equality and women, peace and security (WPS) in conflict-affected and fragile states. She has extensive experience in gender-sensitive policies and programme review, design, monitoring, evaluation and learning. From 2011 to 2013 she was the manager and chief technical adviser of the UN Women Cross-regional programme on the implementation of the UNSCR on WPS, covering 8 countries. Dr Piga has an excellent knowledge and experience of international human rights instruments and principles and their application. Since 2014 she has undertaken a variety of short-term assignments for several IOs, including the UN, the OSCE and the EU. She was an expert of the EU IcSP Gender Facility I and led the GF II. She has recently joined Project HOPE as their Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Director providing technical guidance to their teams in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and Poland. Dr Piga holds a PhD in Gender and Politics from Surrey University (UK) with a thesis on the gender dimension of the EU Foreign and Security Policy. She also holds an MA in Russian Studies from Bologna University (Italy) and an MSc in Development Practice from Oxford Brookes University (UK). She is fluent in English and proficient in French and Russian. Italian is her mother tongue.

Maryna Marchenko has been a head of NGO ‘PMSC Lada’ since 2020. She created this organization with partners 4 years ago to provide conditions and opportunities for healthy and active maternity in Ukraine, economic capacity and financial independence of women. Maryna’s role now is based around managing activities and projects, fundraising and government relationships. It includes project design, monitoring and evaluation, negotiation with potential partners and donors, building cooperation with government and advocacy rights and interests of mothers on the government level. Under her leadership, NGO ‘PMSC Lada’ launched the first all-Ukrainian support hotline for parents. 8.000 parents received aid in 9 month. Also, she and her team created a free online course ‘The time has come’. 10.000 moms are currently participating in it to understand how to find themselves, return to the labor market and become financially independent. Since the war in Ukraine began, she has made an adaptation of all NGO projects to military conditions. Now she continues to create new projects to help Ukrainian moms. Maryna also consults other women activists on how to create an NGO and start its activities.

Monika Plata is a speech and language therapist and an intercultural educator. In 2014-2020, she worked with Polish bilingual patients in London, including at the Family Clinic operating at the Polish Psychologists’ Association; Polish Saturday schools: Hounslow, South Croydon, Willesden Green and the Polish School of the Polish Embassy in London; Poland Medical Private Medical Practice; Healthy Body Clinic ManualMed. Monika collaborated with the London-based foundation Aphasia Re-Connect, offering help to people suffering from aphasia as a result of stroke. In 2015-2017, Monika was an assistant at the Department of Polish Diaspora, and in 2017-2020 at the Department of Health Sciences at the Polish University Abroad in London (PUNO). From 2016 to 2020, she conducted a number of speech therapy classes at PUNO and was also the head of the University Speech Therapy Clinic. Since 2020, Monika is an assistant at the Institute of Social Sciences of the Polish Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities in London (PASSH). In April this year, she took a position as the president of the Association of Schools of Mother Subjects established by PASSH. She is also a member of the Ethics Committee of the Polish Society of Neurologopedists and occasionally presents as a court expert in the fields of speech therapy and neurologopedics. Currently, she is the medical director of the NEURO Specialist Clinic, specializing in the rehabilitation of children and adults with neurological deficits.

For the last 5 years, Roman Neyter has been engaged in research and consultations in the field of agricultural and land policy, including the EU and World Bank program “Supporting Transparent Land Governance in Ukraine” and in the UaFoodTrade project – a project of sustainable internationalization of scientific structures in Ukraine, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science. Currently, Roman is a researcher with the Center for Food and Land Use Research at the Kyiv School of Economics.

Dr. Dadunashvili has worked for such organizations as Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Labour Organization, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. She was a member of the Permanent Identification Group on the status of victims of trafficking in human beings, and a member of the Interagency Co-ordination Council for implementation of measures against THB. She is a member of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. She has participated in country assessments of Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo, Armenia, Belarus, and Serbia and Azerbaijan. As a member of the ad hoc working group on labour exploitation, she participated in drafting of the compendium of good practices in addressing trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation, and the guidance note on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation; she took part in the meetings of the drafting committee for the CoE Ministerial Council Recommendation on trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. She accompanied the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees in her fact-finding missions to Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Moldova to assess the situation of Ukrainian refugees. She is the Gender Equality Rapporteur for GRETA.

Maryana Zaviyska has over 15 years expertise in Ukrainian civil society development and good understanding of current rapidly changing situation in Ukrainian and sector context. She works as a facilitator of transformation processes with organizations working in the social change and development sector in Eastern Europe and Balkan countries. Her expertise is in the fields of stakeholder dialogues and collaborations. Her work comprises building partnerships in complex multi-stakeholder initiatives ranging across the development spectrum. Since 2017 Maryana Zaviyska has been a Project Manager and Facilitator at the Collective Leadership Institute, a cutting edge NGO working on changing the collaboration paradigm towards a vision that values interdependence, interconnection, compassion, care, and respect. Maryana Zaviyska guides individuals and organizations through processes that build collaboration capacities in the expectation of developing productive collaboration cultures within organizations and through and across thematic sectors. In Ukraine Maryana Zaviyska is coordinating Collective Leadership Hub (https://www.collectiveleadership.de/blog/article/collective-leadership-hubs-network/).

Iryna Kopanytsia is a CEO of White Ribbon in Ukraine, an international campaign against domestic violence, a woman rights activist, humanitarian and a public speaker. Iryna has been engaged in Government Relations and lobbying sector in Ukraine, USA and Great Britain. She co-organised GR international conferences and forums in Washington DC, Istanbul, Dubai, Brussels and Kyiv. Iryna is also a former CEO of Miss Ukraine, a national beauty contest a franchise of Miss World, produced online reality show in China, actively supports different charities including David Lynch Foundation in Ukraine, children hospitals and medical facilities, participates in developing a number of laws about women’ rights and orphans’ houses. She helped to advocate in Parliament of Ukraine for a new law criminalizing domestic violence and coordinated cooperation with European Parliament members and Senators on women rights. During COVID19 Iryna launched production of PPE in Ukraine assisting governmental organizations and medical facilities with needed supplies. In 2022 after the war crisis in Ukraine began she stepped in White Ribbon Ukraine campaign’s management as a CEO. White Ribbon Ukraine launched the first in Ukraine mobile application for domestic violence victims supported by the US Embassy in Ukraine and State Democracy Fund of the US as well as currently producing TV series about the heroic role of Ukrainian women during the war.

Robert Drogoś has 30 years of experience backed by successes and lessons learned from failures. Fellow of the U.S. Government and the German Parity Social Union. Former employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Working Community of Social Organizations, the Working Community of Associations of Social Organizations, the European Academy of Social Sciences and the University of A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He is a specialist in social communication and an NGO development advisor. Robert is President of the TRATWA Association since its inception and creator of the EQUAL project „CYBER-HAND OF LEADERSHIP – Supporting leaders of social change in Poland” and project „PROMES – Promotion of Social Economy in Poland”. He is also a founder of the ZAJEZDNIA Intercultural Projects Studio and the Center for Academic Culture and Local Initiatives Czasoprzestrzeń in Wrocław.

Colleen Denny is Spirit of America’s Regional Director for Europe. Prior to joining Spirit of America, Colleen earned her Master’s Degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) after serving for eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard. As the Regional Director for Europe, Colleen has executed projects throughout the Balkans and eastern Europe alongside deployed American troops and Diplomats in support of US diplomatic and national security objectives. These projects have ranged from supporting a Ukrainian NGO making masks for Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Donbas, to creating a food security initiative for import-reliant Montenegro, to helping evacuate at-risk Afghans from Kabul to safety in Albania. Colleen has led Spirit of America’s efforts to provide aid and assistance to the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Force and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To date, Spirit of America has provided over $24mm worth of aid, totaling over 180 tons, including 9,400+ sets of body armor and helmets, 20,000+ Individual First Aid Kits, 9 50-passenger vans, 4×4 trucks, and communications gear. A native of Buffalo NY, Colleen graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science. During her time in service, she served on three ships including a tour as the Commanding Officer of a Fast Response Cutter.

Malcolm J. Wright is a FCA Developer and contractor with vast experience in starting and growing companies including three fully reporting public companies. Mr. Wright has owned businesses in England, Spain, the Caribbean Islands of Antigua, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the United States. He has been active in Puerto Rico since the Hurricanes of 2017 creating his own proprietary resilient and sustainable building materials, wall and roof systems to construct energy-efficient housing that can withstand storms and earth quakes yet improve the residents’ quality of life. His systems enable local unskilled labor to be employed for 80% of the work and can be built in half the time of traditional CMU systems. His fiberglass solar panels are lightweight and almost unbreakable and there is almost no roof made that cannot support the weight of his panels. They are manufactured in Amsterdam and shortly in Poland. He intends to set up factories in Poland and the Ukraine to give people jobs and to build back better, greener, faster and at a lower price point to stretch the monies to help more families. He has developed a refugee solution which is on display at the Rzeszow Arena that is flat packed and can be erected in a day and can be taken apart quickly and moved multiple times. The home is designed to last for 20 years. On display also is his power wagon which can be fitted with a reverse osmosis plant to produce drinking water.

Larysa Sugay is a health educator, physiotherapist and NDT Bobath therapist. She helps people to change their lives for the better – as a physiotherapist, using rehabilitation techniques, as a health educator by showing advantages of the healthy lifestyle. Larysa was born in Ukraine, studied in the United States and currently lives in Poland. Thus, multiculturalism and the diverse backgrounds are significantly important to her. She likes to exercise empathy with others to assist in all aspects of communication and creating higher chances of people’s successful outcomes. As a physiotherapist, Larysa works at the Polish Migration Forum – an NGO helping people with migration background to integrate into the host society. Her major occupancy is focused on migrants (mostly children) with neurological disorders or trauma aiming to help them to overcome their traumatic experience and get better health. Additionally, Larysa works in the National Institute of Public Health at the Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases Prevention, where among others, she runs the research project aiming at reducing inequalities in health for migrants. As she says: “I think it is a high time for all of us to use our skills to make the global society a better place for all the people, not just chosen one”.

Julia Sachenko is a Country Manager of a non-governmental organization A21 Ukraine. She has 10 years of experience in combating human trafficking and assistance to survivors of modern slavery in Ukraine. Together with the A21 Ukraine team, she developed dozens of prevention programs for people vulnerable to trafficking in human beings, as well as awareness projects with the government of Ukraine. Julia took part in police raids and rescue missions, and was involved in holistic reintegration assistance to victims. Now, as a refugee from Ukraine in Poland, she and her team continue working to protect Ukrainian refugees from human trafficking in European countries. Currently, in Poland, together with her team Julia is involved in the development of projects and resources for refugees, conducts information campaigns along the Ukrainian side of the border, trains frontline officers, and helps refugees affected by human trafficking.

Anton Aslanov is currently volunteering for the non-governmental organization and project ‘Childhood Without War’. He is also self-employed in banking and international business consulting and is broadening the knowledge in supply chain finance along with trending ways of the modern ex-im banking support. Anton has long-term relations and business portfolio with partners from the Middle East, India, Japan and the European Union (namely Germany, Netherlands and Italy) in structured contracts, commenced supplies and successfully closed deal. He was born in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Olena Aslanova is a Volunteer and Fundraiser of the non-governmental organization ‘Childhood Without War’ since March 2022. She is also the Head of Project Office of the company „Varus” (food retail chain), over the last 5 years. She has more than 10 years of experience in strategy development and project management, and she is a business and life coach for personal effectiveness and project management. She was born in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Adrian Goretzki is a lawyer & patient advocate specialized in the area of rare diseases. In years 2010-2018, a leader of Polish Association for Patients with Primary Immunodeficiencies 'Immunoprotect’, former member of executive board of international umbrella association – the International Patient Organization for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI). For his successful patient advocacy, Adrian has been given Luciano Vassali Award in 2014, the University of Silesia Rector’s Award in 2020 and RARE Champion of Hope award in 2022. In his foundation, the Healthcare Education Institute, he ensures the best possible standards of care and therapy for people with chronic and rare diseases in Central Eastern Europe. To fulfill this purpose, the foundation’s main focus is on preparing studies and reports and providing education of patient advocacy groups, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his foundation supports Ukrainian refugees with rare diseases in obtaining highly specialized treatment in the European Union and also helps Ukrainian hospitals taking care of patients with rare diseases. See: EDUinstitute.org

Anna Korzeniowska is a Co-Founder and Board Member of the Koper Pomaga Foundation, established in Łódź, Poland in the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After starting with the coordinator of free buses from the border, the Foundation organized to evacuate women and children from the Lviv train station, where most of the escapees from the east were flocking. Ms Korzeniowska was then responsible for the team that identified available accommodations for the refugees and distributed material aid. Together with Marcin Banasiak, a co-organizer of the humanitarian aid convoys to Bucha, Kharkiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Toretsk, and other frontline towns and villages of the Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts, the Foundation’s Package for a Civilian project feeds those at risk of starvation. Ms Korzeniowska is a co-author of the Surzhyk album of photographs, which documents the daily struggles of the people of Kharkiv as they face the enormity of Russian aggression. Some of the photographs will be featured at an exhibition accompanying the W4UA Summit.

Oleh Fasolya is head of the component of education support at the local and regional levels of the Swedish-Ukrainian project „Supporting Decentralization in Ukraine”. He is a candidate of Pedagogical Sciences. From 2014 to 2021, he headed the Department of Education and Science of the Khmelnytskyi Regional State Administration. From 2016 to 2021, he was a member of the Board of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. He specializes in the formation of effective school networks, the creation of conditions for providing high-quality educational services to those seeking education regardless of their place of birth, residence and education, and reforming the senior school in terms of the formation of a network of senior specialized schools. Mr Fasolya is a co-author of the manuals „New school in new communities”, „Senior specialized school: steps to creation”, and „Autonomy as a way to effective school management”. One of the initiators and authors of the „School Gardens of Victory” project.

Jan Marković is an educational psychologist, children books author, and an activist with more than 20 years of experience working on dozens of projects. The NGO he co-founded in 2015, Podkarpackie Stowarzyszenie dla Aktywnych Rodzin (PSAR, transl. Subcarpathian Association for Active Families), has established itself as one of the most active, professional, and respectable regional organizations in the areas of education and culture in Subcarpathian Poland. PSAR currently employs more than 20 personnel. After the Russian invasion on Ukraine, PSAR immediately engaged in helping Ukrainian refugees and working on social inclusion of newcomers, especially children and youth. It runs Center for Psychosocial Support TUTU in Rzeszów. It collaborates with international organizations such as Project HOPE, UNHCR, Soleterre, Premiere Urgence Internationale, and others on providing essential support to those in need. Every day Jan writes, talks, plans, teaches and asks questions trying to contribute as much as possible to those efforts.

Dave Tomlinson serves as the Senior Director of Global Disaster Response and Procurement. His global responsibilities include all facets of disaster cycle services in over 60 countries. His direct major disaster response experience includes natural disasters and humanitarian crisis in 40 major events in the last 4 years. Dave leads HOPE worldwide’s $30 million response to Ukraine that includes food security, psychosocial support, direct medicine and supply aid, and refugee support in Ukraine and in 37 cities in Europe. Prior to joining HOPE worldwide in 2018, Dave retired after a 35-year career in Fire and Emergency Services. Dave holds a Master of Science in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science in Fire and Emergency Management.

Virginie Bidault de l’Isle is the head of the International Cooperation of the non-governmental organization French Civil Protection. She coordinate more than 32 000 volunteers. Launched in 1964, thanks to General de Gaulle’s initiative, French Civil Protection is the leading NGO of the first aid emergency response, training and humanitarian aid in France. Virginie started volunteering in first aid teams and social care as a teenager. Along all those years, she was mainly in charge of increasing the support of homeless people and managing many projects in crisis response involving many volunteers. Lately, she was the head of large COVID testing and vaccination centers. On the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Virginie was sent by the French Civil Protection as one the bridgehead at the Ukrainian boarder to organize the arrival of the first humanitarian help before managing a large refugee camp in Paris. Then, she jointly organized the rise in power of the Ukrainian help. The French Civil Protection has sent more than 15 000 pallets of humanitarian aid in Ukraine. She is involved in business management and consulting, and has a large experience with projects based in Eastern Europe.

Ania Hyman is a doctoral student in the Department of History at American University in Washington, DC, and the co-founder of the Koper Pomaga Foundation, about to defend her dissertation on the post-World War II reconstruction of Warsaw. Her work focuses on the inscription and/or erasure of certain carefully selected memories and versions of national and local history into the urban landscape. Some of her main research questions include: What is the role of architecture and urban planning in (de)constructing local and national narratives? What should be reconstructed and how to foster both community building and reconciliation? What is the significance and role of sites of memory (lieux de mémoire) in the healing of communities fractured by armed conflict? What should be the input of local inhabitants in the reconstruction of cities? Should reconstructions be chiefly local, or is there a place for the international community to step in? If so, to what extent? How should the affected communities reconcile the tension between preservation, reconstruction, and redevelopment? How should reconstruction be conducted to avoid re-traumatizing the population? Since the first days of the Russian invasion, Ms Hyman is actively engaged in supporting war refugees in Poland and delivering humanitarian aid to the people of eastern Ukraine. Passionate about history, architecture, reading, traveling, vinyl, cooking, and everything Warsaw. The mother of two dogs, the wife of one husband. She lives in New York.

Julia Markhel is a public figure with 20 years of experience. She is currently a leader of the largest environmental movement in Ukraine – “Let’s do it Ukraine”, which unites more than 3 million Ukrainians. She is also a coordinator of the International Humanitarian Project „Let’s do it Ukraine SOS”, and a coordinator of the World Cleaning Day in Ukraine. She co-founded international movements Let’s Do It World and School Recycling World in Ukraine and continues to be actively involved. In 2022, it was possible to continue the implementation of eco-projects in Ukraine, as well as attract 2,300 volunteers who united in 18 regions of humanitarian hubs to carry out humanitarian missions both in hot spots and in relatively safe areas of our country; organize dozens of international cultural, social, events in support of the project; attract bloggers, athletes, public opinion leaders. Also, within the framework of the international humanitarian project, it was possible to attract and distribute 3,030 tons of humanitarian aid to more than 422,113 Ukrainians, distribute 106,248 food kits, organize the logistical support of aid arriving in other regions of Ukraine, the provided humanitarian aid is equivalent to 46 million dollars. www.letsdoitukraine.org

Yevhen Smuryhin is a Senior Project Manager at the Reform Support Team of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine. His main area of expertise and responsibility is the Inland Water Transport Reform. Mr Smuryhin has experience in the transport sphere in the public sector since 2008. Since 2011, he has held management positions in governmental authorities in Ukraine, mainly in the field of water transport. Mr Smuryhin has taken part in the process of Ukraine’s accession to several international agreements, as well as the preparation of the Ukrainian law „On Inland Water Transport” and numerous by-laws to it, and the adoption of the law establishing the State Fund of Inland Waterways.

Viktor Stepanyuk works in the social sphere since 2009 in Lviv cory council, Lviv regional administration, and the Ministry of Social Policy. Since July 2021, Mr Stepanyuk is the head of the Lviv regional department in the National Social Service of Ukraine. Before the war, his main responsibilities were the control of local structures of social protection and local communities regarding the provision of social support, social services and the observance of children’s rights. During the war, he additionally cooperates with various funds, institutions and organizations in terms of improving the conditions of stay of internally displaced persons in the territory of Lviv region.

Svitlana Chystiakova is a financial and project manager, and vice-president of Kraina Foundation, helping Ukrainian refugees with humanitarian aid and allocation programmes. After 15 years of corporate finance and project management experience, Svitlana started her own business in Warsaw, Poland. Since the end of February 2022, she runs ‘Centrum Pomocy Mokotów’ [transl. Mokotów Aid Center] on Pulawska 20 in Warsaw where she became a volunteer supporting Ukrainian refugees coming to Poland. With this centre, Svitlana managed to help around 20 thousand refugees, coordinated around 500 volunteers, and managed around 8 mln PLN of donations from all over the world. With Kraina Foundation, she continues to help refugees and displaced people integrate into local societies.

Blandine Bruyère is International Medical Corps’ Coordinator for its Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Emergency Response Team in Ukraine. Before joining International Medical Corps earlier this year, she worked for the last 12 years as an MHPSS expert for various humanitarian organizations in Africa (in Algeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Senegal) and in the Middle East (Iraq and Syria). Before joining the humanitarian sector, she worked as a psychologist and psychotherapist for 12 years in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric facilities in Lyon, France. She also worked with Forum Réfugies, a local NGO supporting asylum seekers and migrants. Ms Bruyère has conducted research at the Research Center on Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology (CRPPC) at the Université Lumière Lyon 2, and holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and psychopathology, specializing in the psychological effects of collective violence and migration.

Agata Kozak is the President of Kraina Foundation which is a non-governmental organization that carries out a mission to strengthen local communities by creating equal opportunities for people in crises, including the poor, elderly, and refugees. During the Ukrainian refugee crisis, Ms Kozak manages the Centrum Pomocy Mokotów [transl. Mokotów Aid Centre] at 20 Puławska Street in Warsaw – a place where refugees from Ukraine receive free food, clothes, shoes, hygiene articles, household chemicals and many other necessary products. From the very beginning, the Mokotów Aid Centre has been ran only by volunteers, hundreds of committed people, and many invaluable private donors. It has helped over 20,000 refugees from Ukraine and the estimated value of the aid obtained and provided was 8 mln PLN. Mokotów Aid Center has been recognized by global media (CNN, BBC, Fox News, Arte, etc.). Agata is an experienced entrepreneur and manager. For over 15 years, she ran the digital marketing projects and companies.

Dmytro Klets is a Senior Project Manager at the Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine since 2019. As Project Manager, he assists in developing the road sector’s reform agenda and work planning, manages preparation of changes to laws and secondary legislation, manages analytical support of the reforms, and assists in implementing infrastructural projects in Ukraine. Among others, Mr Klets is also involved in the drafting and approval of a number of draft laws regarding the EU acquis requirements of road transport, as well as legislation regarding the functioning of Weigh-in-Motion systems (i.e. the automatic recording of offenses and automatic fines collection). Previously, Mr Klets has worked as Vice Rector and Head of Computer Technologies and Mechatronics Department at Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University. He has also conducted research with Brandenburg University of Technology (Germany), National Aerospace University «Kharkiv Aviation Institute», Kozhedub Air Force University, and Kharkiv Research Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Katarzyna Pietrzak is a graduate of the Faculty of Law, specializing in international law and human rights. She works as Programme Coordinator for the Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH). After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, she lived and worked as a coordinator of the crisis intervention point at the border crossing in Dorohusk. Currently, Katarzyna continues to work as a coordinator of PAH activities on the Polish-Belarusian border. Privately, she is a great lover of backpacking around Asia.

Since 2013, Svitlana Osipchuk has taught historical disciplines at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. From 2016 onwards, she has also worked in the non-governmental sector, first in the field of non-formal education with a focus on human rights and the history of the Holocaust, then in an organization that aimed to build a journalistic community in Eastern Ukraine. She was an AMCHA-Germany project participant for professionals working with groups affected by trauma and collective violence in Ukraine (2019-2020). Svitlana started working in War Childhood Museum Ukraine in 2021 as a project manager and recently stepped in as a Project Director. Svitlana advocates the importance of mental health care and care related to the traumatic past. She likes to travel across Ukraine and meet her friends in her free time.

Aaron Asay is the Chief Medical Officer for Aerial Recovery, overseeing all medical preparations and response to humanitarian events. He is a practicing Physician Assistant with extensive experience in austere and rural medicine, primary care, and trauma, including 6 years as the primary care provider of a small island community in Hawaii and over a decade caring specifically for underserved communities. He is also a CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive) injury and trauma specialist on a disaster rescue team with the US Air Force. He worked as lead medical operator and team lead with Operation Underground Railroad, with numerous successful high-risk missions in a variety of international locations, conducting undercover child sex trafficking investigations. His work has also included developing standards of operation and training guidelines for this unique niche of field medicine. He has worked as a professional urban and wildland firefighter and paramedic, including being a member of an elite civilian rescue squad with special training in technical rescue, hazardous material response, mountain and swiftwater rescue, and confined space urban disaster response.

Dmytro Natalukha obtained a graduate degree in MPhil in International Relations and Politics at Cambridge University. He also got both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Before being elected as an MP, Dmytro worked in leading Ukrainian and international law firms: „Spenser & Kauffmann,” „Ilyashev and Partners,” and „Baker & McKenzie,” where he specialized in international investments, banking, and finance, as well as litigation. Dmytro assumed the office of Deputy Country Director of „Right to Protection,” an implementing partner of UNHCR, where he worked with IDPs. He was also the Head of the Lymansky district state administration of the Odesa region and a managing partner of „Lead/Augury,” a strategic communications boutique firm specializing in government relations, public relations, crisis communications, and branding and political consulting. In 2021, Dmytro was listed as one of the „100 most influential Ukrainians in 2021” and one of the „100 most promising Ukrainian politicians in 2021”. He is fluent in English, Italian, and French.

Borys Dorogov is a COO and Partner at balbek bureau, Kyiv-based architecture and interior design practice. With 18 years of experience in operations management and project supervision, Borys has been leading the studio’s most large-scale projects, such as a corporate hub for a global IT company Grammarly in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Darron Incubation center in Qingdao, China. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, Borys has been involved in supervising the balbek bureau’s social projects, including RE:Ukraine Housing – a dignified temporary housing system for internally displaced persons.

Rachel Roe is an attorney and international specialist on grants, contracts and procurement. She has over 20 years of experience in field missions and embassies (UNDP, USAID) along with extensive experience in the Middle East and former Soviet states. From 2010 to 2020 she served with USAID, assisting local and international partners to expediently achieve program objectives. Ms. Roe has excellent knowledge in international procurement mechanisms and experience in increasing their effectiveness while remaining compliant with requirements. Recently she was in training as a private pilot before joining Project HOPE on the Ukraine response this year and currently serves as the Regional Director for Contracts and Grants providing guidance to teams in Ukraine, Romania, Poland and Moldova. Ms. Roe holds her degree in Psychology from Harvard University as well as degrees in Law from Northeastern University and the University of Wisconsin (US). She is fluent in English and proficient in Arabic.

Irina Costache is CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) Romania Country Lead. She manages the provision of immediate emergency aid and life-saving services for refugees fleeing war in Ukraine. She is dedicated to filling in some key gaps in the overall humanitarian response in Romania. Irina is a public policy expert and researcher with a Ph.D. in Gender Studies and over 10 years of experience in the field of social policy, anti-discrimination, and anti-corruption. Irina worked as a consultant with major international organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, European Women’s Lobby, and Open Society Foundation. She authored research and policy reports commissioned by Romanian and international organizations with impact at the EU level. Irina served as President of the Romanian women’s rights organization A.L.E.G and helped it to grow into a well-recognized, vocal, and youth-oriented feminist NGO. Her expertise includes managing the mental health counseling service for victims of gender-based violence, specializing in working with PTSD, trauma processing.

Ewa Leniart was born in 1976 in Dylągówka in Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

In the years 1995 – 2000 she was a student at the Faculty of Law at Rzeszów branch of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, where she received a master’s degree in law.

For three years (2002-2005) she was a Chief of the Legal and Organisational Division in Branch Office of the Institute of National Remembrance in Rzeszów.

In the period from December 2005 until January 2007 she was a coordinator and director of the Voivode’s Cabinet in Podkarpackie Voivodeship Office in Rzeszów.

From February 1, 2007 to December 8, 2015 she held the positon of the director of Branch Office of the Institute of National Remembrance in Rzeszów.

On February 2014 she obtained Ph.D. degree in law.

In the years 2015-2019 she was the Voivode of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. In 2019 Ewa Leniart was elected as a deputy to the Polish Sejm. On 13th January 2020, Mateusz Morawiecki Polish Prime Minister appointed her again the Voivode of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

Pawel Mania brings more than 15 years of experience working across development and humanitarian nexus. In his current role as a Deputy Director for Transformational Response at Humanitarian Leadership Academy (Save the Children UK) he oversees portfolio of capacity strengthening and research programmes, aiming to deliver sustainable humanitarian response in Ukraine and neighbouring countries that strengthens civil society, advocates for transformational impact and provides valuable learning on shifting power for other global responses. Pawel is an expert in research and evaluation, having worked previously at the British Council and Committee on Foreign Affairs at the European Parliament across various research, MEAL, policy and advocacy roles focusing on strengthening resilience of diverse communities affected by conflict and crisis and inclusion policies. In his field work he supported humanitarian responses and development programming in Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Pakistan. He graduated from the University of Sussex, University of Copenhagen and University of Gdansk.

As a volunteer, Mr Volodymyr Dyba coordinates the logistics of humanitarian aid that is coming to the city of Rzeszów at the request of the city authorities from 24.02.2022 and the „Blahodar” foundation. To find our more about his proejcts, see Facebook page. Currently, Mr Dyba is engaged in his own fund, which finances various projects. Also organization of charity concerts and tournaments. His foundation @welcomerzeszow is a co-organizer of the international charity hockey tournament on November 10-13.11.2022 in Toruń. He is actively looking for sponsors for his projects and regularly sends humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Graham Weihmiller is Chairman and CEO BNI – the largest and most successful business networking organization that brings together nearly 300,000 entrepreneurs in almost 80 countries. He joined BNI in 2014 to help execute BNI’s strategic plan that includes operational enhancements, continued membership growth, and ongoing global member expansion. Graham is passionate about building successful service organizations that have a remarkable value proposition and a positive social impact. Prior to BNI, he served as the CEO of a 32-year-old nationwide franchisor of homecare services. While there, he was a founding director of a foundation that provides homecare to those who cannot afford it. His previous leadership experience includes roles with Pioneer Equity Partners, American Franchise Company, Bank of America, Booz Allen and JP Morgan. Graham speaks frequently on entrepreneurship and franchising and has recently been on panels at Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Georgetown University. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BBA from the College of William & Mary. He has done subsequent executive education with Harvard Business School in India. He is a Certified Franchise Executive and active with the IFA. Graham is trained in Lean Enterprise, Process Excellence, Design for Six Sigma, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt. He is an active member of the YPO and the Harvard Business School Club of Charlotte, where he was formerly the Club president.

Iuliia was born on October 27, 1978. She graduated from the University of Finance and Economics in Odessa. She has a diploma of a junior specialist „Finance and credits” and „Accountant-financier”. Julia has a bachelor’s degree in”Economics and entrepreneurship, specialty: Accounting and auditing and a master’s degree in economics. She also graduated from the „Cosinus” police school in Warsaw and obtained a diploma in administration technique. She gained professional experience in Pharmaceutical organization „UNIVERUS” as Accountant and Director. In the Progress distribution company, she worked as a director and manager of the financial department. She is a volunteer in shelters for Ukrainian citizens and in Lemkin Center in the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor (Lemkin Centre).

Dmytro Anopov’s professional activity in the context of aid to Ukraine in Poland started in 2014. From November 2014 to June 2015 he worked in the „Ukrainian World” Help Center in Warsaw, which provided informational, psychological and legal assistance to Ukrainians who were forced migrants as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Numerous cultural, artistic, educational and integration
events were organized in the „Ukrainian World”, where Dmytro initially worked as the
head of the Help Center. In 2015 he was the head of its Information Point, organizing
volunteer work and helping people from Ukraine with documents, employment and
searching for a place of residence.
Since August 2015 Dmytro has been a member of the Council of the Euromaidan-Warsaw Foundation, which helps Ukrainians in Poland. The Foundation organizes annually an International Football Tournament and Inependence Picnic on
the occasion of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Warsaw.
In 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Dmytro joined the Rafal
Lemkin Center for Documentation of Russian Crimes in Ukraine, created by the
Piletsky Institute. His task is to collect testimonies from people, who were eyewitnesses or suffered as a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine. The aim of the Lemkin Center is to preserve evidence of the crimes of the Russian army, so that
the world never forgets the events that took place during the war on the territory of Ukraine.

Anna Cerutti has been working in the humanitarian sector for 12 years before with International Non-Governmental Organizations and the United Nations and, then with the Red Cross Movement, holding multidisciplinary positions in emergency response and recovery operations in a total of 23 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Since June 2022 she manages IFRC/PCK Ukraine and Impacted countries operation in Poland focused on Multi-Purpose Cash, Shelter and Mental Health and Psychosocial support. Anna is enthusiastic by nature and fulfilled while working towards social and humanitarian objectives, as well as while sharing knowledges creating occasions to capitalize know‐how within teams. She has good communication skills and experience in dealing with donors and medias. Anna holds a master’s degree in diplomacy and two bachelor’s degree in International Relations and International Science. She also has Cash and Voucher Certification CaLP level I and level II.

Kasia Madera is a BBC News presenter with over 20 years of broadcasting experience. At the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kasia was one of the first international journalists to report live from the Poland-Ukraine border. For weeks she witnessed first hand as thousands of people fled the fighting. Of Polish heritage Kasia is bilingual in Polish and was able to interview many refugees in a mixture of Polish and Ukrainian. Her father was born in Lviv so Kasia has a strong connection with the region. She regularly returns to Poland to report on the plight of the millions of displaced people.

Professor Y.L. Zarutsky is a scientist and surgeon, whose scientific researches are devoted to the actual problems of military and emergency surgery. For many years his activity is connected with military surgery. From 1993 to the present time he has been working on scientific and pedagogical positions at the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy. In 1997, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Medical Sciences on the topic: „Diagnosis and surgical treatment of liver damage in closed combined abdominal trauma”. In 2000 he was awarded the academic title of „Associate Professor”. In 2004, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences on the topic: „Clinical and organizational bases and principles of diagnosis and surgical treatment of victims with traumatic diseases”, and in December of the same year he was awarded the academic title of „Professor”.

Dr André Lieber is a surgeon with many years of experience. He became a graduated surgeon in 1993, a chest surgeon in 1997 and a visceral surgeon in 2002. Dr Lieber was all together in 22 deployments with regular forces, navy and other forces where he served as a medical surgeon. His first deployment was Somalia in 1993/94. He also served in the Military Hospital in Berlin as a consultant and was a member in the medical Advisory Board for the Medical Command (surgery, surgical instruments and consumables, procedures and consumables for or medic´s, teaching of our younger surgeons, developer and medical director of the German war surgery course).

Tetiana Svyrydenko is the Head of Ivankivska municipality in Kyiv region. Ms Svyrydenko has more than 10 years of experience working in local governance and public authority. In 2022, the President of Ukraine awarded her with the III grade Order of Princess Olga. The municipality was occupied from the first days of the full-scale invasion. The enemy shelling out flamed the Maria Prymachenko historical museum in Ivankiv, where the pictures of the outstanding artist were kept. However, the locals saved the majority of the works. Nowadays the municipality solves the question of the museum rebuilding.

Anna Radecka is an experienced humanitarian and development aid specialist. Since 2010 she was implementing development aid programmes for Polish Center for International Aid (PCPM) in Georgia and Palestine, as a Project Coordinator and Head of Mission. In the past, she was national expert for EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) as well. Also, cooperating with Solidarity Fund PL agency (Moldova, Georgia and Armenia programmes). Currently, she is coordinating PCPM humanitarian programmes in Ukraine, specifically, the cash assistance modality, that is addressed mostly to internally displaced persons. Her motto is to help people make their lives better by encouraging them to use their own minds and concepts.

Vadim Danilchenko has a bachelor’s degree in fitness and recreation, and a Master’s degree in sports physiology. He is a graduate student of the Department Psychology and Pedagogy. Vadym has been working as a fitness and physical training specialist for 13 years.

Bogusław Świeży is a native of the city of Przemyśl. In 2003, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Rzeszów and obtained a Master’s Degree in Law. Bogusław worked in a managerial position (Director of Commercial Affairs) from 2003 to 2007. In September 2008, he took a management post at the trading company BOZ-3 Sp. z o.o., and from July 2014, he began to serve as the Company’s Managing Director. As Company Director, Bogusław was responsible for creating plans and strategies for the company’s operations, as well as for their execution, monitoring and analyzing the market, negotiating terms of cooperation and trade agreements, along with compliance of the company’s operations according to the current law.

Victoria Kerr is a Scottish lawyer and Consultant with the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague. She works primarily on the MATRA project ”Strengthening Ukraine’s Capacity to Investigate and Prosecute International Crimes”, in partnership with Global Rights Compliance and funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her work focuses on supporting several national criminal justice actors in investigating, prosecuting, adjudicating and reporting on international crimes. She also contributes to projects in the context of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). Prior to joining the T.M.C. Asser Institute, Victoria worked for Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights, on their UK Military Accountability project, and for GRC on their Mass Starvation project. She also spent time assisting the Defence team for Jovica Stanišic at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in the Hague, as well as at the International Bar Association and the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre in London. She holds an LL.B. (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh (2015), with a year spent at Universität Wien in Austria (2013-2014), and obtained an LL.M. in Globalisation and Law (specialisation in Human Rights) from Maastricht University (2016).

Liam O’Hagan is a Chartered Engineer and graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Queens University Belfast. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Healthcare and Environmental Management, a Fellow of the Association of Consulting Engineers, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers and a Member of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland. Liam joined a Consulting Engineering practice in 1978 as a design engineer and went on to become the Managing Director and Chairman of this International practice of Consulting Engineers with 12 offices located worldwide. He has been involved with many notable building successes in Ireland, United Kingdom, Romania, Russia, Nigeria, Libya, USA and the Middle East. He brings a solid network of close contacts amongst the NI business community. He has a special interest in Sustainability and in particular Nett Zero buildings. Liam was a past board member of NICENT (Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship) and is currently Chair of Grow the Glens CIC Ltd, a community organisation set up to foster employment and employability in the Glens of Antrim area. He is a Director of MedPro Scientific. Currently engaged in a Consultancy role in Greenview Group driving Business Development.

Oleg Dunda was born on March 6, 1980 in Dnipropetrovsk. In 1999, he graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Welding and Electronics Technical College (programmer-system engineer). Thesis (practical) – creation of software for calculating the reliability of electronic devices.In 2001, he graduated from the State Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining of Managers and Specialists of the Metallurgical Complex (Dnipro) with a major in Finance. Diploma work – development of financial instruments for managing bad loans of a commercial bank.Candidate for People’s Deputies from the Servant of the People party in the parliamentary elections in 2019 (electoral district No. 91, Fastiv, Makarivskyi, Fastivskyi districts, part of Kyiv-Sviatoshynskyi, part of Skvyrskyi districts). Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Construction and Design. Speaker of the „Servant of the People” party with a clear pro-Ukrainian position. Actively participates in international activities. He is a member of the interparliamentary friendship groups with France, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, and Luxembourg.

Myshenin Dmitry Mikhailovich was born and grew up in Donetsk region. Ukraine. In 2014-2018, he assisted as a volunteer in evacuations, humanitarian assistance to the needy, shelter and rehabilitation projects in Ukraine. With the beginning of the war, he resumed his volunteering activities creating new projects and opening up a foundation „Angels of Salvation”. Main areas of his work include: evacuation, humanitarian aid, assistance to the settlers, preparation for winter, children’s emergency.

Kateryna Leontyeva took the role of promoting variability of educational opportunities and distance education in Ukraine in February 2014, after her daughter’s school in Crimea suffered from the annexation. Within several months Kateryna launched distance education in a number of Ukrainian schools making Ukrainian education available for those in the occupied Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Eight years later, on February 24th 2022, Kateryna woke up from the missile attack in her home in Kharkiv and decided to leave. After a 52 hour trip she came to Poland as a refugee with her teen daughter, their pet rat and a backpack, with no plans or contacts. Kateryna received help from random people, who truly became her new Polish family. As of day one in Warsaw Kateryna started volunteering with a number of organizations. After several months of volunteering as an interviewer at Rafal Lemkin Centre for Documenting Russian Crimes in Ukraine, Kateryna became a coordinator of the Centre, specializing in video and audio evidence. Kateryna uses her vast corporate background and project management skills to implement the best practices for launching and promoting the Centre’s archive with the evidence of russian war crimes in Ukraine. Kateryna’s purpose in this work is making sure the world doesn’t “get tired” of the war and continues to fight russian aggression as one. Kateryna’s dream is to show beautiful, victorious Ukraine to her new Polish family.

Nadiia Kovalchuk is a deputy director of the CF Right to Protection, a non-governmental organization, since 2021. The Right to Protection is a leading Ukrainian organization that works comprehensively with the problems of people who are forcibly displaced. Over the past 8 months, our organization has grown 6 times, and the team is now implementing over 45 projects. More than 1000 specialists provide legal aid, psychophysiological support, cash and in-kind assistance and social services. We advocate rights of IDPs, refugees and stateless people. Previously, Ms Kovalchuk was also a deputy director of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund, a program manager of the Reanimation Package of Reform (a coalition of NGOs), a senior project manager of the Ukrainian Catholic University, and a project manager of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Volodymyr Mitsuk, head of Biloziria village community in Cherkasy district of Cherkasy region. He has been working in local self-government bodies for 12 years. Mr Mitsuk was the head of the first Cherkasy region amalgamated territorial community, formed in August 2015. Due to the decentralization reform, he managed to implement many positive changes in the village of Biloziria. Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, Volodymyr Mitsuk actively coordinates the volunteer movement in the community and cooperates with humanitarian organizations. Residents of the community weave camouflage nets, buy ammunition and food, fundraise, and organize field kitchens – all for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The community actively participates in the Gardens of Victory programme of the President of Ukraine. The programme aims to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine, IDPs and Ukrainians in the fight zones with the vegetables.

Robert Jacek Moritz is the President of ALTA SA, a company investing in projects creating urban spaces and technical solutions. In the 90s, he managed the courier company Servisco (now DHL), as well as the shipping company Hellmann Moritz. Since 2005, he has been the CEO of ALTA, a company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. He carried out the process of transformation of the company from transport to investment activities. An urban visionary who created the Siewierz Jeziorna Town based on the principles of new urbanism – the first such place in Poland. He wants to share his vast experience, to inspire municipal authorities and for other innovators to follow this direction. Originator and co-founder of the CitiSense think tank, an organization that brings together exceptional experts and professionals in the fields of new urbanism and the future of cities.

Michał Kuroń is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and psychotherapy supervisor. He is Head of the Psychology Team of the Psychiatry, Combat Stress and Psychotraumatology Clinic of the Military Medical Institute – National Research Institute in Warsaw. His scientific interests include broadly understood aspects of personality disorders occurrence and mental illnesses in the group of uniformed services officers and crisis intervention. He also deals with issues that focus on the role of a psychologist during mass events and accidents, with particular emphasis on the psychological consequences of event participants. For many years, he has been actively involved in the creation and implementation of training programs for doctors and psychologists from Ukraine in the field of treating disorders related to traumatic stress. Projects are continuously implemented stationary in Ukraine, also during the period of increased aggression by Russia, which directs its attacks against civilians and civilian facilities, such as hospitals, medical facilities, shops and schools.

Kateryna Sukhomlynova is a public activist, a member of the Mariupol City Council, a volunteer since 2014, the head of the Maltese Aid Service, whose office in Mariupol called „Svitlytsia” was used to work with children in risk groups – those relocated from the war-torn east of Ukraine, with orphans etc. Since the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, she began to help victims of hostilities. For her, the war began in 2014, and today she has the strength to fight, even in Europe to call the whole world to the problem of Russia’s aggression not only to Ukraine itself, but also to the whole world!

Paulina Brym-Ciuba is COO of the StartupHub Poland Foundation, as of 2019. She is a manager of acceleration projects including: Academic League of Startups, Poland Prize or Warsaw Booster, as well as scouting and educational projects such as V4 Venture Drill, Orlen Inventor Tech Day or softlanding projects such as Poland Business Harbour. In 2016-2019 she was Director of the Marketing Department at the Institute for Eastern Studies, responsible for cooperation with commercial partners, promotion of companies during events organised by the Institute (especially Economic Forum in Krynica – the largest economic event in the region, known as the „Polish Davos”). She sat on expert committees analysing and evaluating applications for the competition.

Roman Dmytriv was born on June 23, 1975, in the town of Kalush (Ivano-Frankivsk region). He studied at the Simferopol Public Catering College. In 2003 graduated from Kyiv National University Of Trade And Economics, where he studied the management of organisations. In 2019 he graduated with honours from The National Academy of State Administration under the President of Ukraine, becoming a specialist in the field of Public Management and Administration. Mr Dmytriv’s career started in 1997, he underwent the path from a cook to the director of the food processing company LLC Royal Catering (2005-2015). Since 2015 Roman Dmytriv is the head of the village Hora in Boryspil district of Kyiv region. He is married and brings up two daughters.

Ostap Protsyk is the Advisor to the Mayor of Lviv. Responsible for international and communication projects in the Lviv City Council since 2006. In 2012, he co-founded the Lviv Media Forum – one of the most significant media events in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2022, he began cooperating with the Swedish association SALAR International within the project „Supporting Decentralization in Ukraine.” The „United for Ukraine” project, supported by USAID, assists in establishing long-term partnerships between Ukrainian and foreign communities. He deals with communication issues and contacts with international organizations in the „Unbroken” project, which aims to build a national rehabilitation center in Lviv for victims of the Russian war against Ukraine.