OUR TEAM
Team
Louisa
SLAVKOVA
Founder & Executive director
Louisa is advisory board member of the European Network for Civic Education NECE. In 2016 Louisa was Ronald Lauder Visiting Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, NYC. From 2013 to 2016, she was programs manager at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Prior to joining ECFR, Louisa served for two years as adviser to Bulgaria's former Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov (currently ). Before that, she’s worked with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb). She is author and editor of several books and publications on foreign policy, democracy development and civic education. Louisa is co-author of an upcoming text book on civic education in Bulgaria. Louisa is also co-founder of THE CIVICS Innovation Hub, a pan-European organization founded in 2021.
Borislav
DIMITROV
Deputy director
Borislav has an extensive experience in human rights. Before joining Sofia Platform he worked as a legal consultant for the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and project coordinator in other non-governmental organization on a wide array of topics such as rights of ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, refugees and asylum-seekers, rights of the child, protection from torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression and association, problems of the criminal justice system.
Leonie
SICHTERMANN
Transition Dialogue project coordinator & assistant
Leonie holds a MA in Peace and Conflict Research from the university in Frankfurt am Main and studied politics and sociology (BA) in Eichstätt and Brussels. Before joining Sofia Platform, she was working with the Berlin-based NGO Steps for Peace (2014-2016) focusing on social and political transformation processes in fragile contexts. Leonie is also project coordinator at THE CIVICS Innovation Hub since 2022.
Silvia
VASKOVA
Project coordinator & administrative lead
Silvia holds Bachelor’s degree in Cultural studies and Master’s degree in Cultural heritage management from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Before joining Sofia Platform, she was working with Vision of Sofia and Ministry of Culture.
Dobrena
PETROVA
Research & project assistant
Dobrena holds a BA in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. Since 2019, she is a certified mediator of out-of-court dispute resolution. Dobrena is also project coordinator at THE CIVICS Innovation Hub since 2021.
Teodora
YOVCHEVA
Project assistant
Teodora Yovcheva is a PhD in Political Science. Her academic interests are in the fields of political parties, party systems and personalization of politics. Her articles have been published in scientific journals such as East European Politics and Societies and Irish Political Studies. She has been a researcher in the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) project studying the issue of political party funding. Also, she has been a researcher in a project exploring the regulation of ethical issues in political parties. Teodora is the Bulgarian correspondent of the Europe Elects Platform.
Maria
GANEVA
Intern
Maria is a Psychology and Sociology student in University of Aberdeen where she recently completed her first year of study. Professionally, she has been an assistant in the Plovdiv Economic Forum and she also worked in Cornerstone where she supported people with psychological and physical difficulties. Maria has also been involved in volunteer work in various organizations, such as “Подари време/Подари книга” (“Gift Time”) in Bulgaria and “Street Friends” in Scotland.
Photographer: Gergana Pavlova
Advisors
Momchil
METODIEV
Academic advisor
Momchil Metodiev is professor of history in the New Bulgarian University, Editor in Chief of the Christianity and Culture Journal and Research Fellow in the Institute for Studies of the Recent Past, Sofia, Bulgaria. He has authored four monographs and numerous articles and took part in the compilation of several documentary collections published by the Bulgarian Dossier Commission. He also worked in several Bulgarian and international projects researching the communist past.
Board Members
Nikolay
MLADENOV
Board member
Vessela
TCHERNEVA
Board member
Programme Director and Head of the Sofia Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Previously, she was Director of the Wider Europe Programme at ECFR (2013-2015) and Spokesperson of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010 – 2013).
Julian
POPOV
Board member
Senior Policy Advisor to the European Climate Foundation, Minister of Environment and Water in the last Bulgarian interim government (2013), Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian School of Politics (2006 – 2013).
Valeri
RATCHEV
Board member
Former senior government official and ambassador of Bulgaria to Iraq, expert at the Center for Security and Defence Management at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, associated senior research fellow at Geneva Centre for DCAF, with 34 years of military experience.
Former members of the team
Mila
MOSHELOVA
Project manager
Mila holds MA ‘Politics, Security and Integration in Central and Eastern Europe’, University College London and MA ‘Politics and International Relations’, University of Aberdeen. Previously, Mila worked as a Turkey and Western Balkans Project Coordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Prior to this she was with the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia where she dealt with topics of state capture and illiberal democratic trends. She takes strong interest in the socio-political dynamics of CEE countries, the complexity of identity and discourse, security and migration.
Paolina
DASKALOVA
Project assistant
Paolina did her bachelor degree in Political Science in New Bulgarian University, Sofia. It is her affection for civic education and youth inclusiveness in the political processes that brought her to our organisation as an intern. Currently, Paolina is a full member of the team.
Mila
VENOVA
Project coordinator
Mila joined the team after completing a one-year internship at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She has been an active member of Team Europe Junior since 2016, having presented the European Union in more than 15 schools. Mila holds a BA in European Studies from Sofia University.
Yordanka
TODOROVA
Project assistant
Yordanka graduated from the Faculty of Law of Sofia University with a degree in International Relations and as a humanitarian type in personal and professional terms, she is interested in politics, history and public dialogue. For the purposes of this dialogue with youth and adults, Yordanka participates as a volunteer in the communication project of the EC Representation in Bulgaria – Team Europe Junior. Her practical skills and interest in political processes are related to her internship at the Transparency International Association and the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Rome.