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Liana Ghent Liana Ghent is Director of ISSA since 2006. Under her leadership, the association expanded its programmatic portfolio and grew significantly, with member organizations from across Europe (East and West) and Central Asia. Over these years, ISSA also broadened its scope to address various aspects of Early Childhood Development. Liana has over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Previously she was Co-President of the Civic Education Project (CEP), an organization working in higher education in Europe and the former Soviet Union. She served on several boards, including the Consultative Group for ECCD and the Leadership Council of the Global Compact for Early Childhood Development.
Currently, she is a member of the Executive Leadership Council of the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) and WHO's Advisory Group for the Nurturing Care Framework. Liana is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher.
Languages: Romanian, English, Hungarian and Dutch
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Dr. Mihaela Ionescu Dr. Mihaela Ionescu joined ISSA in 2010. She is an early childhood education expert and doctor in Educational Sciences. She worked for more than 20 years as a researcher in the education field as an education policy developer, trainer and leader of programs and projects aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education and care services. Prior to joining ISSA she worked throughout the CEE/CIS region as an international consultant for UNICEF and the World Bank. As the Program Director of ISSA Mihaela is central to strategic planning and implementing programs. She creates resources aimed at providing equitable and high-quality early childhood services in countries from ISSA regions by strengthening the capacity of ISSA members to work with professionals, parents, administrators and policy makers.
Languages: Romanian, English and Italian
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Yuliya Savchenko Yuliya Savchenko joined ISSA in February 2023. She holds a degree in International Economic Relations and has over 15 years of experience in leadership and finance management of international NGOs. She was born and raised in Ukraine before relocating to the Netherlands in 2008.
Prior to joining ISSA, she was the CFO at EuroMed Rights, human rights network organization headquartered in Denmark.
Since January 2021 Yuliya also serves as a Treasurer, member of the Board of Trustees of WECF (Women Engage for a Common Future), a non-profit network working on transformative gender equality and women’s human rights in interconnection with climate justice, sustainable energy and chemicals, less toxic waste, safe water and sanitation.
Languages: Ukrainian, English, Dutch.
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Zorica Trikic Zorica Trikic, joined ISSA in Leiden in 2014. Prior to that, Zorica was Program Director for ISSA member Centre for Interactive Pedagogy (CIP) in Serbia and consultant for ISSA and UNICEF in Eastern Europe. As Sr. Program Manager, Zorica leads different ISSA initiatives, including Embracing Diversity, Supporting Families for Nurturing Care and Children on the Move. She holds a Master's degree in Education and Human Resources Development. She has over 30 years of experience in the early years sector, working on programs and policy development with clear focus on the most vulnerable children, families and communities - especially Romani - refugee and migrant children. She is also an experience training developer and creator of programs for trainers, educators and health workers.
Languages: Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and English
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Aljosa Rudas Aljosa joined ISSA in 2019 with over a decade of experience working as a practitioner with Romani and Non-Romani children, their parents and communities. At ISSA he coordinates the Romani Early Years Network (REYN). Before joining ISSA, he was an early childhood educator and counselor in a public preschool, where he served as manager of a unit. In Slovenia, he has collaborated with various Ministries to play an active role in national initiatives related to the education of Romani children.
In 2016, Aljosa was awarded a scholarship from the Open Society Foundations to attend the University of Haifa in Israel. He holds an MA in Child Development and a BA in Early Childhood Education.
Languages: Slovenian, Romani, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian and English
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Francesca Colombo Francesca joined ISSA in May 2019 to support the implementation of the Romani Early Years Network (REYN) initiative and the development of other early childhood programs of the association. She previously worked at Associazione 21 luglio (an ISSA member organization in Italy) and Amnesty International, where, in both positions, she gained extensive experience in program management and fundraising. For many years, she has also directly worked together with vulnerable communities, especially Roma, organizing and implementing empowerment activities aimed at fostering their rights and their access to basic services.
Francesca holds a Masters degree in international relations and affairs.
Languages: Italian, English and Spanish
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Ayça Alaylı Ayça joined ISSA in 2021 as Junior Program Manager. Before joining ISSA, she worked as a researcher with a special interest in inclusion and equality in education at University of Amsterdam and formerly at ISOTIS project led by Utrecht University. During her work, she contributed to projects focusing on early childhood workforce and quality. Previously, as an education specialist at Anne Çocuk Eğitim Vakfı (AÇEV) - an ISSA Member organization, Turkey, she gained experience in implementation and evaluation of intervention programs targeting societally disadvantaged and refugee children and families.
Ayça holds a Masters degree in Developmental Psychology. In 2020, she was awarded a full grant from ROSANNA Fund for Women.
Languages: Turkish, English, Dutch and Turkish Sign Language
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Eva Izsak Eva Izsak joined ISSA in 2002. She holds a BA degree in Social Work and an MA in Social Policy. Throughout her career she has worked with different non-profit organizations, agencies and networks, including the Hungarian Association for Non-profit Human Services, the Regional Environmental Centre, USAID, United Way and Telecottage Partner Service. Her work for ISSA includes the initiatives in the network division, such as the coordination of international events and conferences, publications, website and social media. She was also coordinator of ISSA's Second Language Learning project, funded by the Comenius Programme of the European Commission. Eva was a member of the Coordinating Committee of ISSA’s Education for Social Justice program.
Languages: Hungarian and English
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Ning Alfrink Network Operations Senior Officer Ning joined ISSA in Leiden in 2019 to support ISSA in running it's financial and organizational processes. Prior to that, she was working as an Accounts Receivable Specialist in REMOBIS Refund Service in Utrecht from 2012 till 2018. She has Bachelor of Arts specializing in Education, Drama and Performance and English Literature.
Ning is originally from Singapore where she was a primary school teacher for 5 years, and head of the school’s Drama department. She was also a Tweede Graads Engels teacher in several high schools in the Netherlands. Ning lives in the Netherlands since 2009.
Languages: English, Dutch and Bahasa
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Emily Henry Communications and Campaigns Manager Emily began her work for ISSA by consulting on communications work for the ISSA Conference 2016 in Lithuania. She formally joined the team in 2017 to support the growing list of programs and initiatives. Prior to joining ISSA, Emily ran her own communications company, which helped NGOs and small social businesses build an online presence through social media strategy. Previously, she has worked in both communications and fundraising roles for Non-Governmental Organizations.
She holds a BA in International Studies - Peace Studies/Sociology and an MA in International Non-Governmental Organizations.
Languages: English and Dutch
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Teresa Moreno Senior Communications Officer Teresa joined ISSA in March 2020 as Communications Officer. An Economics graduate, she holds a master’s degree in Publishing. Prior to joining ISSA, she worked for the Bernard van Leer Foundation in The Hague where she managed the publishing process of its journal Early Childhood Matters and its Annual Report, as well as ran the Foundation’s communications and outreach activities.
Before moving to the Netherlands from Spain, she worked both for the private and for the non-profit sector, mostly by running fundraising campaigns.
Languages: Spanish, English, Italian and French
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Jennifer Lorimer Junior Communications Officer Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, Jen moved to the Netherlands in 2017 to study at Utrecht University. She is in the exciting position of being at the start of her career. Having previously interned for an online magazine for internationals in the Netherlands, she has a strong foundation in communications, as well as customer service experience gained through working for a global retail chain.
Jen has a BA degree in History.
Languages: English
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Vanessa Dietzschold Junior Communications Officer Vanessa joined ISSA in August 2022 as a Junior Communications Officer. She was born and raised in Bali, Indonesia before relocating to the Netherlands in 2016 to pursue an international career.
Prior to joining ISSA, she interned at a Continuous Professional Development organization and led a university-wide student publication communication activities. Vanessa holds a BA in International Communications Management where she developed an eye for strategic communication and passion for positive psychology.
Languages: English, Indonesian, Balinese and Dutch
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Kirsten Kelly Human Resources and Administration Manager Kirsten joined ISSA in May 2023, taking on Human Resources and administrative tasks. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Management and after living in Denmark, the United States and France, Kirsten has finally settled back in the Netherlands again. She brings a wide range of experience, from sales and marketing to office management. In her spare time, she is an avid gardener, specifically growing tomatoes and peppers.
Languages: Dutch, English, French.
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Winnifred Sanders Winnifred Sanders joined ISSA in 2018 as Finance Manager. She holds a BS degree in Business Administration and a CIMA accountancy qualification. She developed her coaching skills through several coaching and NLP training courses.
Winnifred brings along a 20-year international track record in financial management and consultancy, in both the corporate arena and in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining ISSA, she was the Finance Manager of the Museum of Brands in London. Throughout her career, she has gained broad experience in business - ranging from finance and operations support to more commercial roles.
In her spare time, Winnifred provided coaching and financial support to local start-ups, helped a local school to fundraise, and tutored young children in basic reading and maths skills.
Languages: Dutch, English, and French
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Valentina Coman Valentina Coman joined ISSA in September 2023 as a Finance Officer. Originally from Romania, she has been living in the Netherlands since 2003, sharing this journey with her family. With a degree in Finance, Banking and Insurance, she has navigated a diverse career path, working within governmental, international, and non-governmental organizations. Her specialization lies in contracting, procurement, budgeting control and supply chain management.
Valentina's dedication extends beyond her profession; she passionately offers her time to teach in local Romanian schools and actively engages in volunteering for art and technology exhibitions.
Languages: Romanian, English, Dutch
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