Committee
Organising and Programme Committee
Aleksandra Zińczuk
Editor-in-chief of Kultura Enter magazine
Member of the Programme Council of KIEW (subsequently member of the Organisational and Programming Committee Cross-Border Cooperation Congress), social activist, expert on Eastern issues, literature and art, legacy of multi-ethnic borderland and spoken history. Author of numerous publications on the philosophy of culture, history, literature and cultural education. For many years an educator, curator of exhibitions, publisher, initiator of cross-border projects and events, founder of the international research group ‘Live Speech Group’, deputy chairman of Open Territory Foundation. Graduate of i.a. the School of Leaders at the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.
Andrzej Skórski
European Meeting Centre - Nowy Staw Foundation
Graduate in sociology and international relations at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. Since 2007 engaged in the activities of non-governmental organizations in Lublin. Coordinator of many projects financed, among others, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Bank of Poland. During 2013-2015 managed the Regional Centre for International Debate in Lublin. Has experience in cooperation with local government officials (co-organizer of a training series for local government officials as part of the project entitled "Professional local government official"). During 2016 - 2017 coordinator of the Eastern Europe Initiatives Congress. Co-author of, among others, handbook "Ewaluacja.co - a tool for the evaluation of non-governmental organizations. Manual" and the "Development strategy of the municipality Belzyce for the years 2015 - 2022". Currently works at the European Meeting Center - Nowy Staw Foundation and cooperates with the Lublin Chamber of Commerce.
Anna Tarnowska - Waszak
Director of the Open University of the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL)
Anna Tarnowska - Waszak is an English philologist and public relations specialist. For 8 years she has been the director of the Open University of the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), a unit conducting a wide range of didactic and promotional activities aimed at anyone who is interested in broadening knowledge. Since the beginning of the Open University of Lublin in 2012, more than 20 thousand people in all age categories: children, teenagers and adults, have taken part in the activities organised by this institution. Its offer is willingly used by foreigners, who for over 25 years of their professional activity have been the main recipients of the programmes prepared by Ms Anna Tarnowska-Waszak. Regular contacts with hundreds of people from all over the world and projects to their benefit, result, among others, in constant work on increasing competences in understanding the needs and phenomena accompanying migration, which also contributes to personal and professional development. Last year, Ms Anna Tarnowska-Waszak served as the Rector's plenipotentiary for international contacts at the University, which was preceded by the post of the plenipotentiary for Polonia, contributing to the creation of many new initiatives in contacts with people from abroad. Issues related to intercultural communication occupy a key place among Ms Anna's areas of interest.
Beata Surmacz, Ph.D.
Director of the Institute of Central Europe in Lublin
Professor at the Department of International Relations at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. The author of numerous scientific publications on Polish-Ukrainian relations and contemporary diplomacy.
Julita Agnieszka Rybczyńska, Ph.D.
Lawyer and political scientist
Affiliated with Political Science Faculty of Marie Curie Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin since 1990ties she currently teaches as a lecturer within their International Relations Department. She also spent time as a research fellow and visiting professor in various higher education institutions in Europe and the US including Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University; Rutgers University; Nuffield College at Oxford University, and University of Reykjavik. Her research and writing focuses on institutional and legal aspects of democratic transformations, with the special focus on human rights, national minorities rights, local government, civic society and non-profit sector in Central and Eastern Europe. Author and editor of many academic publications.
Mrs. Rybczyńska combines research and teaching with policy and development work. She has worked as a consultant and expert with various local and national public policy bodies, non-profit organizations and intergovernmental organizations including Foundation in Support of Local Democracy (FRDL), Human Rights Helsinki Foundation, OSCE-ODHIR, US-Ukraine Foundation, Management Initiatives Foundation (FIM). She currently serves on the Board of Center for Eastern Competencies, think tank promoting effective and sustainable development cooperation and stimulating dialogue between local and regional authorities in the countries of EU and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Krzysztof Stanowski
Deputy Chairman of the Organisational and Programming Committee. Director of International Cooperation Centre of Lublin City Office, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
Co-founder and leader of NGOs. Author of numerous educational programmes and publications concerning civic education, NGO management and development cooperation. During martial law, a member of the regional authorities of the underground ‘Solidarność’, a political prisoner. Co-founder of independent scouting in Poland, first President of the Board of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP). Long-term President of the Education for Democracy Foundation. Co-founder of the Civic Committee for Solidarity with Ukraine. Member of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy (2000-2007) and authorities of ‘Grupa Zagranica’. Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of National Education (2007-2011) and subsequently Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Author of Development Cooperation Act. In 2012-2017, President of Solidarity Fund PL. From 2013 co-organizer of Polish aid for Ukraine, including support for Euromaidan medical services, the independent press and IDPs. Author and initiator of several appeals for solidarity with Ukraine. In 2014, co-founder and member of the Civic Committee of the Solidarity with Ukraine (KOSzU). Since 2017, member of the Polish-Ukrainian Dialogue Group, in 2017-2019 member of the Polish-Ukrainian Partnership Forum. Co-founder of the ‘Flame of Brotherhood’ action of the Polish Scouting Movement and the Ukrainian scouting organization ‘Plast’.
Marcin Kęćko
Director of the Tourism Development Bureau
born 1980 in Lublin.
He graduated from the Technical Secondary School of Economics at ZSE im. A and J. Vetterów and the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin.
He has been working for public administration for years. A long-time employee of the Ministry of Economy (later the Ministry of Development), where he participated in the creation of entrepreneurship support programs and implementation of innovations in companies. Since 2014, he has been working at the Lublin City Hall, previously as the deputy director in the Department of Strategy and Investor Relations, as the president's representative for startups. From January 2020, he was entrusted with the function of the Director of the newly created Tourism Development Bureau.
Privately, he is the father of two daughters.
Mariusz Sagan, Ph.D.
Director of the Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department at Lublin City Office, plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Lublin for the special economic zone
Co-author of Lublin Strategy 2020 setting directions of development of the biggest city of Eastern Poland. Initiator of Study in Lublin programme, Lublin IT Upland, and Lublin Medicine – Medical & Wellness and Life Science clusters. (all activities held in Lublin). Expert and practician in the field of entrepreneurship and strategic management, including city strategies and foreign investment. Simultaneously, since 2009, works in the Collegium of Business Administration at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Author and co-author of more than 100 publications on regional and city development, international business, and business management, including numerous articles in American and British journals such as Cross Cultural Management, Managing Service Quality, Marketing Education Review, Chinese Management Studies, and more. Visited dozens of countries (China, USA, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Portugal, etc.) where he presented results of his work during conferences and lectures. Member of Global Advisory Board at Center for Leadership and Management at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey.
Michał Karapuda
Director of Culture Department at Lublin City Office
A graduate of Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology of Maria Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin. Also studied European Studies at the University of Exeter in England. He completed postgraduate studies, i.e.: Cultural Management within EU at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and Managerial Studies (postgraduate) at the Lublin University of Technology. Further, he is a graduate of the international European Diploma in Cultural Project Management 2011/2012 programme organised by the Marcel Hicter Foundation in Brussels. He started his professional career in Wyborcza daily and then worked, among others, in the Centre for Culture in Lublin as Head of Promotion and Marketing Department. He worked with several NGOs, serving as secretary of the Audit Committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Lublin between 2006 and 2008. Since 2008, he has been working at the Lublin City Hall, and since 2013 he has been Director of the Culture Department of the Lublin City Hall. He was, among other things, the coordinator of the City of Lublin's involvement in the Intercultural Cities programme organised by the European Commission and the Council of Europe in 2008, as well as the project leader of Lublin 2016 European Capital of Culture – Candidate in 2008-2011, the coordinator in Lublin of the National Cultural Programme of the Polish EU Presidency in 2011, the coordinator of the team of authors and co-author of the Lublin's Culture Development Strategy 2013-2020. He also holds positions like: Secretary of the Lublin Culture Council – acting under the auspices of Lublin Mayor, member of the Council of the State Museum at Majdanek and member of the Council of the Lublin Museum in Lublin. In 2017, he was Lublin Mayor’s Plenipotentiary for the Grand Jubilee of 700 years of Lublin and in 2019 for the 450th anniversary of the Polish-Lithuanian Union.
Natalia Gmurkowska
Adviser on Eastern Europe States the the Board of Local Democracy Development Foundation
For 15 years connected with the NGOs sector in Poland and abroad through development and implementation of international cooperation programmes in the filelds of: community development, civil participation, contemporary mothods of public administration management, local media, cross-sectoral partnerships - both local and business, culture and assistance for youth initiatives.
Her research interest are the Eastern Partnership states, especially Ukraine and Georgia. Expert and consultant to public institutions and advisery bodies. Has a long term experience in implementation of project co-finansed by the European Commission, Norway Grants, Polish Development Assistance Programme, Cohesion Fund of the EU, Erasmus+ Programme, and many more.
Paweł Prokop
Chairman of the Organisational and Programming Committee. Lublin Mayor’s Plenipotentiary for social participation and cross-border cooperation. Chairman of Foundation for Managerial Initiatives
Author of international cooperation projects (with Italian, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Georgian, Kyrgyz and Tajik partners). Advisor to Mayor of Lublin on cross-border cooperation and social participation. Coach and consultant in various fields: management, organisational coaching, development strategies for public, non-governmental and commercial sectors. Lecturer at University College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin. Council member and Director of the Representation of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Lublin.
Piotr Choroś
Director of the Social Participation Office at the City of Lublin
Director of the Social Participation Office since 2018, employee of the Lublin City Hall since 2011. Before working for local government, he associated with third sector and cultural institutions. From 2004 to 2011, member of the Management Board of the Homo Faber Association in Lublin; from 2004 to 2006, member of the Management Board of Amnesty International Association. He cooperated with non-governmental organizations on the issue of cooperation between public administration and the third sector, including the SPLOT Network, St. Batory Foundation and the Foundation for Managerial Initiatives. Political scientist and graduate of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Human Rights House) and the Academy of Anti-discrimination Training of the Villa Decius Association. In 2014, he was awarded the Golden Cross of Merit by the President of the Republic of Poland for his outstanding contribution to the development of civil society in Poland, for achievements in professional and social work undertaken for the benefit of the country. Chairman of the Council for Public Benefit Activities at the City of Lublin and member of the Council for Public Benefit Activity at the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, where he represents the Union of Polish Metropolises.