Christine Todd Whitman is the President of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues. WSG offers a comprehensive set of solutions to problems facing businesses, organizations, and governments; they have been at the forefront of helping leading companies find innovative solutions to environmental challenges.Governor Whitman served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from January of 2001 until June of 2003. She was the 50th Governor of the State of New Jersey, serving as its first woman governor from 1994 until 2001.As Governor, Christie Whitman earned praise from both Republicans and Democrats for her commitment to preserve a record amount of New Jersey land as permanent green space. She was also recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council as having instituted the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the nation. As EPA Administrator, she promoted common-sense environmental improvements such as watershed-based water protection policies. She championed regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent. During her tenure, the Agency was successful in passing and implementing landmark brownfields legislation to promote the redevelopment and reuse of “brownfields”, previously contaminated industrial sites.She is the author of a New York Times best seller called “It’s My Party Too”, which was published in January of 2005 and released in paperback in March 2006. Governor Whitman formerly served on the Boards of United Technologies Corporation, Texas Instruments Inc. and S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. She is a member of Terrestrial Energy’s International Advisory Board and she is on the Advisory Boards of the Corporate Eco Forum and The Northeast Maglev (TNEM).Governor Whitman also serves a number of non-profit organizations including as Chairman of the American Security Project and Vice-Chairman of the Trustees of the Eisenhower Fellowships. She is co-chair of the Commission on the Rule of Law and Democracy at the Brennan Center at New York University, the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council, the K12 Climate Action Commission at the Aspen Institute, and the National Institute for Civil Discourse. She is a member of the National Advisory Committees for the Women’s Coalition for Common Sense and the Presidential Climate Action Project. She is a founding member of the Climate Leadership Council, a member of the Advisory Committee for Two Paths America, and she serves on the Meridian Institute Board. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Rick Herema Foundation, World War Zero, the Earth Day Network, and the ERA Coalition. In 2018, Governor Whitman was the recipient of the Panetta Institute’s Jefferson-Lincoln Award for her dedication to the key principles of the American democracy and the ideals of the nation. Governor Whitman was awarded The Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service in 2017. Prior to becoming Governor, she was the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and served on the Somerset County board of Chosen Freeholders. Governor Whitman holds a BA from Wheaton College in Norton, MA, and was married for 41 years to the late John R. Whitman. She has two children and seven grandchildren.

The appointment of Derek Mitchell as NDI’s third president is a homecoming. Beginning in September 2018, he returned to NDI just over two decades after he departed the Institute in 1997, at the conclusion of nearly four years as Senior Program Officer for Asia and the former Soviet Union. Since that time, Mitchell has had a distinguished career in and out of the U.S. government, in which he has witnessed the connection between democracy and international security. From 2012-2016, Mitchell served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma). He was America’s first ambassador to the country in 22 years. From 2011-12, he served as the U.S. Department of State’s first Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, with the rank of ambassador. Prior to this appointment, Mitchell served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA), in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In that capacity, he spent six months as acting APSA Assistant Secretary of Defense, and was responsible for overseeing the Defense Department’s security policy in Northeast, Southeast, South, and Central Asia. For his service, he received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Distinguished Public Service in August 2011. From 2001 to 2009, Mitchell served as Senior Fellow and Director of the Asia Division of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). From 1997 to 2001, he served as Special Assistant for Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Mitchell was the principal author of the Department of Defense’s 1998 East Asia Strategy Report, the last such report produced by DoD. Mitchell began his work in Washington as a foreign policy assistant in the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) from 1986-88. Most recently, Mitchell has been a senior advisor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as well as a lecturer for the Stanford-in-Washington program. Mitchell has authored numerous books, articles, policy reports, and opinion pieces on international affairs. He is the coauthor of China: The Balance Sheet—What the World Needs to Know Now about the Emerging Superpower (2006), and China and the Developing World: Beijing’s Strategy for the 21st Century (2007). Mitchell received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia. He was a visiting scholar at Peking University in 2007. He speaks Mandarin Chinese proficiently. His wife Min is a former television journalist. They live in Washington, D.C., with their beloved dog Bernie.

Duda Balje is a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo from the political party Social Democratic Union, and board member of the Women Caucus. Balje is the leader of the SDU party. Balje has been an MP in the Assembly of Kosovo since 2010. Currently, Balje is the Chair of the Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Victims of Sexual Violence During the War, Missing Persons and Petitionsand a member of the Committee on Budget, Labor and Transfers. She holds a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences from Educons University in Novi Sad. Balje was also part of the Consultative Council for Communities in the 2013 Presidential Cabinet.

Dr. Edita Tahiri Dr. Tahiri is a distinguished peace negotiator and chief negotiator in war and peace times for Kosovo and Balkans region with about 30 years’ experience. She is the former of the Regional Women’s Lobby in South Eastern Europe (RWLSEE). She is a former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Dialogue, Minister of Public Administration, Peace Negotiator and Member of Parliament for five terms. She is a key founder and leader of the movement for independence of Kosovo. She is the President of reformist party Democratic Alternative of Kosovo (ADK). She was one of the founders and key leaders of the movement for Kosovo’s independence, the Democratic League of Kosovo, in the years 1991-1999. She is known as one of key protagonists of political changes in Kosovo and the Balkans since the end of the Cold War. She is recognized as the only women peace negotiator in the Balkans participating in the international peace processes. As the Chief Negotiator of Kosovo in the EU mediated peace talks with Serbia, she is the signatory of the first ever agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, after 20 years of peace talks. She graduated fromHarvard University and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School for Government. She also graduated in the Edward S. Mason program for Public Policy and Management. She holds a doctoral degree in political sciences from Prishtina University in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University –SAIS. She has numerous publications as author and coauthor and has been participant and lecturer in numerous international conferences and universities, and appeared with interviews in world news including CNN, BBC, DW, etc.

Eliza Hoxha is a Member of the Assembly of Kosovo from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, and board member of the Women Caucus. She is also a member of the Committee for Education, Science, Technology, Innovation, Culture, Youth and Sport and Committee on Human Rights, Gender Equality, Victims of Sexual Violence During the War, Missing Persons and Petitions. She graduated in 2002 from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Pristina. She completed her postgraduate studies in 2006 at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, focusing on the field of urban planning. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at TU in Graz, Austria.

Emilija Redžepi is director of the Department of Culture Youth and Sport in the Municipality of Prizren. Ms. Redžepi has been a Member of Parliament for the past three legislatures and the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDS). Ms. Redžepi ran for Mayor in the 2017 local elections in Prizren and she served as the minister of the Ministry of Local Government Administration. She was the Deputy Speaker of Prizren and Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Energy. Ms. Redžepi earned her Master’s Degree studies in Political Science.

Eva Barboni is the Founder & CEO of Atalanta, mission-driven campaigning and communications consultancy dedicated to advancing women's leadership worldwide and accelerating programs that tackle the root causes of gender inequality. She is a communication and campaign strategist with experience managing projects across five continents in often complex and demanding environments. Since her first national campaign in 2003-2004 on behalf of US Presidential candidate Howard Dean, she has developed and implemented innovative communications and campaign strategies for a diverse range of clients, including political candidates and parties, government ministries, and large non-profit and philanthropic organizations. She has been responsible for leading successful campaigns at the municipal, state, and national levels and international organizations’ leadership. She has extensive global experience, having led programs in Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Liberia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She has worked closely with political parties worldwide to develop strategies to advance women’s meaningful participation, recruit and train women candidates, and develop gender-responsive policies. She has previously worked alongside NDI in Kosovo, conducting a workshop as part of the Women’s Leadership Academy: Digital Skills.

Fatbardha Haliti is the speaker of the assembly of the municipality of Skenderaj. She is the Deputy Chair of the Collegium of Municipalities of Kosovo. Fatbardha graduated in architecture in the University of Prishtina. She received her masters degree in the respective area in the University of Prishtina. She started her political activity in 2017, became a member of the assembly of Skenderaj from the PDK party, thereby becoming the first woman speaker of the assembly. Fatbardha is married and has a son.

Fitore Rexhepi is an editor and presenter for the TV show ‘Imazh’ at the Radio Television of Kosovo, RTK. Ms. Rexhepi has worked as a journalist and presenter at RTK since 2004. She holds an MA in International Relations in Law Faculty, University of Prishtina and a BA in Political Science from the University of Prishtina.

Gentiana Begolli is currently serving as the chairwoman of the Board of the Association of the Journalists of Kosovo, in which position she was elected in July 2018. In her capacity as the Board Chair, she has taken place in numerous conferences in Kosovo and abroad emphasizing the protection of journalists and the minimization of political interference in media, while in the domestic scene she has had several initiatives with the international organizations such as UNDP, OSCE, etc. in empowering the role of the journalists in the society democratization. Recently she has been nominated for the EU-funded Women in Leadership program whilst in parallel has been engaged as an expert consultant with the Council of Europe and OSCE. At the same time, Gentiana has an extensive 20 years’ experience in journalism with the TV Dukagjini, Radio Television 21, and lately with RTK where she is a senior reporter/news editor and a news anchor. She holds a BA degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, and an M.A. degree in Journalism from the KIJAC Institute for Media in Pristina. Gentiana apart from her native Albanian language speaks fluent Serbian and English.

Jeta Krasniqi, project manager at the Kosova Democratic Institute (KDI), leading the project to strengthen the Assembly’s oversight role towards Government and increase the participation of citizens in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process. Previously, Ms. Krasniqi served as Political Advisor to the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, where she was engaged in the field of foreign policy, economic development, promotion of human rights and gender equality. Ms. Krasniqi was the Coordinator of the National Council for Survivors of Sexual Violence. She has a long-standing commitment to civil society organizations in advancing the role of women in society in Kosovo and Albania. Jeta Krasniqi graduated in International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and finished her undergraduate studies in International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Ms. Krasniqi is a board member of the Kosovo Women’s Networking Board and the Kosovo American Educational Fund (KAEF), as well as a member from civil society in the Governmental Commission for the Verification and Recognition of Sexually Abused during the War.

Jovana Radosavljević is the executive director of New Social Initiative (NSI), a CSO based in North Mitrovica. She was a member of the Preparatory Team for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Jovana has worked as a consultant for the World Bank Kosovo Office, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Pristina, and swisspeace. She worked for the EU election observation missions, deployed to Kosovo to observe municipal and legislative elections in the aftermath of the signing of the Brussels Agreement. Jovana is an alumnus of the USAID’s Transformational Leadership Scholarship and Partnership Program and holds MA in International Studies from Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, with specializations in conflict resolution and international development and BA from Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade.

Ambassador Currie was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues by President Trump in December 2019. She serves simultaneously as the U.S. Representative at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Prior to her appointment, she led the Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice (2019) and served under Ambassador Nikki Haley as the United States’ Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council and Alternative Representative to the UN General Assembly (2017-2018). Throughout her career in foreign policy, Ambassador Currie has specialized in human rights, political reform, development and humanitarian issues, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. From 2009 until her appointment to the USUN leadership, she served as a Senior Fellow with the Project 2049 Institute. She has held senior policy positions with the Department of State, the U.S. Congress, and several international and non-governmental human rights and humanitarian organizations. Ambassador Currie received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Kreshnik Gashi is the chief editor of the only fact-checking platform in Kosovo certified by IFCN for fact-checking news. Krypometer (https://kallxo.com/krypometer/) conducts more than 400 fact-checking annually news taken from media reports in Kosovo. Kreshnik has been part of different investigative and research projects aiming at the transparency of media finances in the country. He has conducted more than 50 training for journalists on fact-checking. He has more than 10 awards as an investigative journalist for best anti-corruption and investigative journalism. He worked in cross-border research with OCCRP (https://www.occrp.org/en) and with BIRN Hub.

Lendita Bekteshi is the head of the Administration Department in the municipality of Obiliq. She completed her bachelor studies in the faculty of Philology at the University of Prishtina, Department of the Albanian language. Her professional experience entails working as a journalist in the Prishtina Post, Fantv, and the daily newspaper Zeri.

Leon Malazogu served as Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to Japan. He is co-founder and former executive director of the Democracy for Development Institute (D4D), a think-tank in Prishtina dedicated to public policy research on the links between democracy and development. Mr. Malazogu holds an MA in International Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Notre Dame. He has taught at the University of Prishtina, the American University in Kosovo and the South-East European University in Tetovo. He co-authored the curriculum for the newly opened department of Political Science/Public Administration at the University of Prishtina and served as a board member of the Albanian Political Science Association. He was a scholar in residence at the Arizona State University for a semester, researching public administration curriculum and local government. Previously, Leon served as a Regional Representative for the European Centre for Minorities, as Research Director at the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development, as an advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Kosovo Office of the Project on Ethnic Relations. He led NGO coalitions in changing the electoral system in 2004 and observing the elections in 2007. Mr. Malazogu has conducted numerous studies on democratization, ethnic relations, regional dialogue, northern Kosovo and higher education and he frequently presents at prestigious academic and policy conferences. Several of Leon’s short pieces have been published by Frank Cass and the Center for Peace Research at the University of Leuven, among others.