Organizer. Chairman of BvbM
Dr. phil. Wolfgang Ressmann studied political science and economy at the University of Mannheim – Graduation: Magister Artium (M.A.) and afterwards he did his doctorate. He startet his career with working for members of the European and German parliament. He also worked as a town councillour and deputy mayor in Neustadt/Weinstraße (Germany).
He is also chairman of the “Bundesverband Bürgermedien” – the organisation of public-access channels in Germany. Since his university times he has been working with media – print, radio and TV. Since the 80s Dr. Ressmann also worked on the international level, especially Eastern Europe and Latin America and China.
Lena Kronenbürger is a freelance journalist and moderator. She is the editor-in-chief of the socio-political interview magazine fortytwomagazinefortytwomagazine published in English and German and the host of the German podcast How I met my money. Since 2020, Lena is part of the Media Dialogue project.
He is also chairman of the “Bundesverband Bürgermedien” – the organisation of public-access channels in Germany. Since his university times he has been working with media – print, radio and TV. Since the 80s Dr. Ressmann also worked on the international level, especially Eastern Europe and Latin America and China.
Co-organizer
Mkrtich Tonoyan is an Armenian artist whose work in performance and installation questions the hegemonic militaristic practices inherent in war and its power structures. He initiated and is a member of of the Artists’ Union of Armenia (since 2005), co-founder of “Akos” Cultural NGO (2002) and current president of the AKOS Cultural NGO, founder of the “Art Centre of Social Studies” (ACOSS) international artists-in-residence program (2006), and co-founder of the Microresidence International Network (2012). Tonoyan graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan in 2002 and has exhibited his work and presented at numerous national and international art events, galleries, and universities, including Dunlop Art Gallery’s 2017 exhibition, Station 7/Mkrtich Tonoyan: Forays in Military Art.
Project assistant
Hrant is founder and chairman of the Center for Strategic Research NGO and Times.am Social-Political Analytic portal. He is also editor in chief of Voskanapat.info news website, which is focused on analyzing conflicts, particularly war in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia.
Chairperson of Belarusian Association of Journalists, (since 2015).
Other professional activity:
the “Femida-NOVA” newspaper’s Deputy Editor-in-chief (1998 – 2000),
Expert and Head of the Law Center for Media Protection at BAJ (1998 – 2015),
author and presenter of I Have the Right TV program (Belsat TV Channel, Poland) (2008- 2011),
Lecturer of European Humanities University (2008 – 2013),
One of the authors of the Concept of reforming media legislation of the Republic of Belarus, the Concept of modernization of media legislation of the Republic of Belarus in the sphere of protection of the national information space, as well as a number of draft laws in the field of media.
Dr. Shengelia is a President of Caucasus University and the International Association of University Presidents for 2017 -2021 years.
He holds an MA degree from Tbilisi State University, an MBA degree in Management from the University of Hartford (Hartford, USA), and a Ph.D. Degree from Georgian Technical University (Tbilisi, Georgia). He teaches courses in Management Concept and History of Georgia.
Dr. Kakha Shengelia was a Member of Parliament of Georgia, Deputy Chairman of Committee of Education, Science, Sport and Culture, and Committee of Foreign Affairs. He has been a Vice-Mayor of Tbilisi in Social Affairs. Dr. Shengelia is awarded the Presidential Order of Excellence by the President of Georgia and the Ring of Honor by the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.
He is an Honorable Doctor of Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. Also, Member of the Board of Directors of the World University Consortium (WUC) and the European Public Law Organization (EPLO). Member of the Council of Representatives of European Law and Governance School (ELGS).
Petru Macovei is the Executive Director of the Association of Independent Press (API) from Republic of Moldova since the year 2006. His experience in journalism dates with the year 1991: worked as reporter, editor and editor-in-chief to an independent regional newspaper, served as a radio editor, presented a debate show at Moldova 1 Public Television.
As national expert in mass-media development, Mr. Macovei took part in numerous international topic-based conferences. He serves as national trainer in journalistic ethics and professional deontology.
Mr. Macovei is the secretary of Moldova Press Council – journalistic self-regulatory structure which examines the complaints of media consumers against journalists and promotes quality journalism.
Cristina Bobirca is the head of API Training and Organizational Development Department. She contributes to implementation of various support media programs for journalists, local and national media organizations, coordinate european funded projects.
Since 2010, she is working in nongovernamental media sector, including communication, development and public relations segment.
Co-organizer
Chairman of the Board of a the “Forum of Ukrainian Journalists,” Secretary of the “National Union of Journalists of Ukraine,” editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Volynska Gazeta” (Lutsk, Ukraine).
His journalistic career starts as a correspondent for the newspaper “Trudova Vakhta” (served in the Chernobyl accident zone), editor of the department in the newspaper “Moloda Volyn,” “Viche,” special correspondent for the “Kievskie Vedomosti,” “Komanda,” and “The magazine Ukraine.”
Volodymyr is the Honored Journalist of Ukraine and many awards, particularly the Order of Merit of the III degree, the Order of the Republic of Austria “For Merit”, the badge of the National Union of Journalists “Journalistic Dignity”, ect. He actively cooperates with foreign partners —organizes international exchanges of professional experience in Poland and Belarus, and internships for young journalists in cooperation with multiple Ukrainian universities.
Co-organizer
Yevhen Tsymbalenko is Deputy Director for Scholar Work and International Collaboration, Associate Professor at the Institute of Journalism, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, PhD in Social Communications Sciences Prof. Tsymbalenko is an experienced scholar and media trainer who collaborates with NGOs worldwide to develop media education system and help the audience to analyze the news. His main scientific interests are media transformations, digital safety, media literacy, and online-media.
Co-organizer
Kateryna was born and raised in Luhansk, Ukraine (Donbas).
Kateryna graduated from Luhansk Foreign Languages Lyceum in 2009. She moved to Kyiv to study at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Kateryna has a Master’s degree in Journalism (2015) and a Specialist’s degree in “Language and Literature” (2017). In 2021, she publicly defended her PhD dissertation “Participatory Journalism in Ukraine: Discursive Models, Tendencies, Perspectives”. Kateryna is currently an Assistant Professor of the Advertising and Public Relations Department at the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She also is an English language teacher at Yappi Corporate. Kateryna speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English, Spanish and Arabic.
Kateryna supports animal rights organisations, zero waste and vegan movements as well as raises awareness about climate change. Kateryna runs two projects: “vicTEAM” against sexual and domestic violence (https://www.victeam.org/) and “Syroїzhka” for plant-based lifestyle (https://www.instagram.com/rawveganua).
Ms. Daria Jaranowska has a master in Polish Philology with the pedagogical and journalistic specializations. In years 2014-2016 she was working as a managing director in the European Youth4Media Network e.V.. Since the end of 2021 she was working in the Citizen Center Bennohaus. Ms. Jaranowska was coordinating International and Media Departments.
