People involved
Czech republic:
Jana Smiggels Kavková
Jana Smiggels Kavková studied Political Science at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has been working for Fórum 50 % since 2005, in 2009 she has become the executive director. In 2011 she has been elected as the Chair of Czech Women´s lobby, an association of 22 women NGOs protecting women´s rights in the Czech Republic, which she also represents in The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. She also chairs The Commission for Equal Representation of Women and Men in Politics. These are advisory bodies of the government in the field of gender equality.
Marcela Adamusová
Marcela Adamusová has been working in Fórum 50 % since July 2009. Her main responsibility are projects focused on gender equality on local level. She studied the master programme Gender Studies at Charles University. She is a representative of Fórum 50 % in an international coalition Social Watch where she also works as a PR manager. In her free time she plays violin in a rock band Pankix.
Veronika Šprincová
Veronika Šprincová graduated in Gender Studies from the Department of Gender Studies of Charles University in Prague where she teaches a course focused on feminist theories and contemporary feminist discussions. Besides project coordination, lecturing and making analyses she studies political philosophy in a Ph.D. programme. Her dissertation is focused on feminist political philosophy. She represents Fórum 50 % in The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and is also a member of its Committee for the Institutional Safeguarding of Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.
Halka Jaklová
Halka Jaklová studied Faculty of Law Charles University in Prague and obtained a master degree. She spent most of her professional life in non-governmental organizations mostly as a project manager or expert, except of three years in advocacy. Main areas of her interest were rights of different disadvanteged groups of people like refugees, minorities, single parents or women. In january 2011 she started to work for Fórum 50 % - publically beneficial society oriented on equal participation of women and men in public life as a deputy of director and fundraiser.
Nina Bosničová
nina.bosnicova@genderstudies.cz
Nina received an M.A. in English and Slovak Philology at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic) in 2003. In 2008, she earned a Ph.D. in English and American Literature at Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic). Her academic expertise is in the problematic of African American literature and culture. She has been with the non-profit organization Gender Studies, o.p.s. since 2006. First she worked as a project manager cooperating predominantly with the company target group and since 2012, she has been in the role of a head of services for the commercial sector. She is also an editor-in-chief of the organization’s monthly newsletter “Equal Opportunities (into Firms)”. Besides gender and race issues, Nina is also interested in multiculturalism, partly due to her own multicultural background.
Marcela Linková
Marcela Linková is a researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic at the Gender & Sociology department and the co-ordinator of the National Contact Centre for Women and Science. Her research concentrates on the position of women in science, construction of research institutions and careers from a gender perspective and the gendered nature of excellence and accountability. She has coordinated and participated in EC’s Framework Programme projects. She is a member of the European Commission’s Helsinki Group on Women and Science and has been a member of the expert and advisory groups for the European Commission. She is a member of the Working Group on the Development of Human Resources and Equal Opportunities in Research, Development and Innovations at the Czech Ministry of Education.
Petr Pavlík
Ing. Petr Pavlík, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Master Studies and deputy Chair of the Departement of Gender Studies of Charles University in Prague. In his research he focuses mainly on the issue of sexual harrasment in the universities and institutionalisation of the policy of equal opportunities in the Czech Republic. He is member of The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.
Finland:
Ann-Sofi Backgren
Ann-Sofi Backgren studied political science at Åbo Academy in Vaasa, Finland. Quite young she started to be active in politics, first at the local level and then in the region and now since 10 years ago also at the European level. She has been elected to the local Assemby in the home municipality Korsnäs (www.korsnas.fi) in 20 years and she has been the chairwoman in 12 years. In the regional level, at the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia (www.obothnia.fi) she is a member of the Assembly, the board and the chairwoman of the gender committee. At the European level she is the I Vice President at the Association of European Border Regions (www.aebr.eu). Ann-Sofi Backgren has also been active in many NGO:s, for example in woman association and rural development.
Inger Aaltonen
Inger Aaltonen, Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) from Hanken, School of Economics (www.hanken.fi). She has 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the fashion industry (1990-2010). Since October 2010 she has been lecturing in marketing at Hanken, School of Economics. She also holds two part time positions; as Business and Industry Coordinator at Hanken and as Contact Manager at Aveo (www.aveo.fi). She is mentoring both young students at Hanken as well as entrepreneurs in Ostrobothnia (www.botniamentors.fi). Inger Aaltonen is a member of the Gender Committee of the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia.
Ann Holm
Ann Holm works since 2009 as a spatial planner at the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia. Before that she used to work as a city planner at the city of Vaasa. She studied spatial planning at the Technical University of Helsinki (today Aalto University).
Malin Gustavsson
Malin Gustavsson has a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Åbo Akademi) and a Master of Arts in Women's Studies (University of Helsinki). She has worked as gender equality and diversity consultant since 2006 and today she own and works at Ekvalita Ab (www.ekvalita.fi). At Ekvalita she is an expert in gender equality and diversity issues. She has extensive experience of training and coaching individuals as well as groups in gender equality work, creating method materials and instructions, integrating gender equality in leadership training, as well as organizing seminars and lecturing.
Maria Österåker
Maria Österåker holds an Ph.D within business development from the Swedish School of Economics, Finland (www.hanken.fi) . Her main topics are and have been entrepreneurship and business profitability in micro businesses. Today she is working as a writer and a lecturer within pricing and marketing in her own company ( www.osteraker.wordpress.com ) She also talks about the importance of having the guts to become an entrepreneur and to be in charge of your own life. One of her books ”Ta betalt”, about pricing, was launched in Sweden in 2010 and was nominated as the marketing book of the year 2010.
Tarja Hautamäki
Ms Tarja Hautamäki has since March 2011 worked as a Cultural Manager at the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia (www.obotnia.fi), one of the 18 regional councils in Finland. Altogether 16 municipalities of the Ostrobothnian region are members of the council. The biggest one is the city of Vaasa (www.vaasa.fi) where Ms Hautamäki served as a Director of Cultural Services for ten years until March 2011. Ms Hautamäki has also worked in the adjacent municipality of Mustasaari as a Director of Education between the years 1997 and 2001.
Ms Hautamäki graduated in 1990 from the University of Tampere obtaining a Master of Arts degree with ethnomusicology as her major subject. She has also studied public law at the University of Vaasa where she got her Licentiate of Administrative Sciences degree in 2011. Now she is focusing her further studies on a doctoral thesis on the control of private security services used in cultural services.
Irina Nori
Irina Nori has worked since 2007 as a Regional Development Planner at the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia. Before that Nori worked as a researcher in Turku School of Economy and Business Administration and in The Social Insurance Institution of Finland. At her work she specializes in gender issues and acts currently as a secretary in the Gender Equality Group of Ostrobothnia. Nori graduated in 2001 from the University of Turku obtaining a Master of Social Sciences degree with Economics as her major subject. She has also graduated in 2006 from the Turku School of Economy and Business Administration obtaining a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree with Information System Science as her major subject.
Greece:
Dora Zarzavatsaki Taka
Ms Dora Zarzavatsaki Taka was born and raised in Thessaloniki-Greece, being happily married and a mother of three.
Having graduated from the Marketing Management School of Drake University of Iowa USA she worked as a Marketing Manager in the family business for 7 years, continuing the longstanding tradition of a business family.
As of now, Ms Dora Zarzavatsaki Taka, is not only a very successful real estate agent but also a very active member of the civil society of Thessaloniki participating in many Associations, namely:
— UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries
— Greek Society of Interbalkan Women’s Cooperation
— Association of Interbalkan Women’s Cooperation Societies
— Asylo tou Paidiou (Children’s Asylum)
— Anatolia Alumni Association
— STORGI Charity Organization for children suffering from cancer
In particular, she is a founding member of the Greek Society of Women’s Interbalkan Cooperation and in 2011 was elected as Secretary General of the UNESCO Center for Women and Peace in the Balkan Countries.
Catherine Amoutzia
Catherine Amoutzia studied at the Medical Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and Health Promotion at the University of London. She has been working for the Greek National Health System for many years. She is a very active member of the civil society of Thessaloniki participating in many scientific Associations. She is the president of the NGO Aenao from 2006, and she is actively involved in many projects dealing with women empowerment.
Anastasia Timologou
She was borned and raised in Thessaloniki. She studied Chemistry and Food Science in the UK.
She is involved in non formal education and her field of expertise is environmental protection . She is trainer and project coordinator at the NGO AENAO.
Katerina Gerolympou
She was borned in Thessaloniki . She studied Forensic Psychology in Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Clinical Psychology in Aristotele University of Thessaloniki.
She is one of the basic trainers at the NGO AENAO and her fields of training expertise are as follow:
— Citizenship education
— Conflict management
— Human rights education
— Peace education
— Environment
— Violence and abuse
— Aids and smoking prevention
Eleonora Zotou
Eleonora Zotou lives and works in Thessaloniki.
Her family lineage is diverse - on her mother’s side coming from Koritsa, Albania, and her father’s side from Voio Kozanis, Greece.
She has a degree in Economics from the university of Tirana, Albania.
She has helped and collaborated with “Homonia” and the Party for Human Rights of Greek minorities in Albania.
She is a member of the Administrative Council of “Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki”.
She is vice-president of “Association of Migrant Women of Northern Greece”.
She has been an active member of the local authorities.
She has spent the last 11 years as an executive of the Thessaloniki NGO “ANTIGONE – Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non Violence”.
Dimitra Gogakou
Architect Engineer,(Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) with postgraduate studies in the Environmental planning of cities and buildings. Teacher of Secondary education.
She works as scientific adviser of party of “Ecologists Green” on issues concerning Local Authorities
Elected member of local council in 1986.
Founding member of Municipal Party “Citizens of Ampelokipi” and the Centre of History of Ampelokipi.
She has been an elected member in the Prefecture Council with the party “Ecology Solidarity” in 2006.
Mystridou Georgia
Mystridou Georgia was born in Thessaloniki where she still lives and works as a highschool teacher.
She has also worked on Environmental Education projects for a number of years.
Degree in Biology, MA in Environmental Biology, Aristotelion University, Thessaloniki.
Member of the Administrative Council of the History Centre of Ampelokipi – Thessaloniki.
Member of the NGO “AENAON”
Poland:
Małgorzata Borowska
trainer and consultant on leadership, communication and media policy. For the past 10 years she has been cooperating with think-tanks and non-governmental organisations in Poland, being at the moment the vice-president of the Non-Governmental Network of Support Centres SPLOT.
Used to be a journalist in different media: 4 years – a reporter and a weekly programme host and at Polskie Radio Pomorza i Kujaw and 5 years as a journalist at www.ngo.pl, mainly carried out interviews.
As a trainer she specializes in public speaking, rhetoric and debating. She elaborated Oxford debating training programme for the School of Leaders Association and carried out over 20 training sessions on those topics for the last 5 years – carrying one third of them in English. She has broaden debating and rhetorical experience during an internship in Westminster, at the House of Lords, where she drafted arguments for Lord Skelmersdale – a Shadow Minister of Social Affairs.
She is a certified trainer of Non-Governmental Trainers’ Association, as well as Group Training School, using David Kolb’s experiential learning model. She is an alumn of Jagiellonian University and London School of Political Science.
