Democratic Governance Conference

Stephen Nix

Senior Director, Eurasia, International Republican Institute

Stephen Nix joined IRI in October 2000, as regional program director for Eurasia. In his current role as Senior Director, he oversees programs in Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.

Nix resided in Kyiv, Ukraine, for more than three years. During that time, he served as outside legal counsel for the Committee on Legal Reform in the Ukrainian Parliament. He also assisted in the drafting of crucial reform legislation in Ukraine, including the constitution of Ukraine, the presidential and parliamentary election laws, and the law on the constitutional court of Ukraine. Nix also served as a member of the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Law on the Election of Deputies in Ukraine. He has lectured in a number of law schools throughout Ukraine on such topics as election law and judicial reform.

Bridget Brink

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

Ambassador Brink was nominated by President Biden to be U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine on April 25, 2022, confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May 18, 2022, and arrived in Kyiv on May 29, 2022. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Brink served as U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic from August 15, 2019, until her confirmation as Ambassador to Ukraine.

She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State, with responsibility for issues related to Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the protracted conflicts in Europe. She also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and in Tbilisi, Georgia

Oleksiy Kuleba

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian statesman, public figure, and public servant. Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. Former Chairman of the Kyiv Regional State Administration from February 8 to March 15, 2022, and from May 21, 2022, to January 24, 2023.

He served as an advisor on public grounds to the CEO of the municipal enterprise "Pleso" for the protection, maintenance, and operation of water fund lands in Kyiv. He held the position of Director of the Department of Urban Improvement at the Kyiv City State Administration.

He graduated from Kyiv National Economic University and the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine.

Oleksandr Korniyenko

First Deputy Chief of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Ukrainian politician and public figure. Chairman of the political party "Servant of the People" (November 10, 2019 - November 15, 2021). Co-Chair of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council. One of the leaders of decentralization and public administration reforms in Ukraine.

He received his education at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" and studied at the Wiesbaden Academy of Psychotherapy in Germany. He is a business trainer, development consultant, and public figure. Over the course of his 11-year career, he has conducted thousands of training sessions and speeches in Ukraine and around the world. He has built a successful business in the field of education and team development.

Olena Shulyak

Member of Parliament, Chairwoman of the Committee on the Organization of the State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning

Ukrainian political figure. Chairperson of the "Servant of the People" party since November 15, 2021. Chairperson of the Coordination Council for problem-solving in urban planning under the President of Ukraine. Holds a master's degree in business administration and has been a certified auditor since 1999.

In the past, she worked as a top manager in development and construction. She served as the Vice President of Finance in the Ukrainian branch of the international organization Young Presidents' Organization. She was also the Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Building Community and a former member of the Board of the Office of Effective Regulation (BRDO). She is an entrepreneur and co-founder of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs (UUE).

Oleksandra Azarkhina

Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine

Previously, she worked with Ukravtodor as the Head of Communications and Project Coordinator within the Ukravtodor and World Bank pilot project (WiM, Weigh-in-Motion). Before that, she held the following positions:
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- Communications Manager for the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reform team
- Editor and Producer at Hromadske Television
- Communications Expert for agricultural reform at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

She is a co-founder of a consulting agency that has a portfolio of Ukrainian and international projects. In addition to English, she is proficient in French and has completed two internships at the Foundation for Human Sciences in Paris.

Mustafa Nayem

Head of Recovery and Development Agency Ukraine

He is a Ukrainian political figure, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament of the 8th convocation. He is also a journalist and co-founder and editor-in-chief of Hromadske TV. Previously, he worked as a special correspondent for the newspaper "Kommerstant Ukraine" and as an editor for the website Ukrayinska Pravda. He is an activist of the journalistic movement Stop Censorship!

In 2004, he completed his studies at the Faculty of Aviation and Space Systems at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. In 2013, he graduated from the International Academy of Journalism Intajour in Germany, and the following year, he became a participant in the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program at Stanford University.

Serhiy Sukhomlyn

Mayor of Zhytomyr

Ukrainian activist, chairman of the Zhytomyr City Executive Committee. The current mayor of the city of Zhytomyr (since November 2015), re-elected for a second term in the local elections of 2020, a member of the Main Council of the ‘Propozytsiia’ party.

From 2010 to 2014, he was a deputy of the Zhytomyr Oblast Council. In March 2014, he was nominated as a candidate for the position of first deputy mayor. He was approved for this position by the decision of the Zhytomyr City Council session.

In 2016, he graduated from the State Fiscal Service University of Ukraine, received a full higher education, specialty ‘Finance, and Credit’, and qualified as a finance and credit specialist.

Ihor Terekhov

Mayor of Kharkiv

This is a Ukrainian official, politician, and local government figure. He has been the Mayor of Kharkiv since November 11, 2021.

In 1990, he graduated from the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in "Industrial and Civil Engineering" and obtained a qualification as a civil engineer. In 2006, he completed his studies at the Kharkiv Regional Institute of Public Administration of the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine, specializing in "Public Administration," and obtained a qualification as a master of public administration.

On December 9, 2020, he was elected as the Secretary of the Kharkiv City Council of the 8th convocation. After the death of Gennady Kernes on December 17, 2020, he assumed the position of Acting Mayor of Kharkiv.

Ruslan Martsinkiv

Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk

Ukrainian politician, Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk (since 2015). People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 7th convocation. Member of the All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" party. Winner of the Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for special achievements of youth in the development of Ukraine (2009).

In local self-government bodies, he held the following positions: assistant to the deputy mayor for the activities of executive bodies of the city council, executive committee of the Ivano-Frankivsk city council (2005); Chairman of the Standing Committee on Youth Policy, Development of Physical Education and Sports of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Council (2006–2010).

In 2010, he was elected for the position of the Head of the secretariat of the Ivano-Frankivsk city organization All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" party.

Since November 2010, he has been the secretary of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council and a deputy of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council.

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Ukrainian politician, public figure, tax officer. Member of the All-Ukrainian Union "Svoboda" party. political party "Svoboda". Deputy of the Ternopil Oblast Council (2009). Mayor of Ternopil since November 30, 2010.

In 1995, he graduated from the Ternopil Commercial Institute, with a degree in "Economist, economics and Production management".

1994 - started working in the local tax office. Worked in the position of a Tax Inspector, Head of the Department of the State Tax Inspectorate (1994-2005), and Head of the Department (2005-2007).

1997 - graduated from the Ternopil Academy of National Economy, specialty ‘Accounting and Auditing’.

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Oksana Prodan

Advisor to the Head of the Association of Ukrainian Cities

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Oksana Prodan

Advisor to the Head of Association of Cities of Ukraine

Serhii Nadal

Mayor of Ternopil

Oleksandr Symchyshyn

Mayor of Khmelnytskyi

Ukrainian official, public-political figure. Since 2015, he has been the mayor of Khmelnytskyi, and in 2020, he was re-elected for a second term.

In 2007, he completed his postgraduate studies at Ivan Ohiienko Kamianets-Podilskyi State University, defended his dissertation, and obtained a scientific degree in historical sciences.

From 2007 to 2014, he worked as a lecturer at the Department of General Education Disciplines, associate professor at the Department of Jurisprudence, and dean of the Economic and Legal Faculty at Khmelnytskyi Institute of Social Technologies of the Open International University of Human Development "Ukraine." In 2010, he was elected as a deputy of the Khmelnytskyi City Council.

Liubomyr Mysiv

Rating Group Ukraine

With over 26 years of experience in the field of sociological research, the key qualifications include expertise in designing, managing, and analyzing sociological studies at the national, local, and municipal levels, including multi-wave surveys. The individual has led and co-authored analytical reports and presentations with data visualization. They have also headed numerous research projects conducted by the sociological group "Rating."From 2003 to 2006, the individual worked as a graduate student at the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. In 2008, they successfully defended their dissertation and obtained a scientific degree of Candidate of Sciences in Public Administration. From 2006 to 2016, the individual worked in analytical departments of central government bodies in Ukraine, including the Presidential Administration and the Verkhovna Rada.

Valeriy Pekar

Lecturer at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and Lviv Business School

This individual is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, publicist, lecturer, and civic activist. They are a lecturer at KMB School, where they initially studied, and at Lviv Business School of UCU. They serve as the Vice President of the USPP (Ukrainian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises) and President of the company Euroindex. They are the author of the monograph "Colorful Management: Evolution of Thinking, Leadership, and Management," as well as numerous articles on management, marketing, and information technology.

They have also served as the head of the Department of Exhibition Activities at the higher educational institution "Institute of Advertising." In 2009, they published the first educational textbook in Ukraine on "Fundamentals of Exhibition Activities" for higher educational institutions. They are a co-author of the foresight research study "Human Capital of Ukraine."

Oleksandr Solontay

Head of Board, NGO Agency for Recovery and Development, Senior Advisor of CLIR (SURGe) project

Public and political figure. Founder of the public organization FRI. Expert at the Institute of Political Education. Recipient of the NDI Award for contributions to democracy development. Expert and head of the Practical Policy Program at the Institute of Political Education.

He has a nine-year experience as a local-level deputy in Uzhhorod and in Zakarpattia. In 2013, he was one of the founders of an association, and in 2014, he established the political party "Power of the People." He is a co-author of manuals for local council deputies, guides on state funding of civil society organizations, and an alphabet for beginner politicians, among other publications. He has authored books on local communities and corruption in local government.

Taras Byk

Member of Board, NGO Agency for Recovery and Development

Advisor on international relations, international lawyer, political technologist, and translator.

In 2005, he graduated from the Faculty of International Relations at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, where he also pursued postgraduate studies. He completed the "Master of Laws" course in London.In 2002, he interned at the Lviv Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked for the "Lvivska Hazeta" newspaper. In 2006, he started working at the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, and in 2009-2010, he interned at the European Commission in Brussels. Until 2019, he worked at the International Republican Institute in Ukraine. In recent years, he has been the Director of Government Relations at Wooden Horse Strategies LLC.

Vasyl Kuibida

Minister of Regional Development and Construction from 2007 to 2010

Doctor of Sciences in Public Administration, Professor of the Department of Public Administration, Local Self-Government and City Management of NASU (National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine). Honored lawyer of Ukraine.

2007 - Advisor to the President of Ukraine.

2007–2010 - Minister of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine.

Ukrainian politician, public figure, scientist. People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 5th and 6th convocations. President of the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine (August 31, 2016 - January 4, 2023).

Chairman of the People's Movement of Ukraine (December 15, 2012 - May 28, 2017); Head of the advisory board of the Association of Cities of Ukraine; adviser to the Ukrainian Association of Regional and Oblast Councils; Member of the board of the Foundation for the Promotion of Local Self-Government under the President of Ukraine (until 2004); Vice-president of the Union of Leaders of Local and Regional Governments of Ukraine;

President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Masters of Public Administration.

2023 - Chief researcher of the Institute of State and Law named after V. Koretsky of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Max Nefyodov

Co-founder of NGO “Technology of Progress”

Project manager and startup entrepreneur. Architect of the Prozorro and Prozorro.Sale IT-systems.

Ex-head of Ukraine’s customs in 2019-2020 and first deputy Minister of economy in 2015-2019, where he was in charge of:

Former Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine in 2019-2020 and First Deputy Minister of Economy in 2015-2019, where he was responsible for: creating the widely acclaimed Prozorro e-procurement system (saved $4.3bn+ of taxpayers' funds and won the World Procurement Awards 2016 and OGP Awards 2016); creating Prozorro.Sale for divesting state assets and land (over $1bn in sales, winner of the CitiT4Challenge 2017); business climate improvement (+16 places in the World Bank’s Doing Business rating within 3 years); launch of the State Customs Service of Ukraine as a new state entity.

Prior to joining the public service, he worked for several leading investment companies and investment funds, participated in dozens of successful M&A and capital/debt transactions, and managed a portfolio of assets worth over $bn.

Ruslan Rokhov

EO of the PGR Consulting Group LLC

Managing partner of the consulting company PGR Consulting Group LLC, an expert on decentralization, local development, and self-government, and founder of the ‘School of Mayors’.

Candidate of Political Sciences of the Chernivtsi National University named after Yurii Fedkovych.

From 2013 to 2019, he was the Chairman of the board of the "Joint Efforts" Agency. The public association is engaged in establishing intersectoral dialogue and cooperation for sustainable local and regional development.

From April 24 to November 28, 2014, he was the deputy director of the "Business Council of Ukraine" organization.

In May 2015, he founded and headed the "School of Mayors" educational program until 2019. In August 2016, he became one of the initiators of the creation of the International Mayors Congress discussion platform. From 2017 to 2018, he was a consultant on strategic issues in the German-Ukrainian supra-party initiative "Kyiv Dialogues". From December 2018 to March 2019, he was a member of the initiative group "Civic Platform "Power of Voters".

Taras Byk

Member of Board, NGO Agency for Recovery and Development

Democratic

Governance

Conference

2024

Rating of Ukrainian Cities by Quality of Life

June 5, Kyiv

Broadcast recording from the Democratic Governance Conference 2024

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Photo report from the Democratic Governance Conference 2024