Honorary Board Members:
Perteve (Domnori) Leka
Perteve Leka was educated at Shkodra’s ‘Pedagogic Institute’, graduated in Linguistics & History there and at the Faculty of Philology and Literature in Tirana where she was also an Instructor for School Methodology in Literature and Albanian Language, overseeing 14 night schools for this program. After retiring from the Albanian school system, she continued her pedagogical activities as an English Instructor at English-Albanian “Phoenix” School in Tirana, applying contemporary and Montessori methods for 5-6 year old children, and as a Trainer at “Lexo” School of young Teachers for pre-schooling. She has received an Award from Albania’s Ministry of Culture for her effective role in educational impact of pedagogical studies, and an Honorary Award as a Teacher from the “Order of Naim Frasheri”. For over a decade she has been a freelance Journalist for newspapers “Drita” and “Kosova” in Tirana, and Illyria in NYC, while being actively involved as Vice President of the M. & M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut.
Cristina Quaroni
Cristina Quaroni graduated in political science and international affairs at the University la Sapienza of Rome and holds a postgraduate diploma in international crisis management from UNED. She is currently living in Tirana as spouse of the Spanish Ambassador while continuing her professional activity as a consultant and entrepreneur within her family business.
AFËRDITA PRRONI
Afërdita Prroni, graduated in the Faculty of Philology, Tirana and Faculty of Law. Ms. Prroni is the Founder and Executive Director of the Human rights in Democracy Centre (2002), a domestic NGO that promotes and protects human rights in Albania, with special focus for the promotion and protection of women’s rights. Prior to 2002, Ms. Prroni was engaged in several projects carried out by human rights organizations operating in Albania, and is a Board Member of the M. & M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut in Tirana.
Executive Board Members:
Drita A. IvanaJ
Drita Ivanaj, with BA’s in Science and Economics, is a Certified Systems Professional (C.S.P.), who had two, long-term, full time careers: in business management and large contracts administration for the international conglomerate of FIAT, and in information systems and large computer operations at Columbia University in New York City. Drita is the Founder and President of the “Martin and Mirash Ivanaj Foundation” in New York, and the “M. & M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut” in Tirana (Albania), since their inception in the mid 1990’s. These nonprofit institutions share the common mission of promoting Albanian education and culture within the country and abroad. Drita has been, throughout her life, an active member of many American professional associations, where she held different positions, and as an Advisory and Board Member of other Albanian American organizations, serving also as a Trustee of NAAC (National Albanian American Council) in Washington, DC. She took early retirement from business employment to totally dedicate her time and full support toward the development of the above two charitable organizations.
DHIMITRAQ RIZO
Dhimitraq Rizo was raised and lives in Tirana, where he completed his studies in 1978 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, issued by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Tirana. After graduation he began working at the "Enver" engineering plant in Tirana, at the time considered one of the biggest and best-established engineering plants in the country. During his 10-year tenure at this plant, he held different positions as Unit Manager, Multi-unit Manager, Head Engineer and ultimately as General Director of such. In 1989 he held a position in one of the city hall offices overseeing Zone One of Tirana, as Head of the Industry department, and from 1992 onward he started, managed and worked with multiple private businesses. A few companies he managed throughout these years were "Abikon", "Arkon" and "VTE Trading". He was also a partner in companies such as "Telcom Albania" and "Arsire Al". Most of these companies are and have been focused in the construction business in Albania. Mr. Rizo speak English, Italian and Greek, and holds the position of Special Director as a Board Member of the M.& M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut in Tirana.
ANI RIZO
Ani Rizo graduated from the University of Tirana with a degree in Economics. She has worked and held the position as an Economist for several years at a private firm named V.T. E. Trading, and also within her family business. Mrs. Rizo has being a loyal supporter for a long time, on a voluntary basis, of a variety of activities of the M. & M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut in Tirana, where she now holds the position of Treasurer of such organization.
FROST & FIRE CONSULTING
Frost & Fire Consulting offers unparalleled legal, organization development, human resources, and other business services to clients who operate or wish to explore opportunities in the Albanian or regional market. Its commitment is rooted in its members’ extended and distinguished experience in the private, public and international organization sectors. Frost & Fire Consulting takes pride not only in having deep insight into the existing issues and intricacies of the local business climate, but also in being intimately familiar with the expectations and mind-sets of their clients, whether they are foreign investors, multinational corporations, or governmental and international donor agencies. In merging the unique experiences of its team of professionals that has an extended and distinguished international and local experience, Frost & Fire Consulting can afford to offer superior quality services. Its members studied and graduated from the Schools of Law of the best universities in the world (Harvard, New York University, London School of Economics, Columbia, Lion III University, University of Maryland), have honed their skills inter alia by working with some of the most prestigious law firms in the world (Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Hogan Lovells US LLP), and/or held top executive positions with government institutions in Albania (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Albanian Power Corporation). This Consulting firm is involved in pro-bono services for the M. & M. Ivanaj Foundation Institut in Tirana, and it is part of this organization’s Board.
OLTON HYSENBEGAS
Olton is a thoughtful, strategic leader with over 25 years of experience providing consultative and best practices guidance on frameworks and methodologies, strategy development, target operating model, advisory services, risk & governance, large scale change management, business process management, transformation & program management & execution excellence. A collaborative leader with extensive experience in managing large & complex transformational programs. Olton focuses on people development while delivering strategic & transformational initiatives across enterprise. Olton expertise includes an excellent track record leading & provisioning strategic programs in large, complex, information intensive, service-based organizations with budgets greater than $25 million/year.
Olton was raised and completed his university studies in Tirana, Albania. He received a Master of Science in Electronic Engineering (Telecommunication) from the Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania in 1995 and Master of Business Administration from Richard Ivey School of Business from University of Western Ontario in 2013. Olton, also holds a PMP certification from Project Management Institute, and ITIL certification from APM Group Limited. Olton also holds many professional certifications/ accreditations such as: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer from Ryerson University, RBC Negotiation and Conflict Management for Project and Program Mgmt., RBC Management Excellence Program, RBC Certified Agile Practitioner etc.
Olton started his professional career in Albania, working as a program manager with Open Society Foundation, Albanian Education Development Program (AEDP), in 1995. His career in Canada started at Merrill Lynch Canada in 1999; then he was employed as project manager with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). In 2005, Olton joined Insurance Bureau of Canada and in 2007, Olton joined the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) as Sr. Project Manager. In 2008, Olton was promoted to Sr. Program Manager/IT Development Manager. In 2014 he was promoted to Program Director in Retail Applications for the Cross-Channel Sales Capability Optimization. In 2016, he was appointed Director in RBC, Strategy Transformation Services (office of CFO, CAO) and in 2017 he assumed the role of Director in Cyber Security, IT Risk & Security Services.
Olton has received numerous awards over the course of his professional career like: Open Society Foundation – AEDP, Award for Best Employee of the year, Merrill Lynch Canada Spotlight Award, CIBC Achievers Award, RBC Make a Difference Award, many team awards and twice the prestigious RBC Gold STAR Award.
Olton speaks Albanian, English, Italian and French. Olton served as a board member of Albanian Canadian Society, a non-profit organization providing a broad range of services to the community from Aug. 2017 to October 2018 and supported RBC Run For The Kids from 2016-2019.
Staff:
Erida Xhani
Erida Xhani holds the position of the Executive Management Assistant. She has completed her studies for International Relation and Communications. Erida has strong organizational skills and ability to multitask, time management skills and ability to meet deadlines. She is proactive, experienced, and very demanding towards herself. As an Executive Management Assistant, she enhances executive effectiveness by providing support in the overall operational responsibilities of the organization. She has deep knowledge of field, core programs, operations, and business plans. She studied at top academical institutions from an early age from TIS Albania, Linden Hall, Pennsylvania, International School of Athens, Webster University in Vienna, and New York University in Tirana.
Jublerta Shehu
Jublerta Shehu holds the position of Project Planning Coordinator. Among her duties is her involvement in the monitoring of plans and procedures of projects and the responsibility to ensure that all planned activities are completed in time, within the planned budget and in accordance with the specific terms, respecting the national laws and the employer’s policies.
Jublerta finished her studies for Jurisprudence at the European University of Tirana and holds a master’s degree in Civil Rights. During her studies, she also went through a several months of experience in the United States through the “Work & Travel” program of Spirit Cultural Exchange. From 2015 till 2022 she was employed at the Consumer Protection Agency, an institution under the supervision of The Municipality of Tirana, in several departments such as Consumer Counseling, Public Transport Services etc.
Benson Begaj
Benson Begaj is our Facilities Maintenance Coordinator. Always interested, since young age, in civic involvement and helping others, Benson became a respected leader in the youth community due to his various contributions and achieved the positions of Chairperson of EESTEC LC Tirana (Engineering Students Association) and Vice-President of ANYN (Albanian National Youth Network), due to his exceptional leadership skills and dedication to empowering the youth. Benson has also been a Youth Ambassador in Albania, advocating for the development of programs aimed at fostering youth employment and deterring emigration of young people from Albania. His passion for helping the young achieve their full potential is reflected in much of the training he has focused on and organized over the years. He is highly skilled in project management and writing, public speaking, business planning, negotiations, career orientation, and other soft and professional skills. In addition to his work with EESTEC and ANYN, Benson has also volunteered with other non-profit organizations, demonstrating his commitment to making a positive impact in his community.
Benson boasts nearly four years of experience in the Real Estate industry, encompassing property management, sales, and rentals. For three years now, he has successfully directed his own real estate agency, TAG Real Estate.
Ilira Siliqi
Ilira Siliqi is our Administrative Assistant and Archivist. She has a degree in Economic Planning and a long professional experience of circa 40 years. Ilira has worked in public education and statistics institutions, as well as private banks. Among her soft skills, we can list her communication abilities, focus on details, and her ability to meticulously go through documentation while recording and archiving them. Ilira speaks Albanian, Italian, and English.
Elena Kodra
Elena Kodra has more than 20 years of experience in cleaning, maintenance and textile sector. She has worked in both, public and private institutions. Together with our other staff member, Elena shares the responsibility for Cleaning and Maintenance of our premises.
Vera Rakipi
Vera Rakipi has more than 15 years of experience in cleaning, maintenance, children and elderly care. She has worked in both public and private institutions, one of which a social care institution in Germany where she worked for 5 years. Together with our other staff member, Vera shares the responsibility for Cleaning and Maintenance of our premises.