The selection of lecturers is very important in the Leaders program. Apart from the professional knowledge, emphasis is put on appropriate teaching style, experience, and their ability to adequately communicate with the particular age group. Younger students need to be approached in a way that makes them feel appreciated and understood.
LFOF Professors are selected from Universities and other respectable educational foundations. The Leadership component is delivered by a trained certified U.S. professional. All lecturers and instructors involved in LFOF are experienced in the field of non-formal education.
Permanent faculty:
Dr. Aliki (Aliki – Panagiota) Mitsakos – Georgiou , M.D., Ph.D. - Greece
Aliki Mitsakos, graduated from Wakefield High school of Arlington, Va., studied Medicine in Belgium, San Diego, U.S.A., and the University of Athens, Greece, and specialized in Anaesthesia - Intensive Care and Pain Management. She holds a Ph.D., cum laude, in Pharmacology.
She has worked at all levels and eventually as Director of Anaesthesia Dept. and the Intensive Care Unit, keeping simultaneously a Private Practice. She has practiced in Greece and abroad, including Stanford University in California and other Centers in the U.S.A.; in London, England; Moscow, Russia; and Cape Town, South Africa. She has taught at the University of Athens, the Institute of Vocational Training, and many international advanced programs.
Actively involved in promoting the academic and clinical aspects of the related fields of medicine and the safety of anesthesiologists, has served on the Board of the Hellenic Society of Anesthesiologists, founded the Association that set the standards of the specialty, has served as the National Delegate at the Monospecialist Committee for Anaesthesia and Reanimation of the European Union (U.E.M.S.), on the European Board of Anesthesiology, and numerous Hellenic and International Societies, including the European Academy and the European Society of Anesthesiology.
Besides her professional career, she has also been an active member of Civil Society, for the past 25 years and more, on issues related to International relations, Security, and Education, with a particular focus on Youth and gender issues. She has been active in Soroptimist International, served as President of the Union of Greece, is founding member of the Greek Association for Atlantic & European Cooperation, president of Women In International Security – Hellas, Ambassador for Peace of the Universal Peace Federation, and more.
She created and launched in 2004 a unique International Educational program for teenagers “Kernels of our Future” © based on non-formal / informal education methods, rebranded to Leaders For Our Future©, and founded The International Center for Leading Studies in 2012, serving as Dean.
She has participated at over 100 major Conferences and meetings all over the world, both Medical and Political, delivered a number of addresses on her related broader interests, and published monographs and many articles to scientific journals and the press.
Based on the broader interdisciplinary experiences she has acquired over the years, through active involvement in Civil Society, International Relations and soft diplomacy, and, of course, Education, both formal and non formal, she researches and develops non formal education methods and practical tools that can proliferate leadership for the younger generation as an investment for the future of our societies.
She is married and has one son, working as Electrical Engineer and Computer Sciences Consultant. The Kernels program was created for him!
Theodossis Georgiou, GAAEC President - Greece
Theo Georgiou studied Law at the Athens University, European Law at the Brussels University & International Law at the Academy for International Law in The Hague, Netherlands. He is the President of the Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation, an NGO and think tank dealing with international relations and security issues, the Greek affiliate of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA). He is also Member of the Board of Regents of the Fund for American Studies & Co-Chairman of the International Institute for Political and Economic Studies, President of Eurodefence – Greece, Member of the Executive Board of AWEPA and Responsible for the Greek group & Member of the Board of Directors of IFES (International Foundation for Election System), Washington DC and IFES Ltd, London. Theodossis Georgiou has been a recipient of the “Chevalier dans l’ Ordre de la Legion D’ Honneur”, France & recipient of the “Golden Laurel Branch award” of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. He has also been awarded several other decorations and distinctions in recognition of his effective support for the integration of Balkan countries to NATO and EU.
Jessica Townsend Teague, MSOD - USA
Jessica Townsend Teague is an educator and entrepreneur. She holds the position of Professorial Lecturer in Political Leadership at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, Washington, DC, and serves as President of Imagi-Nation, LLC a consulting firm with offices in the Washington DC area and Sarasota, Florida. Ms. Teague’s professional life and presidency of Imagi-Nation, LLC, Advancing Personal and Global Potential through Leadership Development Initiatives, Assessments and Strategic Illustration Services, blends 35 years of work within the fields of personal and organizational development with institution, civil society and democracy building initiatives, electoral process projects and the design and implementation of leadership education programs. She has conducted stateside and overseas work in these arenas, teaming with education associations, non-governmental organizations and the U.S. Departments of State, Education, Commerce and Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Red Cross, by whom she was awarded a National Service Citation. CBS News correspondent, Dan Rather, featured her pioneering volunteer work with adolescents and parents on his “48 Hours”, television program. Ms. Teague participates in the management of bi-partisan advocacy initiatives, identifying and convening stakeholder groups to generate legislative and prospective funding partnership components. Recent work has included leadership roles on the staff of the congressional Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program and with the United States Public Service Academy exploratory committee. After years of “doodling” action outlines and explanations of complex theory for her own purposes, Ms. Teague now offers strategic illustration/graphic facilitation services to enhance participation, innovation and right brain retention of important, meeting generated ideas and information. An investment in art and imagination has made a difference for many of her clients, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Security Agency, Capital One and a host of non-profit agencies and educational institutions. She captures data and discourse in real-time, creating 4’ x 8’ “maps” that can later be shared as print and laminate ready jpeg files - extending the life, intent and enthusiasm for an event and its’ derivative action items. That’s where the “strategic” part comes in. Whether working with the leaders of an influential multi-national organization or a high school full of multi-national influences, Ms. Teague has her eye on elements of interdependence and reactivity, coaching individuals toward excellence, through both introspective and system wide appreciative inquiries into what success looks like. Her approach to the topic of leadership is interactive - integrating personal awareness, affirmation, accountability and action oriented units of study with real time, systemic impact studies of leadership, on national and international levels. Ms. Teague received her M.S. in Organization Development from The American University, Washington, D.C., a B.S. in Education, Political Science, History and French from The University of Kansas, Lawrence, and a 2e Degre, Diplome D’Etudes Francaises, L’Universite de Bordeaux III, Bordeaux, France. She holds a certificate from Georgetown University and the Fund for American Studies’ Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems, an organization for which she long served as faculty. She holds certification in a range of psychometrically valid and reliable leadership instruments and has been affiliated with the post graduate studies program in Society’s Emotional Process at the Georgetown Family Center. She is a member of the International Education Board of Visitors for the University of Kansas and the board of The International Center for Leading Studies (TICLS) for the Greek Association of Atlantic and European Cooperation (GAAEC).
Avgustina K. Tzvetkova – Bulgaria
Avgustina Tzvetkova-Karabascheva is currently Defence and Security Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Ms. Tzvetkova-Karabascheva is a graduate from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in History and Archaeology. She started her professional career in the late 1980s as a journalist with the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgarian National Television. During the period of 1995 – 2006 she was the Program Director and Secretary General of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria.
She served as a Vice President of the Atlantic Treaty Association from 2004 to 2007.
From 2004 to 2009 she was a Chair of the Euro-Atlantic Education Initiative Foundation.
From September 2009 to March 2010 Avgustina Tzvetkova was a political adviser to Mr. Nickolay Mladenov in both his capacities as Minister of Defence and subsequently, Minister of Foreign Affairs. From March 2010 till March 2013 she was a Deputy Defence Minister with a portfolio encompassing bilateral consultations, foreign policy, relations with NATO and the EU, and anti-corruption policies. As Deputy Defence Minister Ms. Tzvetkova chaired the Southeastern Europe Defence Ministerial process (SEDM) and leaded Female Leaders in Security and Defence (FLSD), Smart Defence NATO Project.
Her additional areas of expertise comprise regional and Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO Building Integrity Programme (BI). As part of her deep involvement with the issues of countering corruption in defence in 2013 Ms. Tzvetkova became a senior adviser at Transparency International (TI) - UK Defence and Security Program and a BI NATO subject matter expert. She participated as a speaker at the UN Anticorruption Convent in Panama; Peace Support Operations Training Centre (PSOTC), Sarajevo; the International Anti-corruption Academy, Vienna; the BI Conferences in Monterey and Washington DC;at the Sixth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption in Yogyakarta, Indonesia . Ms. Tzvetkova was a key note speaker at the TI UK Senior Leaders Days in Georgia and Ukraine.
She is a lecturer at NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany; NDU Shrivenham, UK; Maynooth University, Republic of Ireland.
Her specialisations include the International Language Academy, Oxford; the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; the US State Department.
She is also member of the Board of TICLS.
Prof. Dr. Zehra Odyakmaz - Turkey
Prof. Odyakmaz graduated from Ankara University Law Faculty. After working as an advocate for seven years (as a member of Ankara Bar), she became Assistant at Gazi University on Administrative Law. Following her professorship, she worked as director of Women Issues Research and Implementation Center for three years and dean of law faculties of two different universities for six years. She was the chairwoman of “The General Administrative Procedural Act Preparation Commission” and also the chairwoman of “Preparation Commission for Draft Law on Ombudsman Institution of Turkey”, both established by the Ministry of Justice.
She is the member of the Turkish Atlantic Council (Turkish-Atlantic Treaty Association of NATO) since 1976. She was the founder and president of Atlantic Association of Young Political Leaders (AAYPL) in 1976 in Turkey and was also the member of the International Atlantic Association of Young Political Leaders (AAYPL) between 1976-1991 and vice-president between 1988-1990. She is the member of Education Committee of International Atlantic Treaty Association since 1991.
In recent years she executed the project on “How should the women prisons be in Turkey?” for Ministry of Justice. She performed as chairwoman of “Law and Woman Sub-Commission” during studies on Women Participation in Society Specialisation Commission and member of Woman Participation in Development Specialisation Commission. She has attended approximately 160 international meetings, lectured and presented declarations and papers about 320 times, has leaded more than 61 sessions in national and international meetings. She has more than 100 printed articles and 5 published books.
She is currently the founding dean of law school of a private university since 2012.
Some of the topics she has been specialised are; administrative procedural law, state under rule of law, democratisation and transparency, administrative judiciary, ombudsman, alternative dispute resolutions, secularism, woman rights, gender equality, human rights, equality bodies, role of advocacy in international peace, responsibility of administration in terms of medical law and patients’ rights.
She has two daughters and three grandchildren.
Prof. Stefano Pilotto – Italy
Prof. Dr. Stefano Pilotto is Director of the International relations MIB School of Management, University of Trieste, Italy.
Professional Experience: Coordinator of International Relations, Lecturer in International Relations, Director of Origini Programme, MIB School of Management. Lecturer, History of Treaties and International Politics and History of European Integration, University of Trieste. Lecturer of the History of International Relations, Bordeaux School of Management, Bordeaux, France. Lecturer, International Politics, European and Central-Eastern Europe Integration, various European Institutions (Madrid, Ljubljana, Warsaw, Zagreb).
Interests: History of International Relations; International Politics; European Integration; Central-Eastern European Countries; Geo-political analysis and analysis of country risk.
Dr. René Repasi – Germany
Dr. Repasi is Scientific Coordinator European Research Centre for Economic and Financial Governance (EURO-CEFG), Universities of Leiden, Rotterdam and Delft (Netherlands)
René Repasi studied law at the Universities of Heidelberg and Montpellier. During his legal clerkship, he used to work for the European Commission and at the European Court of Justice. From 2007 to 2014 he has been employed as Assistant Professor at the University of Heidelberg and senior researcher at the Institute for German and European Corporate and Economic Law. In 2014 he joined the European Research Centre for Economic and Financial Governance (EURO-CEFG) of the Universities of Leiden, Rotterdam and Delft as scientific coordinator. He was furthermore appointed as ad hoc legal expert for the committee for economic and monetary affairs of the European Parliament on the banking union and wrote studies on the role of the European Central Bank (ECB) and of the Eurogroup in EU Economic Governance and on a fiscal capacity for the Eurozone. He currently works on behalf of the European Commission on a feasibility study of a European unemployment benefit scheme. Moreover, Repasi supported the Spinelli Group in drafting the chapter on the Economic and Monetary Union in the proposal for a “Fundamental Law of the European Union”. He published in several English, French and German law journals on legal issues relating to the European Economic Governance. The Brussels based think tank “Centre for European Policy Studies” (CEPS) appointed him as member of its High-Level Group on EU Institutional Reforms.
Repasi is furthermore actively involved in German and European politics. He was a candidate for the most recent European Parliament elections in 2014 for the German SPD and is member of the Commission on European Affairs of the German Socialdemocrats.
René Repasi is a known lecturer who teaches on behalf of NGOs, political foundations and public institutions. He gained his first lecturing experiences as a student for the German Institute for Civic Education. His latest series of lectures was on the origin of the Euro crisis and on possible ways out of the crisis.
Barbora Maronkova - Slovakia
She graduated the University of Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, at the Faculty of International Relations, in 2002. Barbora established and headed a Slovak based NGO Centre for European and North Atlantic Affairs to contribute to the information campaign and public awareness on Slovakia’s membership to EU and NATO from March 2003-February 2006. During her work at the Centre, she lectured on different domestic and international fora and wrote several articles and contributions. Since September 2006 works as a Programme Country Coordinator at the Public Diplomacy Division in NATO HQ designing communications programs to raise public information about NATO. She has special interest in Ancient Greek History and Tourism, and worked for several years as a tourist guide in Greece.