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Eleonora has been working in ALDA since March 2021 as Quality Manager, supporting Marco Boaria in the development of the services provided by ALDA+.

She holds a degree in Politics and European Integration from the University of Padua with a thesis on the lobbies at the European Level.

During her previous work experience, she has been working as legal assistant in a law firm in Vicenza and as project assistant in Vicenza Municipality’s project called “Cercando il Lavoro” where she collaborated on the implementation of two European projects in the field of Education and on the development of services focused on unemployed people. She has senior experience in office’s management and administration, and she is now responsible for the finalisation of ISO 9001 certification process.

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Silvia Piccoli joined ALDA as Financial Reporting Officer in 2021 and she is based in the Vicenza office. She completed her studies at the University of Verona, earning a Master Degree in Languages for Communication in Tourism and Commerce.

During her previous main work experience at Villa Fabris Foundation – European Centre for Heritage Crafts and Professions and Niuko Innovation and Knowledge she was responsible for management, coordination and tutoring of training projects.

Italian native speaker, she is fluent in English and French.

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Martina works as a Financial Officer. She has a degree in business administration and she is attending a master’s degree in Vicenza of “Management and business strategy”.

Thanks to her studies she got passionate about sustainability, especially as far as business sustainability concerns. She speaks Italian and English.

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She works as Event Manager in the Vicenza office of ALDA since 2022. She has a Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Turin, where she was also a student of the Scuola di Studi Superiori dell’Università di Torino, the school of excellence of the University. After her studies, she had experiences in Italy, Croatia and Sierra Leone, mainly in the project development and management sector. She is native Italian, but thanks to the experience gained abroad she is also fluent in English. Moreover, she has an intermediate level in French, German and Spanish.

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Manal is Communication Officer and Deputy Head of the Brussels Office at ALDA.
During her Bachelor Degree in International Studies in Trento (Italy), she took part in an Erasmus programme at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. She then did the Master in European and International Studies at the School of International Studies in Trento, focusing on international law, human rights, and EU policies.
Right after, she started her journey in ALDA in 2022, where she firstly was working as advocacy and communication officer, and now fully under the Communication Department.

Native Italian and Arabic, she speaks fluently English, French, and German, and a bit of Spanish.

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Alma joined ALDA in 2023 as a Project Designer after an internship in the Fundraising and Project Design Department. She holds a Master’s degree in European and Global Studies with a Minor in Global Social Policies and Security Issues from the University of Padova, and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a Minor in Law from the Torcuato Di Tella University.

Before joining ALDA, she worked as a political analyst for a research and advocacy organisation promoting transparent legislative processes and strengthening the civic space. Her career path also includes experience assisting the development of educational programs between Argentina and the USA, as well as experience as a research assistant on development, sustainability and gender equality. She is fluent in Spanish and English, and has a working knowledge of Italian and German.

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Working for ALDA from 2015, Ivana started as a project assistant and progressed steadily to the position of project manager that she holds today. Originally a French professor, with a Masters in Languages, Business and International Trade, Ivana has developed various skills in both governmental and non governmental settings. Her skills in project cycle management, youth work and communication are an added value while implementing projects not only on the territory of North Macedonia but also on regional and international level.

Alongside Macedonian as her mother tongue, she is fluent in French, English and Serbian, and has a moderate understanding of Italian. She is outgoing, friendly and easily communicates with people.

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Milena is a Project Designer at ALDA office in Skopje. She has been working with ALDA since 2017 and has more than 10 years of experience with project management and development. She workson developing projects funded by EU programes such as: IPA Instrument, Horizon, CERV, Erasmus+ and others, including non-EU donors programs. She is also engaged in following tender services published by the European Commision. She follows programmes and tenders that are related to: local democracy, Western Balkan civil society development and EU integration, regional cooperation, environment and other related topics.

Regarding education, she has an executive MBA from the University of Sheffield and York College and a Masters’ Degree in Democracy and Human Rights from the ERMA Programme. Previously, she worked in the public and private sector always as project manager and developer.

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Katica Janeva has been working for ALDA for over a decade and has a vast experience on the subject of local democracy, cooperation between local authorities and civil society as well as the decentralisation process.

She is currently Director of the branch ALDA based in Skopje & Western Balkans Coordinator. Furthermore, she is founding member and director of the Balkan Network for Local Democracy focusing on empowerment of good governance in the Western Balkans.

Among other, she also works in the field of Francophonie and is a very active contributor to the International Organisation of the Francophonie.

She also benefited from the Francophone volunteer program and was based at the Francophone University Agency in Cambodia in 2014. Based on her civic engagement she believes that the local approach has great potential for long lasting positive change of the communities and strengthening democracy.

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Viorica Tudos joined ALDA in 2022 as a project manager and was promoted to director of the ALDA Moldova branch a year later. In this role, she contributes to cross-country projects within the Eastern Partnership and manages EU-funded initiatives aimed at improving local governance and fostering citizen engagement and dialogue with local authorities.

Throughout her career, Viorica has gained extensive experience in project management, marketing and communications in the corporate, public and international development sectors. She is also an experienced consultant specializing in communications strategies for sectors such as justice, healthcare, tourism, light industry and non-profit organizations.

Viorica holds degrees in Public Relations and Social Communication, a master’s degree in Marketing, and a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing from Oxford College of Marketing. She is a native Romanian speaker and is fluent in English and Russian.

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Dženana Dedić is the delegate of the Local Democracy Agency Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and member of ALDA Governing Board.

The LDA Mostar was established in November 2004. Its aim is creating a more active citizenry and more transparent and accountable local authorities, are focused towards the development of a modern democratic society.

These activities entangle every segment of the life of the local community and offer a possibility of improving the living standard of all components of the society by directly influencing concrete changes.

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Andrea Rilievo is a member of ALDA’s Governing Board, representing Società Cooperativa Sociale Studio Progetto, Italy.
He is a member of ALDA for 9 years. Studio Progetto has been working for 30 years in the province of Vicenza, in the north of Italy, proposing social projects for disadvantaged people, mainly dealing with job placement and building several social services.
Besides social services Mr Rilievo in the last 9 years took part in developing an internal department that is currently working with European funds, mainly with Erasmus+ and Europe for Citizens programs.
Mr Rilievo sees that the values and vision of social cooperation, a model of business centered on nonprofit development and on human beings and social inclusion as the main pillar on which build the growth of our community.
Mr Rilievo believes that the more that society will evolve quickly, the more will be productive, effective, stable. In this scenario, the will and know-how to propose and generate adequate social services, and projects that include people in need, will be a key-element, in the local context but even more so in the European community, tracing a route of sustainable and inclusive growth.
As an expert in this field, he put all his knowledge and experience at disposal of AlDA’s growth by deeply representing the Italian context in this field with sharing his experience of building projects at European level, focused on social services, and fragility.

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Maurizio Camin is a member of ALDA’s Governing Board, currently serving his third mandate, and represents Associazione Trentino per i Balcani (Italy). He was elected Vice President of ALDA in 2024.

He has more than ten years of experience in international cooperation, serving as Coordinator of the Association Trentino con i Balcani, which operates primarily in Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania under the mandate of the Autonomous Province of Trento. His work has focused on decentralised cooperation, local development, and cross-border collaboration in the Western Balkans.

Within ALDA’s Governing Board, Mr Camin has contributed to ensuring that the perspectives and challenges of the Balkan region are adequately represented, while also engaging with the needs and priorities of other territories within the network. Through this role, he has gained first-hand insight into the impact of ALDA and the Local Democracy Agencies in promoting citizen participation and strengthening local democracy on the ground.

He strongly believes in the importance of participation and dialogue, particularly in times marked by uncertainty and division. He is committed to fostering cooperation that overcomes barriers and self-referential approaches, and to building inclusive spaces for dialogue and participation among territories, institutions, communities, and citizens. For him, creating strong, meaningful relationships at the local level lies at the core of international cooperation and sustainable democratic development.

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Maddalena Alberti is ALDA’s Governing Board Member since 2024. She is the Director of the Association Ambasciata della Democrazia Locale a Zavidovici, based in Brescia, Italy. Maddalena has worked for several Italian municipalities as an expert in migration, designing services, processes and building multi-stakeholder relationships with migrant citizens, as well as promoting inclusion processes and dialogue between local authorities, institutions, and citizens with a migratory background. Through her work with ADL Zavidovici, she specialised in material housing and legal assistance services, orientation and labor integration. Since 2021, she has been part of the Advisory Board of ALDA for the Migration Thematic Hub.

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Nataša Vučković is the current President of ALDA. She was elected during the ALDA Festival and General Assembly 2024, held in Barcelona, Spain. She has been a member of ALDA’s Governing Board since 2020 and served as Vice President of the Association from 2023 until her election as President.

She represents the Centre for Democracy Foundation (CDF), Serbia, where she has held senior leadership positions since 1994. She is the Founder, Secretary General, and Executive Director of the organisation, with extensive experience in the overall management of non-profit organisations. Her expertise includes strategic and financial planning, fundraising, cooperation with institutional donors, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects.

Her main areas of interest and professional focus include democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, European integration and European values, human rights, and socio-economic rights. Ms Vučković represents CDF within the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU), where she serves as Coordinator of the Working Group on Chapters 2 and 19, covering the free movement of workers, employment, and social policy.

She has substantial experience in the governmental and regulatory field, having served as a Member of the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia. During her parliamentary mandate, she was a member of the Committee on European Integration, the Committee on Judiciary, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and she also served as President of the Committee on European Integration.

Ms Vučković was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. She has published numerous articles and analyses and has delivered lectures and training sessions for a wide range of institutions and organisations, including the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA). Her teaching and training activities have focused in particular on EU integration in the Western Balkans, the rule of law, human rights, parliamentary procedures, and non-profit management.

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Roger Lawrence is the Vice President of ALDA and a member of the Governing Board as individual member from the United Kingdom, representing Wolverhampton City Council. Until 2024 he was the Treasurer of the Association.
Indeed, Roger Lawrence led Wolverhampton City Council from 2002-2019, Council of the year 2017 (MJ), Council Leader of year 2018 (LGIU). Mr Lawrence remains an elected councillor with regional roles for transport and asylum/ migration issues. He is also a non-exec Director of Birmingham Airport Holdings. Roger holds a doctorate from the University of Bristol in European Regional Policy (cross border relations in Central and Eastern Europe).
Mr Lawrence is supporting ALDA and act as Treasurer since 2008. He has a strong feeling of the need to support our vibrant and resilient leadership and it’s record of innovation evidenced by ALDA+ and ALDA med while not neglecting our original mission in the western Balkans and Eastern Partnership.
His participation in ALDA is based on this vision of a strong E.U. working with our neighbors and building the capacity of both local government and civil society. He also supports ALDA’s commitment to sustainable development goals.

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After concluding a third mandate as President of ALDA, Oriano Otočan became treasurer of the Association during the ALDA General Assembly 2024. He represents the Region of Istria, Croatia, since 2016. Since 2005, he served first as a Member of the Regional Government, and afterwards as Director of Department in charge of international cooperation and European integration in the Region of Istria. His duties included the activities of bilateral and multilateral inter-regional cooperation, coordination of EU programs and projects, development of human resources and informing citizens of the Euro-integration processes.
Thanks to his experience in working in a region that has reached an enviable level of tolerance and respect for minority rights, experience in local development, interregional cooperation, work of international organisations, knowledge of Euro-integration process and with his knowledge of the current political reality of Southeast Europe he is actively contributing to the further development of ALDA as an exceptional and unique European organisation which in its work involves individuals, local and regional public authorities and civil society. From 2014 to 2019 he has been working in the European Parliament as Policy advisor and MEP Head of Office.
In 2014 he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the star of Italy, assigned by the President of the Republic of Italy for the particular attention and the strong activity in developing good relationships and important cooperation.

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Born in Lucca on 23 June 1925, Gianfranco Martini took refuge in Lendinara (Italy), to escape forced enrolment in the army of the Republic of Salò, where he served as mayor for ten years from 1951. Subsequently, he became a provincial councillor in Rovigo (Italy), and in 1964 he finally moved to Rome and headed the Council of European Municipalities (CCE – now AICCRE) with Umberto Serafini.
Over the years, Gianfranco became a member of the Directorate of AICCRE and of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, establishing himself as one of the great promoters of the growth of the practice of twinning between local authorities across the continent.
Gianfranco Martini was among the initiators of the concept of Local Democracy Agencies and became the first President of ALDA when it was founded in 1999, until 2008. On 11 October 2012, his death leads the Association to the creation of an annual scholarship to honour his memory, as a friend and important mentor.
For his great ability to share and build the ambitious project of an ever more politically united Europe and for his personal commitment in many different political situations, carried out with the irony and the unshakeable optimism which have always distinguished him, Gianfranco Martini can be defined as a “little father” of Europe, who, although aware of the difficulties and inconsistencies of the current supranational system, never lost heart, always relaunching the goal of an accomplished European integration of peace and solidarity.