Daniela Kolarova, PhD, Director
Daniela Kolarova is the founder and Director of Partners Bulgaria Foundation since 1998. She has a MS in Psychology and PhD in Sociology. Between 1990-2008 she was a lecturer in social psychology at Sofia University “St.Kl.Ohridski”. She is certified mediator and trainer in mediation from the National Conflict Resolution Center, San Diego, California /2003/. From 2006 to 2014 Dr. Kolarova served as president and director of the network Partners for Democratic Change International in Brussels. Between 2000-2010 she represented Bulgaria in the Council of Europe’s program “Education in Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education” – EDC/HRE.
Dr. Kolarova is responsible for the strategic development of PBF programs in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, conflicts mediation, civic education and human rights, inter-ethnic cooperation, promotion of child rights and development of policies and procedures for child protection and support of marginalized groups. She is active in promoting mediation and civic participation abroad and led initiatives in Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Moldova where she contributed to developing cadres of facilitators and mediators.
Rumen Minkovski, Deputy Director
Rumen Minkovski has a MS in psychology from Sofia University St.Kl.Ohridski and teaches organizational psychology at the Department of Tourism at the same university. He works at Partners Bulgaria Foundation since its establishment. Rumen takes part in projects in the field of mediation, interethnic interaction, child protection and youth participation. He led a Leadership Institute for ethnic minority leaders and was responsible for its academic program and training schedule. Recently he is focused on the socio-psychological consequences of migration and the situation of children left behind by parents working abroad.
Rumen works as a researcher, consultant, trainer, evaluator and project manager. He is certified mediator and trainer in mediation from the National Conflict Resolution Center, San Diego, California /2004/. He acts as the PBF’s chief trainer, develops and conducts various training programs and courses.
Aneta Kalcheva, Facilitator and Project Coordinator
Aneta majored in Psychology from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She studied Cognitive Science at the New Bulgarian University. Her Master’s degree is in Artistic Psycho-Social Practices including psychodrama, role theory, group dynamics and art therapy. She has been providing consultations to children and families.
Aneta has extensive experience in profiling, counselling and psychological diagnostic. She is an experienced trainer and group facilitator. She works as a facilitator and project coordinator. She is involved in projects related to child participation and supporting student councils at the school, municipal and regional levels. She is responsible for organizing and conducting seminars with children and adults, designing educational materials and coordinating the work of student councils.
Neli Tsvetanova, Chief Accountant
Neli Tsvetanova is a Chief Accountant with proven experience in tracking and analyzing the entire accounting process. She obtained her Master degree in ‘Accounting and Control’ at University for National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria. Her experience includes financial management and financial control at Bulgarian and foreign companies. Neli became part of the Partners Bulgaria team in 2023 where she monitors the budget an the financial plans, prepares financial reports and communicates with clients, partners and financial institutions.
Desislava Sotirova Ph.D., Marketing and Communication Expert
Dr. Desislava Sotirova is a Senior Assistant Professor in Broadcast Journalism at Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at SU ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’. Her journalistic experience is extensive, with dozens of TV reports. She is the author of numerous scientific articles and a monographic work dedicated to media coverage of Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkan countries. Desislava supports the development of the communication and marketing strategy of the “Partners – Bulgaria” foundation and contributes to greater visibility of the organization’s causes.
Valya Stankova, lawyer, mediation trainer
Valya Stankova has a law degree from Kyiv University “T. G. Shevchenko”, specialty “public international law”. She has qualification acquired at the Institute of Social Management, Sofia, majoring in “Organization and Management of Cultural Activities”. She is registered in the Register of Industrial Property Representatives at the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria. Appears as a procedural representative in civil, administrative, as well as criminal cases related to intellectual property. She has been a certified mediator since 2004, with interests in the legislative field. Participant in the drafting and adoption of the Mediation Law, as well as the subsequent by-laws necessary for its enforcement. Her focus on legislative changes is related to the development of legal norms, giving more possibilities for the application of mediation in various types of disputes, as well as control over the activity of mediators.
Valya Stankova works as a mediator and trainer in certification trainings in mediation at the Partners Bulgaria Foundation and has 19 years of experience in these fields. She is a co-author of the manual “Standards for the training of mediators” and co-authored the “Mediator’s Book”, Sofia, 2020, published by Partners Bulgaria. She is a co-founder of the National Association of Mediators in Bulgaria, a long-time deputy chairman of the association, currently a member of the association.
Assoc. Prof. Petya Nedeleva, PhD
Dr. Petya Nedeleva is a professor of law at the New Bulgarian University and at the Plovdiv University “Paisiy Hilendarski”. She is long standing trainer in courses for cortified mediators at the Partners Bulgaria foundation. Previously she was managing partners Bulgaria family mediation center in Sofia. She has participated in numerous project and training activities and acted as mediator in various cases. Petya was a member of the working group that drafted the Mediation Law, published in 2004. She authored numerous publications in the field of the law and application of mediation in various areas of life. Petya is a certified mediator and trainer in mediation, working as well in the Center for Mediation and Conciliation at the Sofia Regional Court and Sofia City Court.