President

(Mandates: 2015 - 2019 / 2019 - 2023 / 2023 - 2027)
 

Lejla (born 1971) founder and managing director of Volunteer Centre Osijek, committed civil society leader and activist since 2003, expert for the development of volunteerism and community development programs, mentor for the implementation of quality insurance system for non-profit organisations, trainer and  consultant for organisational development and development of quality volunteer programs in non-profit organisations. Lejla holds a university degree in public administration. For the past 10 years she has been active in the development of public policy in favour to civil society and volunteerism in Croatia. In the period 2012- 2014 Lejla was president of the Croatian National Council for the development of volunteerism. She is the co-author of several publications on volunteering, civil society and conflict management.

Vice President

(Mandate: 2023 - 2027)

Jacques is a civil engineer and holds a degree of Master of Business Administration. He started his professional career as product manager of high-end information systems connecting banking institutions worldwide to the SWIFT network. He therefore travelled the world to assist banks in adapting and integrating their payment systems to the SWIFT standards. He lived for 5 years in Australia, and thereafter created his own IT consulting company, focusing on change. He quickly was asked by non-for-profit organisations to support their strategic and organisational needs. From 2006 to 2010, he manages Ex-Change, member of CESES, and thereafter became President of CESES. Jacques is also President of Sireas, a nonprofit organisation aiming at supporting, with empathy, anyone who is vulnerable or in search of citizenship to regain confidence, pride and autonomy, specialising in re-integration of young people into the workforce in Brussels.

Member

(Mandates: 2019 - 2023 /  2023 - 2027)

Jan (born in 1986), a historian and Master in General Economics, has been a staff officer at the Flemish Support Centre for Volunteering (Vlaams Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk) since 2015. In this role, he supports municipalities in developing and implementing volunteering strategies. He facilitates training sessions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for volunteer coordinators, guides municipalities through processes of strengthening their volunteer policies, and contributes to the centre’s digital innovation initiatives. Before joining the Support Centre, he worked for Verso, the employers’ organisation for the social profit sector in Flanders, where he encouraged employers to embrace greater diversity within their organisations. In addition to his professional work, he serves as a volunteer board member in several Flemish organisations, reflecting his long-standing commitment to strengthening volunteering at all levels.

Member 

(Mandates: 2019 - 2023 / 2023 - 2027)

Besides its founder, Lena has been the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria Association since its establishment in 2006. She is a sociologist by profession and a youth worker by vocation. She is directly involved in the preparation and implementation of all projects of the organisation which include more than 100 trainings for volunteers and youth organisations. Prior to her position at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bulgaria Association, she had been working for other NGOs in Bulgaria as a coordinator of volunteer programs and projects, giving her now a total of more than 20 years of experience in the volunteering sector. She has been an expert in mentoring and passed through a number of trainings related to this topic both in the USA and Europe. Lena is also an international trainer herself, specialising in volunteer management, non-formal education, European funding for volunteering and youth projects. She is a passionate traveller.

Member

(Mandate: 2023 - 2027)

Mauro (born 1968) graduated from the University of Malta in Physical Education (Sports) and worked in education as a teacher both in the primary and secondary sector, for 15 years, teaching in the areas of Physical Education and Health and Safety. He is now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector since 2010 where he set up the operational structure.

Previously had served as Operations Manager of the Malta Red Cross Society (2001 – 2004) and Director General of the same organisation (2002 – 2004). In which time served on the Committee of Directors at the Red Cross EU Office, Brussels. Director of the European Union Programmes Agency, responsible for Lifelong Learning and Youth in Action (2007-2010). He also served as Vice President of the Malta Amateur Athletic Association (2014 – 2017 ) and Secretary of the Zurrieq Wolves Athletics Club (2012 – 2016). Local councillor for the locality of Zurrieq (1996-2004, 2007- 2012). Presently he is also Member of the Supervisory Council of the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation (2014 – ) Chaired by the President of the Republic of Malta.

Member

(Mandate: 2023 - 2027)

Amy is Head of Advocacy and Engagement at Volunteer Ireland, the national volunteer development organisation in Ireland. Since joining the team in 2015, Amy has worked across a number of areas in communications, policy and events. Amy’s role involves overseeing Volunteer Ireland’s internal and external communications; advocacy and research outputs; and the Community Volunteers programme. Amy acts as primary spokesperson for the organisation and represents Volunteer Ireland on a number of policy fora. Prior to joining Volunteer Ireland, Amy worked at Chambers Ireland, the representative body for Chambers of Commerce across Ireland.

Member

(Mandate: 2023 - 2027)

Franci (born 1973) has been involved in the work of Slovene Philanthropy, Association for Promotion of Volunteering since 2001, first as organiser and coordinator of volunteering  in 2021, and later as head of the Migration Programme (from 2001 and May 2022) and Executive Director (since May 2022). Franci is a sociologist and anthropologist by profession. For more than 20 years he has been  involved in managing and coordinating programmes for refugees and migrants, media awareness raising activities on asylum and migration related issues, educational and advocacy activities as well as activities for promotion and development of volunteering. He was involved in many projects in the field of asylum, migration and integration, volunteering, access to health and the fight against human trafficking. Slovene Philanthropy is the coordinator of the Slovenian Volunteering Organizations Network, which includes more than 1900 volunteering organisations and organisations with a volunteering programme.

Member

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Maddalena works for CSV Trentino, the volunteering centre operating in Trentino, a province in northern Italy. She is involved in project design and management, both at the European and local level, with a focus on promoting volunteering, especially among younger generations. She also facilitates participatory and community processes at a local level. In 2024, she was part of the working group responsible for implementing the initiatives related to Trento European Volunteering Capital. Before joining CSV, she worked for other non-profit organizations and remains an active volunteer.

Member

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Miguel Salgado (born 1972), from Guimarães, Portugal, married to Ana and father of Matilde and João, has been a Maths, Physics and Statistics teacher since 1997 in  Polytechnic Institute of Guarda.  Since 1990, when he joined Scouts, he has been participating at different levels in the effort to leave the world a better place to live. In that role he still gather weekly with his local group in Bragança, while doing other things within the scout movement. Also, in between, he was a board member of the general Assembly of Centro Social de Brito (CSB) (1998-2010) and of the general Assembly of Instituto Monsenhor Airosa (1996-2005). Since 2022 he is a board member for the Portuguese Confederation of Volunteering (CPV) representing CPV at CEV biannual assembly and leading projects like the Portuguese Capital of Volunteering or the Portuguese Trophy of Volunteering. Since 2024 he became member of the Fiscal Council of Cáritas Diocesana of the Diocesis of Bragança-Miranda.

Member 

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Dominika Hradiská is the Executive Director of the Platform of Volunteer Centres and Organisations (PDCO) in Slovakia, where she leads strategic development, advocacy, and coordination of the national network supporting volunteering. With a background in psychology from the University of Prešov, she has long been active in the volunteering sector, having founded and led regional volunteer centres in Košice and Prešov.

Her work focuses on building and strengthening the network of volunteer centres and the overall infrastructure that enables volunteering to thrive across Slovakia. She believes that trust, respect, and authentic relationships are essential in both leadership and community building, and that volunteering has the power to transform individuals and strengthen democratic societies.

Member

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Maida Pieper (born 1983) has been a Project Officer at the Spanish Volunteering Platform (PVE) since 2019, where she is in charge of the Validation area, focused on recognising learning outcomes through volunteering, and serves as liaison with European and international networks. With over twelve years of experience in the third sector and more than five in the volunteering field, she has coordinated Erasmus+ cooperation projects and, in previous job positions, coordinated the Centre for Social Innovation at the University of San Andrés (Argentina) and the operations of the Social Enterprise Knowledge Network (SEKN), a network of business schools from Ibero-America.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Postgraduate degree in Non-Profit Management, and a Master’s in Governance and Human Rights. Maida has co-authored several academic papers on volunteering, validation, and recognition, including VOL+ Programme: Competencies Certification and Impact on Employability (2025).volunteeringvalidation, and recognition, including VOL+ Programme: Competencies Certification and Impact on Employability (2025).

Member

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Nicolò Triacca is a project coordinator based in Brussels, working on citizen participation, digital democracy, digital transformation, civil society, and volunteering. He leads digital democracy initiatives, from crowdsourcing campaigns to events on Europe’s digital transformation and

the Digital Decade 2030. He’s also involved in exploring new trends in civic tech and

inclusive digital innovation. Before that, he managed the Brussels office of CSVnet, the

Italian network of Volunteer Support Centers, for six years, and spent over a decade in the Italian civil society sector, focusing on youth participation and volunteering. Nicolò holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Torino.

Member

(Mandate: 2025 - 2029)

Zsofia Racz graduated with a BA in International Relations in 2005 and has over 15 years of experience in the corporate sector, managing stakeholder networks and leading cross-cultural teams across the CEE and EMEA regions. As Director of Corporate and International Relations at Volunteering Hungary - ÖKA, she focuses on building strategic partnerships and fostering collaboration between sectors. Zsófia is passionate about promoting volunteering as a key driver of community building, solidarity, and social innovation in Europe, and aims to strengthen sustainable partnerships, enhance visibility and inclusion, as well as leverage the IVY26 momentum for lasting impact.