Marco Boaria is Director of Programmes & Corporate Strategy of ALDA and has over 20 years of experience in international project development, working with various EU programmes and Directorate Generals. Since 2015, he has been CEO of GEIE Europa and ALDA+, promoting training and technical assistance for local authorities and civil society. He specialises in democracy, participation and youth, coordinating European projects for public and private entities. A seasoned trainer, he collaborates with ALDA, SALTO centers, and European agencies on project cycle management, participatory methods and non-formal education. He was a Steering Committee member for the European Year of Citizens (2013) and the European Year of Development (2015).

Béatrice Taulègne holds a PhD in European and International Law, resulting in a thesis on the European Council published by the Presse Universitaire de France (PUF). She currently works as Director of Legislative Works at the European Committee of Regions and is a member of ESPAS’ Steering Committee (European Strategy and policy analysis System of the European institutions). During her time in charge of Forward Studies at the CoR, she wrote the White Paper and the charter on multilevel governance. Mrs. Taulègne is also chairs of the selection committee for the Pawel Adamowicz Award, which honors local and regional leaders for their courage and excellence in promoting freedom, solidarity and equality.

Cana Tülüş Türk is a Senior Specialist at Istanbul Policy Center and a lecturer in Comparative Politics at Okan and Medipol Universities. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Istanbul Bilgi University (2023), where she studied democracy perceptions in Turkey. Previously, she worked at Tohum Autism Foundation and interned at Cumhuriyet Newspaper, NTV, and the Turkish Parliament. She is a board member of the Turkey Europe Foundation and Women in Foreign Policy. Her research focuses on political theory, European integration, and populism.

Denys Tkachov is an experienced consultant specialising in local democracy, governance and project management. He is currently working on a PhD thesis at Université de Limoges, focusing on how artificial intelligence can support local democracy. With over 15 years of experience, including leadership roles in programs like U-LEAD with Europe, Denys has helped municipalities to develop and connect internationally.

Paolo Graziano is Professor of Political Science at the University of Padua, Research Associate at the European Social Observatory, Brussels and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Surrey and Chercheur associé at Sciences Po in Paris. He has held visiting positions at a number of universities, including University of Cambridge, Cornell University, University of Oxford, European University Institute, University of Melbourne, University of Washington. His work focuses on public policy, populism and governance; he co-edited the Elgar Encyclopedia of European Union Public Policy (2022) and is currently working on several publications about crises, leadership and eco-social policies in Europe.

Valbona Karakaçi is a Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Shkodra “Luigj Gurakuqi”, Albania, with guest lecturing experience across Europe. She specialises in communication, civil society and local governance. She founded and facilitates the Regional Advocacy Network for the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe on behalf of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. With 20+ years in international development, she has advised Swiss Cooperation and Development on democratic governance, public administration and humanitarian aid. Her expertise includes women’s political empowerment, diaspora engagement and citizen participation.