She is political scientist, professor of International Relations and International Communications at the University of Wrocław, Institute of International Studies (ISM). She was the founder of the Section of International Communication at the ISM and author of the curriculum for the specialization in Public Diplomacy and Media for students of International Relations. Prof. Ociepka worked also at the Warsaw University and taught at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Her last book, published in 2017 by Peter Lang, was “Poland’s New Ways of Public Diplomacy”. She is the head of International Communication Section of the Polish Society for International Studies. She specializes in international communication, public diplomacy and nation branding, and comparative media studies. Her current research project is focused on the EU countries cultural diplomacy with Russia at the time of the war in Ukraine.
Experts
Beata Ociepka
Aleksandra Ohar
Studied cello at the Academy of Music in Warsaw under Tomasz Strahl. Guest student at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Augsburg under Julius Berger. Alekszandra Ohar attended master courses at the Mozarteum Salzburg and in Łańcut, Źagań and Zamośći under famous cellists like A. Bauer, J. Berger, K. Michalik and T. Strahl. Already at the age of 12, she received the first prize at a competition for cello and double bass students in Rzeszów and several other awards at Polish festivals and competitions. In 2005 Ohar took part in the P. Casals International Competition in Germany. Besides her classical cello repertoire (Haydn, Dvořák, Tschaikovsky and others), Ohar also devotes herself to contemporary music (she participated in the Laboratorium Muzyki Współcesnej project). She performs as a soloist as well as an orchestra and chamber musician.
Joanna Orlik
PhD from the Jagiellonian University. Cultural manager. Since 2002 she works for the Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow, since 2007 as its director. Since 2006 member of the Orientation Council of the Cultural Centres Historic Monument European Network. Founder and first editor-in-chief (2002-2007) of the quarterly “Autoportret. Pismo o dobrej przestrzeni” (“Self-portrait. The quarterly on good space”).
Katarzyna Oyrzanowska
Works for UNHCR as a specialist for Integration of Refugees UNHCR.
Tomasz Padło
Freelance photographer and co-founder of Bezgranica Foundation dealing i.a. with exposing and describing the phenomenon of stability of relict boundaries. He treats photography as a representation of reality and uses it for knowledge promotion, therefore he focuses mostly on documentary photography, in particular on the little-invasive street photography. For many years he has been involved in studying the problem of perceiving Europe. It has also diverted his photographic interest into this issue, after taking up trials to recognize and understand the Orient. He is a geographer by profession and has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Geography of the Pedagogical University of Cracow.
Joanna Pająk
Psychologist (Jagiellonian University), management trainer (MATRIK School), Public Relations & marketing consultant. She specializes in trainings of communication skills, project management in marketing, the use of creativity training methods and relations with media. After longstanding experience in advertising agencies, she runs her own little enterprise. She is interested in films, loves travelling and getting to know foreign cultures. In her free time, she practices yoga or running.
Tamás Pál
Professor of Sociology, Director of the Institute of Sociology of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest. Former president of Hungarian Sociological Association, Vice-President of the National UNESCO Commission. Visiting professorships in US, Canadian, UK, German, Austrian, Russian, Ukrainian and other universities. Main interests: political sociology, science policy, sociology of intellectuals, comparative studies on East- and Central Europe.
Lajos Pálfalvi
Hungarian historian and literary critic, teacher and translator. Translated prose of Czesław Miłosz, Witold Gombrowicz, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, Antoni Libera, Krzysztof Varga and many works of contemporary Polish literature. Awarded by the Polish Cultural Foundation for the promotion of Polish books in the world (2013).
Metodija Papazoski
Studied at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopie, Macedonia. Graduated with a bachelor degree in International Trade. He also graduated with merits both from Bradford School of Economics, as well as from William R. Boone HS in USA with a master degree in Management and Economy. Metodija also received the Presidential Scholarship at Valencia Community College. He used to work for the leading Polish fabrics manufacturer where he was responsible for the market studies and new customer acquisition. As a PMR Consulting team member (since 2006 to present) he has been involved in researches of the SEE markets.
Attila Z. Papp
Graduated from the Faculty of Sociology, Western University of Timisoara in 1996 and received his Ph.D. in sociology from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest in 2006. His research areas are minority institutions in education and media, education politics, Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin, and education of Roma in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. He is editor in chief of the periodical REGIO, and senior research fellow and director of the Budapest-based Institute for Minority Studies, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
