You’ve seen their names in emails. You’ve probably imagined their faces while waiting for updates. And now… It’s time to meet the people behind the magic of VSS 2025!
From managing your applications, planning the content, handling logistics, spreadsheets, and budgets to dealing with the beautifully unpredictable (with grace and coffee) - these humans make your #VisegradSummerSchool experience not only possible, but unforgettable. And the best part? In just two weeks, we’ll finally get to swap emails for real-life conversations in the courtyard of Villa Decius.
Let’s start with the Director of the Villa Decius, prof. Dominika Kasprowicz - academic open mind by calling, strategist by day and cultural practitioner somewhere in between.
Dominika blends political science with cultural practice like few others can. With a PhD in Political Science and a professorship at Jagiellonian University, she splits her time between lecture halls, international project meetings, and strategy sessions at Villa Decius, where she's been Director since 2016. She firmly believes in the power of cultural diplomacy - not as a buzzword but as a tangible tool for building social cohesion and international understanding. This conviction guides her work not only at Villa Decius but also in broader public life.
Her academic research dances across political communication, disinformation and populism, innovation in public life, and the intersection of culture and politics. She is co-author of "Communicating Populism" (Routledge, 2019), among other titles, and lectures regularly across Europe, from Porto to Paris, Bucharest to Oslo. Dominika also serves on the Board of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), working to ensure that artists and writers at risk are given not only sanctuary but also voice and visibility. Whether advocating for freedom of expression or sketching out a new cultural strategy, she effortlessly balances diplomacy and action.
Her project portfolio includes heavyweight European initiatives like Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe. In short: Dominika designs ideas, builds frameworks, and writes footnotes - often simultaneously.
