Dr. Swadesh Rana

Former Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch, Department of Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations | USA Dr. Swadesh Rana is a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute in New York and the UN Representative of the Academic Council of the UN System. Dr. Rana is the former Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch at the Department of Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations. She designed the Gramsh Pilot Project for Albania, the UN’s first ever undertaking to offer community development incentives for the recovery of wrongfully acquired weapons. During her two decades career at the United Nations, Dr. Rana directed research for the groups of inter- governmental experts appointed by the Secretary-General on issues ripening for the conventional disarmament agenda, was a member of the Executive Office of the Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, was selected as the Senior Political Aide to the Chief of UNPROFOR to brief the army on the political aspects of the operation and served as the focal point for CASA. the mechanism instituted by Secretary General Kofi Annan for system wide coordination of activities on small arms. Dr. Rana is at the IDSA to write a policy oriented monograph on “Non-State Actors and South Asia: Developing a Regional Frame of Reference.”

Rares Voicu

Board member of Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions | ROMANIA Overview of SDG 4: Right to Access Quality Education in the Post-COVID Era Rareș Voicu is studying Global Law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. For the past 5 years, he has been an active advocate for school student’s and children’s rights, fighting for their access to quality education for all and for the right to make their voices heard in all matters that affect them directly. Mr. Voicu has been a Vice President and President of the Romanian National School Student’s Council, a position through which he has had, along with his teammates, numerous victories for Romanian school students. Rareș believes that good communication between students and teachers lies at the base of quality education. Currently, he is a Board member of OBESSU (Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions). From this position, he is working with his colleagues in advocating for school student’s rights at the level of the EU institutions. His belief is that all children should have constant, unconditional access to quality education.

Feyzullah Bilgin

Managing Director, Nigerian Tulip International Colleges | NIGERIA Best Practices of Right to Education During COVID-19 Fevzullah Bilgin is the Managing Director of the Nigerian Tulip International College. He completed his teacher training education at the Anatolian Teacher Training High School in Turkey. Mr. Bilgin studied English Language at the Bogazici University in Turkey, where he was awarded a Bachelor’s degree on English Language Education. Fevzullah proceeded to Westminster University to acquire the PGCE qualification. On his arrival in Nigeria, he received his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Nassarawa University and completed his Masters of Business Administration from the Nile University of Nigeria. Mr. Bilgin started his career in Tashkent Ulugbek International School, Uzbekistan where he worked as an English Language teacher and ESL teacher. In Nigeria, he worked as the Head of the English Language Department, School Principal, Deputy Managing Director (Academics). He is currently working as Managing Director of the Nigerian Tulip International College.

Mirabela Amarandei

Director of Strategic Orientation and Public Policies, University of Bucharest | ROMANIA Girls` Education and Women’s Empowerment in the Era of Digital Technologies Mirabela Amarandei has considerable experience in the field of educational policies, being involved, as personal adviser of the Romanian Minister of Education and the Secretary of State for Preuniversity Education, in different projects and processes regarding the national educational and research systems. Mirabela Amarandei coordinates the Strategic Governance, Evaluation, Monitoring and Public Policies Direction of the University of Bucharest, with responsibilities in developing strategic projects aiming to increase the inclusiveness and quality of higher education and the academic community. She is currently a doctoral researcher in Educational Sciences.

Dr. William C. Schulz

Director of Academic Outcomes Research and Founder of Center for Social Change, Walden University | USA Overview of Global Access to the Digital Technologies, Resources, and Disparities Dr. William Schulz is the Director of Academic Outcomes Research, and Founding Director of Walden University’s Center for Social Change. He was previously an Associate Dean of Walden’s School of Management, and was founding Director of the Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership at Albertus Magnus College. Dr. Schulz is an award-winning scholar in the fields of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. He earned a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from The University of Georgia, and a Masters degree in Political Science & Public Policy from Indiana University. As a scholar with practical and doctoral training in both business and public policy contexts, Will has spent over two decades exploring, consulting, and teaching about how servant leaders can improve the world through entrepreneurial leadership. Will has been at Walden University for nearly 15 years, and shares its passion to help motivated scholar-practitioners across all disciplines develop the skills needed to be effective agents for social change and good in the world. Outside of academia, Will has released a film documentary, Electra! Queen of the Aleutian Islands that aviation historian Robert Serling noted as “arguably one of the finest aviation documentaries ever filmed”, and is an avid ice hockey goaltender and choral singer.