BCSDN Structure

Current Board Members:

Klotilda Kosta – Chair of the Board

Klotilda (Tavani) Kosta is a seasoned development professional with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Since 2010, she serves as a Director of Programs at Partners Albania for Change and Development. In this leadership role, she oversees the strategic development and implementation of key programmatic areas, including the Enabling Environment and Sustainable Development of Civil Society (with a focus on monitoring and advocacy), as well as Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation. Ms. Kosta brings extensive expertise in civil society development, social entrepreneurship, start-up ecosystem development, gender equality, and participatory governance. She has successfully led and managed numerous projects funded by the European Union, international organizations, and development agencies, engaging a wide range of stakeholders across these sectors. Ms. Kosta plays a key role in advancing Partners Albania’s advocacy efforts, being part of several national and regional initiatives aimed at creating a supportive legal and regulatory framework for civil society organizations. As a core member of Partners Albania’s research team, she has authored and co-authored a wide array of studies, monitoring reports, needs assessments, policy papers, and articles that inform policy and strengthen civil society practice. She is a skilled trainer and facilitator, with deep experience in designing and delivering capacity-building programs in collaboration with diverse stakeholders and support organizations. Ms. Kosta’s in-depth understanding of civil society dynamics in the Western Balkans stems from her longstanding collaboration with local, regional, and international partners. Since 2017, she has served as a board member of the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), a regional network committed to protecting and expanding civic space through evidence-based and collaborative policy advocacy at the national, European, and international levels.

Maja Stojanović

Maja Stojanovic is a long-time activist for the protection of human rights, and Executive Director of the Citizen’s Association for Democracy and Civic Education – Civic Initiatives. Civic Initiatives were founded in 1996 when a group of prominent NGO activists in Serbia, involved in the anti-war movement and non-nationalist democratic opposition, recognized the need to create a social, civic base that could support democratic change by teaching citizens about their rights, democracy, civil society and how to be active citizens so that they can make decisions about their own lives. With over 18 years of professional experience, Maja’s first activist engagement was in the Students’ Union of Serbia, after which she spent 5 years working in different positions in youth organizations. She conducted over 500 training days in Serbia and the region and wrote, coordinated, and implemented numerous projects. Maja Stojanovic is the president of the Board of Directors of the Human Rights and Democracy House from Belgrade and a member of the Europe Team, an expert group for the promotion of European integrations in Serbia. Maja’s area of expertise includes: Civil Society Development, Human Resources,  Project Management,  Fundraising,  Networking,  Human Rights and Work with Marginalized Groups, Transitional Justice and War Crimes, Conflict Prevention, Youth Policy, Public Administration, Crowdfunding, and European Integration.

Rana Kotan

Rana has twenty years of experience in business and philanthropy. She currently serves as Secretary General at TUSEV responsible for leading the team working towards achieving a strong, credible and participatory civil society in Turkey. Prior to TUSEV, she served as the Director of Programs and International Relations at the Sabanci Foundation. There, she oversaw the Foundation’s programs which aim to achieve social inclusion and equal participation for women, youth and persons with disabilities. Rana has experience in developing program strategies and implementing grant programs, designing strategic assessment processes, and developing and maintaining relationships with foreign and local institutions. She served as a Governing Council member of the European Foundation Center (EFC) from 2013 to 2017 and as National Advisory Group member of the Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organizations (TACSO) from 2014 to 2017. She is a regular contributor to Alliance Magazine and a speaker at philanthropy conferences. Rana holds a Bachelors’ degree in Business Administration from Bosphorus University (1999) and received her MBA degree from Yale School of Management (2004).

Aida Daguda

Aida Daguda isDirector of Civil Society Promotion Centre (Centar za promociju civilnog društva, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has respectable knowledge of civil society in the region of Western Balkans, as well as structure and background of international assistance in BiH. Ms Aida Daguda has more than 20 years of experience with international and local CSOs. Initiator of the largest mentoring program for women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and of several regional initiatives in the region of Western Balkans. Multi-skilled and experienced in managing projects, programs and civil society organizations. Ms Daguda possess extensive experience in managing and implementing projects of development of more enabling environment for civil society development as well as institutional mechanisms of cooperation between government and civil society organizations. Committed to open dialogue, gender equality and active participation in decision making processes.

Snezana Kamilovska Trpovska

Snezhana is a legal expert with more than 12 years of working experience in the area of corruption, good governance, transparency, citizen participation in policy and law-making, and enabling environment of CSOs and the private sector. She is a Project Coordinator within the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and has experience in coordinating different large-scale civil society development interventions funded by different donors such as the EU, SIDA and British Embassy. Snezhana has an extensive regional experience through projects such as SELDI, enabling the environment of CSOs in the Balkan region and CEFTA working groups. Through her work, she has built up an extensive network of contacts among CSOs in the Balkan. She has the knowledge and clear understanding of the overall political system, civil society, good governance and anticorruption on a national and regional level. She has experience with projects related to the transparency and accountability of public institutions, citizen participation in policy and law-making, and research and analysis of the state of corruption. Snezhana regularly participates in the creation of numerous anti-corruption policies such as Law on the prevention of corruption and conflict of interests, the Law on lobbying, the National Strategy for the fight against corruption and conflict of interest 2021-2025 etc. Also, she is a member of the Council for the Cooperation of the Government with CSOs 2021-2024 as part of the sector for democracy and good governance.

Dren Puka

Dren is a civil society activist and the Executive Director of KCSF, with nearly 20 years of experience in research, advocacy, and developing participatory public policy. He has been part of KCSF for over a decade, serving in key leadership roles, most recently as Director for Research, Advocacy, and Capacity Building. His expertise lies in designing empirical and theoretical models of analysis and research and developing and conducting research projects that aim to produce evidence to shape public policies through greater civic participation. In addition, Dren has a proven track record in leadership and management, having led teams and complex processes in organizational change and development contexts. By working with numerous organizations and participating in key policy initiatives related to civil society development, Dren’s work has focused especially on creating an environment that seeks to emphasize diverse and marginal voices to shape a reflexive and inclusive public sphere. He completed his graduate studies in educational policy and leadership, specializing in research methods, at the University of Rochester, in the USA.

BCSDN Staff Members:

Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, Head of Policy and Advocacy 

Anja joined BCSDN in 2014, and is currently responsible for the strategic priorities, development and coordination of research, policy, and evidence-based advocacy activities on regional and global level related to the enabling environment for civil society development in the Western Balkans and Turkey. She is a passionate advocate for human rights and civic freedoms, and a vigorous patient advocate for the rare diseases community, with over 12 years of professional experience in the non-profit sector. Anja holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and a BSc in Economics from the Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
Contact her at abs@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download Anja Bosilkova-Antovska’s biography.

Voislav Pangov, Finance Manager

Holds a BSc in Financial Management from the Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. In BCSDN, he is responsible for financial and administrative work. Voislav has considerable experience working in the private sector, as well as experience in international organizations working on EU funded projects.
Contact him at vpn@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download Voislav Pangov’s biography.

Marija Vishinova Shemova, Communications Coordinator

Marija Vishinova holds an MA in Diplomacy and International Relations from the Faculty of Law Iustinianus Primus, Skopje, Macedonia, and a joint MA degree in Interdisciplinary Research and Studies on Eastern Europe from the University of Bologna, Italy, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, and Overseas period the Department of Slavic Studies and History at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, USA. She is fluent in Macedonian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, English, Italian, and Russian. Marija’s professional experience is both local and international, being engaged as a researcher, project staff and communication officer in multiple NGOs in Macedonia, but also overseas. In BCSDN she is working on the role of Communications Coordinator.
Contact her at mvs@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download download Marija Vishinova’s biography.

Simona Mladenovska, Policy and Advocacy Officer

Holds MSc in New Media and Social Networks from the Institute for Sociological, Political and Judicial Research – Skopje, and BA in Political Science. Her engagement with BCSDN begins in April 2021 when she joins as an intern working on the CIVICUS Monitor research updates, after which she continues the engagement as Communications and Information Officer in the Executive Office from September 2021. She has been engaged, professionally and voluntarily, in multiple CSOs in the country such as Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis – Skopje, Eurothink and the National Youth Council of Macedonia. She has extensive experience in project and event management, research and communications. Her interests extends the areas of research, communications, transitional justice and civic movements.
Contact her at: sml@balkancsd.net
Here you can download Simona Mladenovska’s Biography.

Biljana Stojanovska, Operations and Fund Manager

Biljana Stojanovska holds a BSc in Economy from the Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. In BCSDN, she performs the role of Grant Manager for the Regional Civil Society Development Hub which will enhance the regional cooperation and resilience of CSOs in the WB. Biljana has an extensive professional experience of more than 16 years in the Ministry of Finance in Macedonia, where she has developed and maintained good professional relationships and cooperation with foreign and domestic contractors, EC services, national institutions and Governmental bodies, civil society organizations, auditors, IFIs (EBRD and EIB), etc. She was working in the Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD), which acts as a Contracting Authority accredited by the EU Commission for tendering, contracting, financial management and payments, as well as monitoring of the implementation of the IPA funded projects in decentralized implementation system. Her area of expertise is financial management, project management, grants management, and her interests include EU Integration and Economics.
Contact her at: bsj@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download Biljana Stojanovska biography.

Besa Mustafa, Project Officer

Besa Mustafa is currently studying for a master’s degree in International Communication at the South East European University in Skopje. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education – English Language Teaching from International Balkan University, Skopje, Macedonia. In BCSDN, she is responsible for assistance on project implementation, as well as administrative work. She has previous experience working and volunteering in local and international projects.
Contact her at: bms@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download Besa Mustafa biography.

Toshe Zafirov, Communication and Advocacy

Toshe Zafirov joined BCSDN after five years of serving as deputy chief of staff and advisor on domestic politics to the President of North Macedonia, along with more than a decade of experience in the civil sector. He worked at the Progress Institute as a project coordinator and later as a program director for numerous domestic and international projects with regional and partner countries across Europe under the auspices of the EU. As a Program Director and Researcher, he has focused on youth political education, minority integration and participation in civil society, the reconciliation process in the region, democracy development, and digital media and communications. His main role at BCSDN is to communicate our work and advocacy goals—both within the network and to external audiences, including civil society, institutions, and stakeholders at national, regional, and EU levels. He helps amplify our work and core advocacy goals, fostering dialogue, collaboration, and visibility across all levels. Zafirov graduated from the “Iustinianus Primus” Faculty of Law at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, in the Department of Public Relations, Public Opinion, and Mass Communications, has a Master’s in Public Relations at the “Iustinianus Primus” Faculty of Law.
Contact him at: tzf@balkancsd.net 
Here you can download Toshe Zafirov’s biography.

Biljana Spasovska, Executive Director

Biljana Spasovska holds an MA in Interdisciplinary research and studies in Eastern Europe from the University of Bologna and a BA in International Relations from the University College for International and Public Relations in Prague. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Democracy in the era of Globalization. Biljana has been in BCSDN since 2013 and before becoming the Executive Director she was responsible for BCSDN Policy and Advocacy activities. Her area of expertise is in democracy and civil society development, EU Integration Process, good governance and accountability. Biljana has experience working in the government and civil society sector; she has worked in the Secretariat for European Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and in think – tank organizations in North Macedonia, Italy and the Czech Republic.
Contact her at bst@balkancsd.net.
Here you can download Biljana Spasovska biography.