Board of Directors

According to the status, Pro WOMEN Foundation is leaded by the President that is exclusive founder, with the support of the Directive Council formed by 5 members.

I am honored to announce the structure of the Directive Council:

• Mrs Valentina Contescu
State counselor in the Office of the Prime Minister, Romanian Government

I am licentiate in law. Currently, I am state counselor of prime minister on social problems, education and culture; technical coordinator of the National Commission against Poverty and Promotion of Social Exclusion (CASPIS); president of the Romanian Social Development Fund board; member of the Partnership for Equality Center board. Between 1985 and 1989, I was law consultant within “Timpuri Noi” company, Bucharest and law consultant within Electro techniques and Electronics Ministry. Starting with 1990, I was legal counselor legal counselor within National Trade Unions confederation METAROM. In 2003, I entered within public administration in the position of general inspector within Labor Office. Between 1997 and 2003 I was actively fighting for equality between women and men as the responsible for National Women’s Commission of METAROM , president of the National Women’s Commission within Cartel Alfa, secretary of the International Commission of Working Women (CMT), coordinator within European Commission of Women from CMT for Central and Eastern Europe. I have participated in drafting process for different laws within social domain, studies and researches in trade unions and equal chances domain. I have occasionally collaborated with Pro Democracy Association. I have never waist time and I have never got bored.

• Mrs Angela Stolnicu
Director of the American non governmental organization

Angela Stolnicu is the director of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) Washington DC office in Bucharest (www.irex.org). Angela Stolnicu run several IREX Washington DC projects in Romania, among them, the USAID-funded project 1999-2002 "the Return to Romania Career Development". Angela Stolnicu has graduated the Academy of Economic Studies in 1981. As a Romanian Fulbright fellow in the USA during 1992-1994, Angela Stolnicu received her MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and she also worked under a post academic program with the American Management Association in New York City. Prior to joining IREX, she has worked as an independent consultant with Coopers & Lybrand, Central Europe Consulting, Procter & Gamble, Kingston & Peterson, etc. In 2005 Angela Stolnicu graduated a Master program in Cultural Anthropology and Community Development at SNSPA Bucharest. During 2005-2007 Angela Stolnicu will pursue a Joint European Master in Comparative Local Development for the Balkans at the University of Trento in Italy. Angela Stolnicu is fluent in Romanian, English and French.

• Mrs Roxana Mihalache
Psychologist, PhD student of University of Bucharest, member of European Society of the Evaluators

Roaxana Mihalache – psychologist, postgraduate of Bucharest University, member of the Euopean Society of Evaluators. As the main domains of interest I may list down: evaluation and knowldege management, organizational development, social policies in European context. The aquired experience in over 10 years experience of activity in Romanian civil scoiety organizations offers me a good knowledge of the field. In the period of time metioned above I collaborated with local, national and international organizations, public or private from various domains: child protection, aid for eleder people, legal consultancy and human rights, gender, SMEs, etc. The collaborations consisted in delivering consultancy for strategic development of the organization (including fund raising), design, management and project evaluation, training on diffrent topics. Now, I’m working within the International Program for Eliminating Child Labor within the International Labor Department as a coordinator of a sub regional project.

• Miss Rodica Novac

Rodica Novac is the director of the Association for Organization Development - SAH ROM Bucharest from 2000, the set up year. Mrs. Rodica Novac attended Open University Business School Courses between 2001 and 2004 and received the professional certificate in management in 2002 and in 2004 the professional diploma in management. Between 1998 and 2000, Mrs. Rodica Novac coordinated the program “Labor market “within Trade Unions Federation in Food Industry. Currently, Mrs Rodica Novac is the coordinator of the sub program Labor market, program Labor market and trade unions modernization, financed by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Swiss Labor Assistance – value of the project: 1.89 mil of CHF developed in the cities of Campia Turzii, Hunedoara, Iasi, Roman and Targoviste.

• Mrs Irina Carmen Barbalata
Executive president and unique funder

Irina Carmen Barbalata - chemist engineer starting with 1980, chemist researcher between 1985 and 2000. I have developed trade unions activities between 1993 and 2000 on the level of primary trade unions, professional federation (Chemistry) and confederation; I was the first president of National Women’s Commission within CNS Cartel Alfa between 1994 and 1998. Starting with 1996 I have collborated with NGOs and in 2000 I have set up Pro WOMEN foundation with moral and financial aid from SAH Switzerland. In 13 years of activity within civil society I have collaborated with diffrent institutions and I have attended trainings which enabled me further diverse partnerships and consultancy – details in Foundation team. Currently, I’m the executive president of Pro WOMEN Foundation being involved directly in projects and organizational development; furthermore I am collaborating with diffrent institutions and organizations from Romania and abroad.