Virginia Stephens
After completing an MA in Politics, Security and Transition at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), Ms. Stephens worked as Project Manager and Deputy Director for the European Centre for Minority Issues in Kosovo (ECMI Kosovo), initiating and developing projects on Kosovo governance and education. Ms. Stephens also worked as child protection consultant for UNICEF Kosovo, researched issues on decentralisation and monitored the Kosovo Government’s Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. Currently, Ms. Stephens is setting up a think-tank that will form part of a women’s Parliamentary network group and is starting a photography project with young Kosovo Albanians in the UK.

Kelley Thompson
Ms. Thompson began working with ECMI Kosovo in June 2008. She is engaged in the Consultative Council for Communities and municipal education projects, as well as in the development of projects in the fields of education, security and civil society. Ms. Thompson holds a Master’s Degree in Central and Eastern European Studies from the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies at University College London. During her studies, Ms. Thompson specialised on nationalism, conflict and identity in the former Yugoslavia, as well as minority rights theory and its application in European and international law. Research topics included the role of intercultural education in identity formation (FYR Macedonia), the impact of language rights on interethnic relations (Croatia, Spain), institutional design for governing divided societies (Estonia), and the link between nationalism and gender (Belarus). Ms. Thompson also received advanced training in qualitative research methods, specialising in discourse analysis. Additionally, Ms. Thompson has degrees in International Relations: Peace and Security Studies and German: Culture and Commerce from the University of California, Davis. Prior to ECMI Kosovo, Ms. Thompson worked as Independent Programme Coordinator for an international student exchange programme, responsible for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She has also been engaged as editor of an Eastern European-themed academic journal published by University College London. Supplementing her academic and professional experience, Ms. Thompson has volunteered with Refugee Transitions in San Francisco, California as a tutor and mentor for children from Afghanistan and for Minority Rights Group in London conducting database management.

Ester Kosova
Ms. Kosova began working with ECMI Kosovo in February 2009. She has been mainly involved with the Office for Community Affairs project. Ms. Kosova has previously worked in prestigious international organisations in The Hague, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and International Criminal Court. She holds an LLM in International Public Law from University Utrecht.

Artan Çollaku
After completing an MA in European Studies: European Diverstiy and Integration at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), in Belgium, Mr. Çollaku has joined ECMI Kosovo in 2007. He is currently involved in assisting the Office of Community Affairs in assessment of the level of implementation of Kosovo's community legislation in specific sectors. Mr. Çollaku is also an EU Integration practitioner.