E-SKILLS OF THE NEW DIGITAL GENERATION

Prof. Angel Smrikarov

Russe University "Angel Kanchev"

Prof. Dr. Angel Smrikarov is the Founder and Head of the Center for Innovations and Educational Technologies of the Russe University "Angel Kanchev". He is author and co-author of 17 inventions, 196 papers, 2 studies, 3 monographs, 12 textbooks and teaching materials, as well as several poetry collections. He is adviser of 15 successful PhD students. Prof. Smrikarov coordinates 4 European thematic networks in the field of computing and the project Bulgarian Virtual University.

Elena Nalbantova

Director, 81 SU "Viktor Yugo", Sofia

Ognian Zlatev

Head of the European Commission Representation in Sofia

Ognian Zlatev is the Head of the European Commission Representation in Sofia as from 1st May 2013. He joined the European Commission as Head of Communications Unit of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in December 2011. He has over twenty years of professional experience in communication, media development and NGO management. His assignments took him to a number of transition societies and environments across the World (South-East Europe and Western Balkans, Southern Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East) where he worked as a consultant for international institutions (UNESCO, OSCE, The World Bank) and media (BBC). Before joining the European Commission, Ognian Zlatev served as Member of the Managing Board of the Bulgarian National Television (the Public Service broadcaster). Prior to that he founded and managed the Media Development Center in Bulgaria, which was established in 1998 to promote the development of independent media in Bulgaria, foster media capacity building and boost networking and cross-border cooperation in South-East Europe. He was Director of the Information Centre for the Open Society Institute in Sofia, Manager of the BBC Centre in Bulgaria and Exchange Officer at the British Council office in Bulgaria. Ognian Zlatev is a member of the European Association of Communications Directors (EACD) since 2008. Ognian has numerous publications over the years.

Ludmila Dermendjieva

Director, First Primary School "St. St. Kiril and Metodi", Gotse Delchev

Kamen Spassov

Associate Professor at Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

Kamen Spassov has MA engineering degree in automation of production with the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy - Sofia. He graduated in 1984 and in 1992 he had already obtained a PhD. Assoc. Kamen Spassov has an international MBA and between 1998-1999 he studied at the Business School at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA, and the University of Economics in Vienna, Austria. He has specialized as senior state official in the field of information technologies for the deployment of e-government at the Korean Agency for Promotion of Digitalization Opportunities. He is the author of several publications and books on e-government. His professional experience dates back to 1985 with his teaching and scientific activity at the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy - Sofia. In 1992 he took the editor’s position with Computerworld Bulgaria and in 1993 he became deputy General Editor at PC Magazine Bulgaria. In the period 1994-1998 Kamen Spassov worked as an account manager at IBM Bulgaria, and from 1999 to 2000 he was a product marketing manager at MediaMap, Cambridge, USA. A year later, he became а director and editor of the TechReviews portal, CMP Media Internet Group, Boston, USA. From 2002 to 2003, Kamen Spasov is the CEO of Sipreem, and then from 2004 to 2005 is an IT consultant at UniCredit Bulbank. His professional development continues in the period 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 as a Coordinator at the Coordination Center for Information, Communication and Management Technologies, Council of Ministers. Kamen Spasov is a team leader for the development of electronic services for the district administration. In the period 2005-2006 he was a territorial manager of Tumbleweed Communications. From 2007 to 2011, he was the director of CRM TechnoLogica LTD systems. During this period, he was a team leader for the development of electronic services for municipal administration. His professional career includes the position Deputy-Minister of transport, IT and communications in the Caretaker Government in 2014. Since 2009 Kamen Spasov has been an Associate Professor at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ", Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics; and Head of the Master Program "E-business and e-government." During this period, he was also head of the Master Class in CRM - American University in Bulgaria and Economics. From 2013 projects related to eGovernment Laboratory eGovernment BAS have been developed and implemented under his leadership.

Georgi Hristov, M. Engr.

Deputy Head of the Center for Distance Learning National, Military University "Vasil Levski"

He graduated in 2001 from the "Vasil Levski" Military University of Veliko Tarnovo, specialty "Communications". In 2016 he graduated from the Military Academy "G. S. Rakovski", Sofia, specialty "Communications and Information Systems", Master degree. Since 2016 he holds the position of Deputy Head of Distance Learning Center at the National Military University "Vasil Levski". His main responsibilities are planning, management and conduct of the educational process. His activity is related to the overall organization of distance learning, the establishment and maintenance of relationships between the management staff of the University, lecturers and students. His interests are in the field of communication and information technologies, programming languages, various electronic platforms and ways of applying them in the educational process.

Georgi Kissjov

R&D Director, Risk Electronics

Filip Radenovski

Marketing Manager, Dahua Technology Bulgaria

Filip Radenovski is a Marketing Manager at Dahua Technology Bulgaria with 10 years of experience in marketing and sales. He joins Dahua from the PolyComp team, where he holds the position of Product Manager of Bosch and HiWatch Security Systems. The main task in front of him is the imposition and development of the brand on our market.

Martin Zhelev

Product Manager, Huawei Technology Bulgaria

Martin Zhelev is a Product Manager at Huawei Technology Bulgaria with more than 15 years of experience in IT and Telecommunications. His responsibilities at the Bulgarian office include technical consultations in the process of generating solutions that meet the requirements of Huawei customers. Prior to becoming part of the Huawei team, Martin worked at Bynet Datacommunications Bulgaria and Newtech BT and has participated in a number of projects in Bulgaria and Central and Eastern Europe. He graduated from the Technical University in Sofia.

Iskra Kalcheva, MA

E-learning Consultant, Centre for Distant and Electronic Learning, Medical University "Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov" – Varna

Having completed her graduated studies in Sound Engineering and Multimedia Design at McGill University, Canada, Iskra Kalcheva has worked in the field of multimedia and interactive design since 2009. Along with that, she completed a Master’s degree in European Literature and Language Teaching at the University of Huelva, Spain in 2016. In addition she obtained Cambridge Certificate in English teaching to adults in 2014. Since February 2017, Iskra Kalcheva has been an active member of the E-learning team at the Medical University of Varna working on interactive content development in support of the learning process and consults faculty and students on E-learning processes and practices.

Assoc. Professor Ivan Merdzhanov, PhD

Head of Center for Distant and Electronic Learning/ Director of Department of Foreign Languages Medical University", Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov" – Varna

Professor Ivan Merdzhanov graduated German Philology at Veliko Tarnovo University in Bulgaria and the University of Rostock, Germany. He has been teaching at the Department of Foreign Languages, Communication and Sports at Medical University- Varna since 1992. He finished his PhD studies in e-Learning at Sofia University in 2013. He has numerous publications in the area of e-Learning and foreign languages for specific purposes. He has specialized in Salzburg, Göttingen, Düsseldorf, Munich and Krems in the field of specialized German and application of e-Learning in an academic environment. Since 2014 he is the Director of the Center for Distant and Electronic Learning at the Medical University in Varna.

Ph.D. Milena Krumova

Entrepreneur in the Field of Education (Entrepreneur and Intrapreneur)

Milena possesses more than 15 years of progressive experience in the field of education. Since 2015 she is a founder of EduTechFlag, a company which mission is to create and support the effective use of smart and modern practices in the field of education. She is an initiator of the National contest for STEM sciences in High Schools in Bulgaria "Who is SUPER STEM in your school". Since 2011, she holds Ph.D. in Economics, since 2014 she holds Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Automation from the Technical University – Sofia.She has been participated in many research projects and has been published more than 60 scientific papers as an author and co-author. Milena has been working at a High School for Arts, College of Design, and she is an assistant professor at the TU-Sofia. Since 2013, she is a volunteer for Bulgaria for NASA International Space Apps Challenge. In 2015 she is awarded, as a candidate out of applicants from ten Eastern European countries, by the Group of Eight (Go8) the leading Australian Universities to do a research in the Open Data in Education at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. In 2016, she has been chosen to be Bulgarian educator to participate at Space Camp NASA center at Huntsville, Alabama, USA. Milena is the organizer of one of the most innovative events in Bulgaria – Music Hackathons Bulgaria, an event which was awarded a national prize in category "Digital innovation" ProCulture 2017, and in 2018 she will organize the 1st Sports Hackathon Bulgaria.

Professor D.Sc.(Econ.) Valentin Kisimov

Director of Center for Computer Innovative Systems, UNWE, Sofia, Bulgaria

Proff. Valentin Kisiomv is Director of Center for Computer Innovative  Systems, UNWE, Sofia, Bulgaria. During his work at UNWE he was Dean of Faculty "Applied Informatics and Statistics", Head of Department "Information Technologies and Communications", Associate Professor, Director of the Computer Centre and Assistant Professor. His professional realization includes Manager of Research Laboratory on New network security products and services, founded by IBM, Cisco, T-Sy stems SA, University of Johannesburg and University of Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa; Senior ICT Architect,  T-Systems SA, Johannesburg, South Africa; Strategic Development Architect, Net1 Applied Services  (APLITEC) (Pty) Ltd,  Johannesburg, South Africa; Senior Consultant, IBM South Africa; Visitor-Professor, Computer Science Department, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada; Lecturer, Computer Science Department, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Main Director and after that General Director, National centre "Infoma", Ministry of National Supply, Sofia, Bulgaria; Head of Section "Image processing", Central Institute of IT, Sofia, Bulgaria; Engineer of Multi-Microprocessor Systems, Institute for Technical Cybernetics and Robotics, BAS, Bulgaria; Mainframe Computer Engineer, Central Institute of IT, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Eng. Vasilisa Pavlova

Senior Expert of Informatics and Information Technologies, Regional Education Directorate, Blagoevgrad

Eng.Vasilisa Pavlova is a senior expert of Informatics and Information Technologies. Works in the Regional Education Directorate in Blagoevgrad. Master – engineer in "Computer Systems and Technologies", qualified in Informatics and IT education and specialization in Economics. Her activities are related to inspecting, controlling and methodological support of IT and to organizing and conducting multiple national and regional competition in IT in the region, she has over 18 years of practical experience in the system of secondary education. Since 2016 she has been an assistant in the Technical faculty in SWU "Neofit Rilski", Blagoevgrad. She uses approbated innovative models to improve teachers’ professional competences in the school education system. Priority areas – the interactivity in electronical and mobile education, the use of cloud services, three-dimensional modelling, augmented reality.