Violeta started building expertise in local economic and rural development and standardization, upon graduation in 1998, as an expert and team leader in donor funded programs in Serbia and the region, through the design and implementation of complex development projects worth over 10 million dollars. As the first employee of NALED, and its Executive Director since July 2007, she was instrumental in growing an independent membership organization, which later grew into the largest public-private association focusing on building a favorable business environment in Southeast Europe. She is a graduate philologist and gained further education in the field of policy development and project management in specialized training and study programs in the United States and Europe. She is engaged as a motivational speaker, mentor and moderator at professional conferences around the topic of women's entrepreneurship and leadership in the country and abroad. She has gained international experience as a consultant in the field of certification and intellectual property protection, and she specializes in SME development and empowerment of marginalized groups. She is a member of the Regional Council as the umbrella body of the Network for Favorable Business Environment, which brings together state institutions and sector organizations from the Western Balkans to institutionalize mechanisms for cooperation and strengthening the competitiveness and visibility of the region. She actively contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage of Serbia and employment programs for women through the role of the founder and president of Ethno Network.
Biography as published in the conference record. 241 words.
