Our 2024 ACMC edition boasts an unstoppable committee, a vibrant mix of seasoned professionals and passionate students. This dynamic crew collaborates hand-in-hand with our visionary board, crafting the roadmap for a monumental ACMC experience. Fueled purely by enthusiasm, we’re all volunteers on a mission, dedicated to fortifying the ACMC network and living and breathing its core values and ambitions.
ACMC BOARD
Emma Gabor
Emma Gabor is a recent graduate holding a Master’s degree in “Arts and Heritage: Policy, Education and Management” from Maastricht University, having written an innovative thesis on contemporary witchcraft. Emma grew up in Vienna to then move to London and graduate from UCL with a Bachelors in Art History. She went on to found the Salon de la Sagesse in 2020, co-founded the Journal d’Ambroisie in 2021, and became lead coordinator of the ACMC in 2023. She is a passionate polyglot, an avid early modern historian, having completed courses at the CEU and the Warburg Institute, an art historian, and an aspiring cultural entrepreneur.
Anna Rcheulishvili
Anna Rcheulishvili is a distinguished graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in International Management & Leadership from Lauder Business School in Vienna. With a profound event management background, Anna has successfully managed projects with grandiose show programs and multicultural teams. Anna’s diverse passion lies in classic art, architecture, creative thinking, and AI-based technology.
Denisa Boca
Denisa Boca is a cultural economist with a keen interest in the impact of arts and culture on social development. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Business from BIMM Institute, Manchester, and a Masters Degree in Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship from Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Denisa has diverse professional experience, working in the music industry and the public sector. Since 2022, she is working for the European Commission. Denisa was the President of the ACMC 2023 and took on the great responsibility of organising the conference.
Alitza Cardona Collazo
Alitza Cardona-Collazo, is a creative professional, exhibiting expertise across diverse domains, including art (painting-sculpture), anthropology, architectural design, and museum studies. Possessing a combined Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design (Architecture) from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s degree in the Arts of Education with a specialization in Museology, she is presently pursuing doctoral research at University College London, focusing on Sustainable Heritage. Her artistic trajectory and scholarly endeavours center on examining the intricate dynamics between human societies, technology and spatial environments, with a particular emphasis on the socio-cultural discourses and behaviours that influence our comprehension of heritage and its creative social future.
Andreea Lupu
Andreea is a communications and project management professional with a decade-long experience in the arts and culture sector. Having worked in various settings, from art galleries to theatres, film festivals and charities, she is committed to supporting impactful initiatives.
Andreea was the Lead Producer of the Arts & Cultural Management Conference in 2021 and helped the planning of the conference’s following edition in an advisory role. Between 2020 – 2023, she contributed to Creative Lives’ mission to champion community and volunteer-led creative activity across the UK and Ireland. During that time, Andreea also coordinated the promotion of two annual Amateo Award ceremonies in collaboration with cultural managers from Europe. She is currently Strategic Projects Communications Officer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Andreea studied at universities in Romania, France and England. Following her Bachelor’s degree in Communication & Public Relations, she graduated in Arts & Project Management (MA) at Birmingham City University.
ACMC COMMITTEE
Gabriela Mocan
Gabriela Mocan is a cultural manager, curator and academic with 10+ years’ experience in cultural diplomacy and arts management. She served as Head of Literature, Architecture and the Arts at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and currently lectures at the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. With a PhD in Cultural Studies/Philology and specialist training in Cultural Leadership, her research is mainly focused on the fields of identity studies, cultural diplomacy, arts management, translation, and migrant literature.
Her most notable projects include award-winning exhibitions – ‘Untamed Skin’ (2015) and ‘Found. Lost. Found’ (2016) at the London Fashion Week, ground-breaking literary events – ‘Romania Rocks’, the first Romanian-British literary festival ever organised in the UK (2020), and bridge-building initiatives – ‘Mapping East-West’, a series of cross-border and inter-art dialogues developed in collaboration with UK-based ISP Events (2023). Over the years, Gabriela has collaborated with various organisations in the UK, Romania and the USA, taking on various leadership, editorial, educational and strategic communications roles. She is a published poet and translator, and a passionate lifelong learner with a knack for truth, goodness, and beauty.
Joana Dhiamandi
Joana Dhiamandi is an Architect, Glass Artist, and lecturer specialising in Architecture and Design. She holds a Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Planning. As a dedicated educator, Joana serves as a full-time lecturer of Architecture and Design at Epoka University. Her doctoral studies, focused on ‘Sacred Architecture: Analysis of the Bektashi Tekke in Albania,’ were conducted as part of a joint degree program between Ferrara University, Italy, and Polis University, Albania.
Beyond academia, Joana is an active member of civil society in Albania, working to engage communities and to develop a common platform for discussion in the Fields of cultural heritage, architecture and design, also as a Member of Europa Nostra. She also previously acted as co-curator of Tirana Design Week editions of 2015 (Design Now!) and 2017 (Design for an Inclusive Future) to promote a sustainable ecosystem in developing a proactive and inclusive discourse for young professionals and students in Albania.
Recently, she was appointed as a special technical advisor to the Minister of Culture in Albania, as part of the innovative LEAD Albania fellowship program funded by the American-Albanian Development Foundation. With extensive experience spanning over a decade, Joana has held positions such as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Research and Development and Deputy Head of the Department of Art Design at POLIS University. In these capacities, she has overseen numerous complex projects and initiatives, demonstrating leadership and management skills at both national and international levels. In addition to her academic and administrative endeavours, Joana is the founder of DHIAMANDI STUDIO, where she is actively involved in architecture and interior architecture projects, and she also channels her passion for glass innovation through ”Qelq”/Tirana’s Glass Hub.
Nikola Veisberga
Nikola Veisberga holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Latvia and currently resides in Germany. With a professional background as a news and media editor, she specializes in international relations and security. Despite her professional pursuits, Nikola has always maintained a deep-seated interest in the world of arts and culture, viewing them as more than just pastimes but as integral components that intricately weave into the fabric of international relations and political dynamics. As she transitions into the role of Head of Communications for ACMC, Nikola takes pride in her journey, having started as a marketing officer for the 6th edition of the conference and now leading communications efforts for this exciting project. This transition speaks volumes about her dedication, passion, and commitment to leveraging her skills and expertise in fostering meaningful connections and facilitating engaging conversations within the realm of arts, culture, and beyond.
Afina Ivanov
Afina is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Finance and Banking at Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania. Throughout her academic journey, she has actively engaged in various passion projects during her volunteer endeavours, sharpening her communication and representation skills, both locally and internationally. These skills were acquired through active participation in a multitude of seminars, national conferences with international attendance, and workshops conducted during her previous volunteer engagements. Driven by a profound passion for literature, arts, and culture, she eagerly joined ACMC, excited to help celebrate and spread the joy of creativity, arts, culture and knowledge.
Aliona Podnebennaia
Aliona Podnebennaia is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in History at Central European University in Vienna. She has previously worked as a museum educator and created special programs both for kids and adults. This made her fall in love with culture and museums because it inspired people and conveyed humanistic values, which was a great factor in her decision to become part of ACMC. She also creates a podcast about famous artists and art movements, does Irish dancing and illustrates children’s books.
Oana Capota
Oana Capota is a curator and historian based in Vienna, Austria. She was the curator of the New Westminster Museum in Canada for twelve years and worked in various museums and arts organizations in Canada and Austria since 2004. Prominent exhibitions she has worked on include Our Working Waterfront (2012-2015), You Are What You Eat: Community Food Security (2019), Bottoms Up: The Cultures of Drink in the Royal City (2017-2018), and Hair Apparent: A Barbershop History of New Westminster (2015). Oana is currently completing her Master’s thesis in History at Central European University.
Camila Suarez Monteoliva
Camila is a cultural professional and independent art curator from Argentina and Colombia. She has a Bachelor Degree in Humanities from the Universidad de San Andrés in Buenos Aires and currently, she is finishing her Master in Arts and Culture Management at the Rome Business School. During her time in Buenos Aires, Camila immersed herself in the art market, gaining experience at Wosco Art Gallery where she also curated two exhibitions. Fueled by a fervent passion for diverse art disciplines and a need to create own spaces, Camila started a collective independent project, Colabart, aimed at promoting international emerging artists in Rome. Now she enthusiastically steps into the role of Event Officer at ACMC, ready to share her insights with the cultural landscape.
Briar Holt
Briar Holt is an arts and culture professional originally from New Zealand and now based in Melbourne, Australia. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History and Theory and has a particular interest in the intersection of contemporary art practice, politics and protest in an increasingly globalised and unstable world. She has held administrative, management and event roles in non-profit galleries and public institutions in Australia and New Zealand, and is currently at the Museums and Collections Department at the University of Melbourne.
Elisabeth Teener
Elisabeth Teener is a Cultural manager, Producer and Dancer from Estonia. She has experience in marketing, organizing festivals and producing a number of art events. She is curious and excited for new adventures. Always developing herself and being open to new things and excited to discover ways ACMC will aid in this journey. Elisabeth’s main interests are contemporary dance and poetry, through which she addresses the important topics of society. Working in the creative field makes her happy, discovering the unknown thrives her!
Sandra Väizene
Sandra Väizene is a cultural manager, folk dancer and art lover from Estonia. Her main job is organizing dance festivals. Art as music, photography and choreography is a big part of her everyday life. She loves to inspire people and live outside of the box. Keeping culture is a bit like selling. It has to be made attractive so that people want to stay in this cultural space, be a part of it and pass it on, improve it and keep it, without reducing the price.
Irene Fantappiè
Graduated in Economics and Finance from the University of Bologna, Irene has always been passionate about arts and culture. She comes from Florence and loves art in every form, from visual to performing arts to interdisciplinary approaches. Because of this, after her graduation she decided to combine her biggest passion with her previous studies and started pursuing the MA in Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. In the last year, she had the opportunity to delve into matters of cultural policy and her interest in tackling the issues revolving around the cultural sector, from digitalisation to sustainability and cultural democracy. For this reason, she decided to join the 7th edition of ACMC as an Outreach Officer.
Virginia Fornillo
Virginia Fornillo is a Social Communications Consultant, Artistic Producer, Dance Cultural Manager and Creative International Agent. Since 2005, she has worked in the professional field of cultural management and networking around the performative arts sector, especially dance and its diverse aesthetic approaches. Between 2016-2021, she has been in charge of the production Coordination of Theatre San Martin´s Contemporary Dance Company and between 2022 and 2023 she was the Head of Río Negro province Dance Área. She coordinates the cultural mediation project for youth communities, “Mover Futuros” (Moving Futures) and runs the coordination of the Creation and Archive Laboratory, “La Danza en el territorio”, in the frame of the National University of General Sarmiento´s cultural centre in Buenos Aires Province. In 2024, she is directing her new creative distribution agency, PANGEA, with an international impact in the performative arts field.
Karla Elkan
Karla Elkan is currently completing her Master’s degree in ‘Arts, Culture, and Society’ at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Having previously obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Law in Romania, she developed a keen interest in exploring the intersections between law, arts, and culture and their impact on society. In all her research projects, she addresses novel themes and embraces “a getting out of her comfort zone” approach by constantly choosing the more challenging ways to complete her tasks. This mantra also reflects her in everyday life, illustrated by the very fact that she embarked on the journey of creating the ACMC conference and experience. Her recent interests are heritage studies, cultural policy, the impact of culture in society, creative cities, and place-making, where she uses her sociological imagination and critical thinking to tackle issues.
Yoav Friedman
Yoav Friedman is a Senior Academic Officer at the Democracy Institute at the Central European University, a lecturer and researcher in the fields of international relations, higher education policies, and creative economy, and the vice-president of Pennsylvania’s Centre Film Festival. Friedman has established and directed the Research and Innovation Authority of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, where he co-founded JLM-IMPACT – an inter-institutional design-driven academic entrepreneurship centre in Jerusalem, chaired the EU-funded Jean-Monnet REACTIK research network on cultural diplomacy, and co-founded The Centre for the Studies of Holocaust Visualization. Friedman is an alum of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fulbright program and holds a Ph.D. in international relations.
Loïc Chivard
Loïc Chivard, originally from Luxembourg and currently based in Vienna, brings a fresh perspective to the world of marketing and event consulting. Despite a relatively short period of official experience, Loïc’s innate talent has already made a mark, showcasing his ability to blend innovative ideas with effective strategies. His journey, influenced by diverse cultural experiences and a self-driven passion for concept development, highlights his ambition to become an independent force in the industry. With a visionary approach and a commitment to excellence, Loïc is poised to redefine the boundaries of marketing and event planning.
