Chair of Board
Valon Xharra
Valon Xharra is a Senior Vice President for the global risk management firm Gavin de Becker & Associates. Based in Los Angeles, Valon provides specialized crisis management consultation for Fortune 500 companies and advises them on how to manage political and operational risks.
Valon is passionate about entrepreneurship and is an investor and partner in several successful businesses spanning technology, real estate, fashion retail and luxury events management.
Valon served four years as a diplomatic analyst for the U.S. Department of State during the war in Kosovo, where he provided expertise in negotiations between the U.S. Government and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Valon earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a MBA from Boston University. He is a Fellow at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He is an avid competitive runner and a passionate backer of women’s and children’s rights.
Vice-Chair of the Board
Ilir Hoxha
Ilir Hoxha MD is a Specialist in Public Health. He holds a Master of Science in Health Systems Management awarded by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and PhD in Public Health awarded by University of Bern. He is Fulbright Fellowship recipient for research work at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, New Hampshire, United States.
Since 2002, Ilir is involved in advisory and research work that support health policy processes in Kosovo and beyond. In 2006, he established DI Consulting, which specializes in provision advisory services and solutions in health care. As of 2011, he serves as Project Adviser, for Solidar Suisse, in a long-term project that facilitates participation of civil society actors in policy processes related national health reform in Kosovo. Between years 2010 to 2014 he has served as external adviser, in matters related to implementation of health insurance reform, for Ministers of Health of Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, and Dr. Ferid Agani.
Ilir is Assistant Professor, at Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and Professor, at Department of Health Management of Heimerer College in Prishtina.
In addition, he has served as board member for American University in Kosovo, Centre for Research, Documentation and Publication, Institute for Advanced Studies GAP, Balkan Investigative and Reporting Network and Prishtina Institute for Political Studies. Currently he serves as board member for Foundation Kosovo Luxembourg and TOKA.
trustee
Mark Kosmo
Mark is the chair of MAAS/BESA, and has been the co-chair since MAASBESA began in 2006. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Mentor Group in Boston. He has lived in Albania working as an independent consultant, worked for the World Bank in Albania and Washington D.C. as an economist, and served as a Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College. Mark is a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Albanian-American Council, and is currently on the Board of Directors of Albanian-American Success Stories and the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Mark holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, and did his undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Mark is also a member of Advisory Board of Germin working on Diaspora Engagement.
Board
Drin Kukaj
Drin Kukaj graduated from Pace University and he went on to pursue his career in Financial Services. Drin is a managing partner at Premier Consulting Partners where he provides consultation services on financial planning, wealth management, and employee benefits. His volunteer work for charitable organizations includes being an active member of Habitat for Humanity in Westchester, which helps raise money and build homes for Veterans, and an active donor of The Wounded Warriors Project.
trustee
Ardiana Bunjaku
Ardiana Bunjaku is the Executive Director of Society of Certified Accountants and Auditors of Kosovo -SCAAK, where, in addition to her other accomplishments, in last twelve years she was part of development of accountancy profession and professional education in Kosovo. She worked with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank in the introduction of a diploma course for public sector accountants in Kosovo. She has also been appointed by the Government of Kosovo to several powerful committees that provide oversight in key sectors relevant to the development of Kosovo’s economy, including the Kosovo Development Strategy Committee, the Kosovo National Qualification Framework working group and the Advisory Committee to the Tax Administration Authority. Additionally, she is involved in reforming higher education in accounting and auditing at the University of Prishtina. Ms. Bunjaku served as a member of quality assurance committee in Kosovo Board for Standards and Financial Reporting and a for two mandates she served as a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce.
Ardiana extensively has promoted institutional cooperation for development of accountancy profession in public and private sector which has led to the unique cooperation between professional accountancy (SCAAK) organization and supreme audit institution (OAG in Kosovo) to develop public sector auditor certification.
Ardiana is a member of the International Federation of Accountants – IFAC Professional Accountancy Organization Development Committee since January 2011.
In 2013 she was elected on the Executive Board of the Mediterranean Federation of Accounting Experts – FCM .
Ardiana is board member and a member of audit committee of Nova Ljubljanska Banka – NLB Bank in Kosovo. She was elected by the President of Kosovo to develop an NGO focused on the economic empowerment of Kosovo women where she serves as a vise president of the board. Ardiana holds a Masters Degree in Insurance Regulation and Accounting, “Pjeter Budi” college and Business Administration from the Economics School at the University of Pristina. She is also a member of INSOL Europe.
trustee
Ilirjana Bajraktari
Ilirjana Bajraktari has extensive experience in health systems and policy development with health organizations at international level. Currently she is Director of Operations with American Hospital in Kosova where she leads range of projects and activities for optimization of processes within the AHK.
As Chair of Committee on Health with American Chamber of Commerce in Kosova, she is responsible for establishing and strengthening collaboration between private sector and governmental institutions in health sector aiming to improve current and develop new trends for sustainable development of health sector as well as improvement of citizen’s well-being.
A graduate from Dartmouth College and Tuck School of Business (USA), Ilirjana holds and MD/PhD degree from Medical University of Graz (Austria). She worked for several years with World Health Organization in the field of health systems and policy in limited resource settings. For more she was engaged with the range of organizations such as UNICEF, AIHA, World Bank for promoting health, quality of care and health as a human right activities. Her research is focused on maternal and child health, quality of care and medical decision making. Additionally she collaborated with IPPNW for promoting medical peace work and student’s exchange programs for the Western Balkans, as well as other civil society organizations for environmental health, corporate social responsibility and partnership building across sectors issues.
Ilirjana is passionate about strategies and concepts for improving health sector particularly for the benefits of mothers and children for achieving sustainable development of the societies.
trustee
Jehona Binishi Hysa
Dr. Jehona was born on 19th February 1979 in Pristina. She finished her primary school in her hometown Prishtina, ‘Naim Frasheri’ school; High school form years 1993-1997 finished in Mathematical brach in ‘Xhevdet Doda’ school.
From years 1997-2004 she did University in Medical Faculty of Prishtina, when in 2004 she got graduated as Doctor of General Medical Siences. After 1 year of work as a general doctor in Family Medicine in year 2005 she started Specialization in branch of Gynecology and Obstetrics in University Centre of Kosova and finished in year 2010.
After specialization she started to work in the Medical institution’ Rezonanca’ for 1 year and after that since 2011 she continoued working as Gynecologist/Obstetrician in another private hospital, ‘American Hospital in Prishtina,’ branch of American Hospitals of Tirana-Albania.
During this time she has been attended continuously a number of International Congresses for professional issues in different branches of Gynecology such as infertility, oncology, perinatology etc.
Jehona speaks English, Serbian and Italian.
trustee
Kujtim Gjevori
Kujtim is an entrepreneur with 20 years of experience, enthusiastic about innovative developments, committed to exploring and challenging himself by embracing new ways of doing business.
During his career as entrepreneur he worked in various industries, such as services, trade, distribution, processing and manufacturing.
He is Founder and Executive Director of SCAMPA factory, established in 2007, a producer of biodegradable plastic bags and waste sacks. SCAMPA is today a leader in this industry in Kosovo, enabling substitution of 80% of imported products through domestic manufacturing.
He is a cofounder of POWERPACK LLC, established in 2017, a joint investment with investors from Belgium, aiming to manufacture waste bags in Kosovo that will be 100% exported to the Belgian market.
Kujtim is also the Chairman of the AmCham Manufacturing Committee, as well as a member of CEED Kosovo entrepreneurs’ network, always engaged in promoting and supporting innovation in doing business before other entrepreneurs in Kosovo. He is also active in promoting corporate social responsibility, by supporting various unprofitable organizations in their environmental and humanitarian missions.
trustee
George Little
Dr. George Little is Professor of Pediatrics and of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Dartmouth Medical School and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in the United States where he is neonatologist. He served for over a decade as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Maternal and Child Health at Dartmouth before it became separate departments of Pediatrics and Ob/Gyn.
In addition to clinical research, his interests have focused on perinatal health policy, systems development and regionalization, outcomes, reproductive and perinatal ethics, the family in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and international health. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). In addition to the AAP and ACOG he has been actively involved and served in leadership and consultative positions with a large number of organizations including NACHRI ( National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions), NPIC ( National Perinatal Information Center), AHA ( American Hospital Association ) and the MOD ( March of Dimes) as well as federal and state governmental agencies . He is a producer of Dreams and Dilemmas, an award winning cinema verite film focused on parental involvement in clinical decision making as well as other films. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, monographs and chapters.
At the present time he is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) planning committee having been a founding HBB Co-Director and is a liaison to the Survive and Thrive GDA. He is also presently involved in improving pregnancy outcomes in Kosovo where he has served as an advisor to the Ministry of Health. He has served with a US Agency for International Development (USAID) Child Survival Project in Egypt and as a consultant to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the United Arab Emirates University in Abu Dhabi. Early in his career he served as a Peace Corps staff physician in Nigeria and Malawi and then as the Regional Medical Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa.
