Dusan Zarkovic is the Executive Director of the Institute for Politics and Economy of Southeast Europe, leading initiatives to enhance political and economic collaboration across the region and internationally. He has extensive experience in media and public relations, spanning both government and private sectors. Previously, Dusan served as Chief of Staff at the Ministry for Innovation and Technological Development in Serbia, playing a key role in strategic planning and fostering the country’s innovation ecosystem. He also served as an Advisor in the National Assembly of Serbia, focusing on legislative processes and international policy initiatives. As a Consultant, Dusan has coordinated World Bank projects aimed at strengthening local government capacities.  He founded GOstudy, the largest free e-learning platform in the region.  In his role as a Partner in the Vreme weekly, Dusan was instrumental in establishing the School of Economic Journalism at the University of Belgrade. A strong advocate for democracy, he collaborates with international think tanks and NGOs, promoting open society values across the Western Balkans. Dusan holds a master’s degree in public relations from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade, where he is a guest lecturer on AI and data analysis in business and communications.