Alberto Zucconi
President
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Chair of the Board of the World Academy of Art & Science and President of the Person-Centred Approach Institute (IACP), dedicated to research in human behavior.
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A clinical psychologist, Alberto is a former student and collaborator of the late Carl Rogers one of the founding fathers of Humanistic Psychology and originator of the Client-Centred Therapy and the Person Centred Approach, a scientifically formulated paradigm that has impacted the fields of psychology, education and management. He is also a Fellow of the International Leadership Forum (ILF), and a senior staff member of the Carl Rogers Institute for Peace.
He has been working internationally for 40 years as a trainer, lecturer and consultant for public and private organizations and is currently teaching Client Centred Therapy and the Person Centred Approach at the post graduate level at the University of Siena (Italy).
Irina Bokova
Honorary President
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Former Director-General of UNESCO, Bulgarian Diplomat & Politician, Global Authority on Education, Culture and Human Rights
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Irina Bokova is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat. She served as Director General of UNESCO from 2009 to 2017.
She graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and has also studied at the University of Maryland and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She began her career at the United Nations Department of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977.
She was subsequently appointed to the Bulgarian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. Twice elected to the Bulgarian Parliament, she served as interim Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1996 and 1997. She has been Bulgaria’s ambassador to France, Monaco and UNESCO, in addition to representing the president of her country within the International Organization of La Francophonie. Bokova is particularly renowned for her commitment to the integration of Bulgaria within the European Union.
Elected as Director General of UNESCO in 2009, she is the first woman and the first person from Eastern Europe to hold this position. During her two terms, she worked for the organization’s major causes such as education for all, gender equality, scientific cooperation and cultural dialogue. She has received numerous honors from different countries, as well as several honorary doctorates from major universities.
Garry Jacobs
Chair and CEO
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President and CEO of the World Academy of Art & Science, Managing Editor of Cadmus Journal and President of The Mother’s Service Society, a social science research institute in India.
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Garry is Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Institute for Person-Centered Approach, Italy. Formerly he served as Chair of the Board of the World Academy (2011-13) and Chair of its Strategic Planning Committee. In 1989 he co-founded the International Commission on Peace and Food, served for 5 years as its Member-Secretary, convener of ICPF’s working groups on Employment and on Transition in Eastern Europe, coordinator of the research team that evolved a strategy to generate 100 million new jobs in India, and editor of the Commission’s report to the UN entitled Uncommon Opportunities. Following completion of the Commission’s report, he became President, International Center for Peace & Development in California. He is an American born consultant on management and economic development conducting research on economic, social development, employment, business strategy, organizational theory, psychology, education and psychology and development strategies.
Janani Ramanathan
Secretary-General
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Secretary General of the World Academy of Art & Science and a senior research analyst at The Mother’s Service Society in Pondicherry, India.
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Janani has been engaged in research in a range of topics spanning the social sciences. She has been working with schools and other educational institutions in India, implementing active, collaborative, person-centered and values-based education. She is also a consultant to nonprofit and business organizations, implementing strategies to improve their efficiency, profitability, and sustainable growth.
Ralph Wolff
Director of Certification
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Founder and former President of The Quality Assurance Commons, and an independent policy consultant focusing on accreditation and quality assurance processes in the US and internationally.
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Ralph previously served as the president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission from 1996 through August 2013, and as Associate Executive Director since 1981. He is a member of the University Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and on the National Advisory Boards of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and for the Lumina Foundation on the Degree Qualifications Profile. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees of the United States International University Africa, located in Nairobi, Kenya and Palo Alto University.
He has published multiple articles and book chapters on accreditation, quality assurance, distance education, and the changing role of the library. Before joining the staff of WASC, Mr. Wolff was one of the founders of the Antioch School of Law in Washington DC, which now continues to operate as the David A. Clarke Law School at the University of the District of Columbia. The law school was the first-ever designed to prepare lawyers to serve in public interest and poverty law settings. He later became dean of the Antioch Graduate School of Education.
He also served as Associate Provost, setting up internal quality assurance processes for the geographically dispersed college. In 1976, he was appointed a law professor at the University of Dayton. A graduate of Tufts University, Mr. Wolff received his JD with honors from the National Law Center at George Washington University.
He continues to be a member of the Washington, DC bar. For his service in support of quality assurance and improvement in the WASC region and nationally he was awarded in 2008 the Virginia B. Smith Award for Innovation in Higher education and, in 2013, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Loma Linda University.
Ketan Patel
Co-Chair, Programs
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Founder and chairman of Force for Good, an organization established in support of the UN Secretary General’s roadmap for sustainable development.
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Force For Good engages 125 leading global financial institutions and the results are compiled in the annual Capital as a Force for Good, report with 100 leading technology companies, reported in another report: Technology for a Secure, Sustainable and Superior Future.
He is the CEO and co-founder of Greater Pacific Capital, investing in high growth enterprises making an impact, sustainably and profitably, and leading GPC’s research on peace, prosperity and freedom.
Ketan was formerly a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, heading the Strategic Group, providing strategic counsel to leaders from government and business worldwide, including the US, EU, China, India and Japan. Previously, he was a partner, and board member at KPMG, leading the Strategy and Business Transformation business. Prior to which, he worked at Hewlett-Packard.
Ketan is a fellow, member of the executive team, and board of trustees of the World Academy of Art and Science; a member of the senior team of the Human Security for All project of the World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS) and the UN Trust Fund for Human Security; and a member of the working groups of the UN SDSN Senior Working Group on the ‘European Green Deal and the SDGs’ and the ‘Lancet Commission COVID 19 Green Recovery Task Force on Sustainable Finance’; and is a member of the board of the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation.
S.S. Sreejith
Treasurer
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Founder & CEO of the Global Institute of Integral Management Studies, Associate Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science and Knowledge Partner of Confederation of Indian Industries.
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He is Chief Organizer of Double It! India, a series of conferences arranged in India, intended for rapid growth and profitability of Indian enterprises. Being a graduate in agricultural sciences and a post graduate in international business, he is an expert in multi-dimensional planting system and in international trade of agro-commodities. Sreejith is also an academic consultant to many self financing colleges in south India, helping them to improve their quality of education, class room delivery and in establishing sustainable models of education.
Dr. Pavel Luksha
Director, Program Development
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Founder, Global Education Futures initiative, aimed at transforming education ecosystems globally. Co-founder of the Global Change Leaders movement.
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He is a Professor of Practice at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO, where works primarily on the transformation of the higher & professional education sector, and a Professor at ITBA (Technological University of Buenos Aires).
Pavel also works closely with Russian Agency of Strategic Initiatives, one of the primary national vehicles of driving change in professional education development and new technological sectors. He is the coauthor of Rapid Foresight methodology, widely used in sectoral and regional planning, and a primary author of Skills Technology Foresight methodology developed in partnership with International Labor Organization.
Eden Mamut
Director
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Professor for Engineering Thermodynamics and Advanced Energy Systems, Director of the Institute for Nanotechnologies & Alternative Energy Sources at “Ovidius” University of Constanta, Romania
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Since 2021, a member of the National Consultative Council for Sustainable Development, under the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government, being responsible for the Sustainable Development Goal 7 “Clean Energy”.
Main field of research: Multi scale thermo-fluid modeling, Analysis and optimization of complex energy systems, Renewable Energy Sources, Multi Criteria & Multi Scale Methods on Sustainable Development, Sustainable Transport Systems.
Main achievements: 95 papers, 12 books (as author or editor), 2 registered patents (Germany), 1 registered patent (Romania).
Affiliations:
• Member in the European Technical Committee CEN/CLC/JTC 6 Hydrogen in Energy Systems since September 2019
• Member in the ECHA Expert Group on Nanomaterials, since April 2019
• Member of the Scientific Council of the International Centre of Heat and Mass Transfer, since 2008
• Member of the Technical and Scientific Committee of Romanian Association of Water, since 2013
• Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Cluster MEDGreen specialized on ecotechnologies and alternative energy sources, Romania, since 2015
• Chair of the Scientific Committee of Fuel Cell & Hydrogen – Joint Undertaking (FCH2JU), Brussels, 2015 – 2017
Honors:
• Honorary Professor at Zaporozhye National Technical University, Ukraine, 2015
• Honorary Professor at Crimean Engineering & Pedagogical University, Crimea, 2010
• Knight of the National Order “Star of Romania”, 2000
Jonathan Miller
Director, Finance
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CEO of Integrated Media Co., a special-purpose digital media investment company and a previously partner of Advancit Capital, LLC, a venture capital investment fund.
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He was the Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation’s digital media group and News Corporation’s Chief Digital Officer from April 2009 until October 2012. Jonathan had previously been a founding partner of Velocity Interactive Group (“Velocity”), an investment firm focusing on digital media and the consumer Internet, from its inception in February 2007 until April 2009.
Prior to founding Velocity, Jonathan served as Chief Executive Officer of AOL LLC (“AOL”) from August 2002 to December 2006. Prior to joining AOL, he served as Chief Executive Officer and President of USA Information and Services, of USA Interactive, a predecessor to IAC/InterActiveCorp (“IAC”).
Jonathan also served as a director of Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. from August 2008 until January 2010, and as a director of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. from January 2010 through April 2011.
Devakanni Subramanian
Director
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CEO of SpellBee International. She transforms English language learning curricula and drives youth leadership and human security education initiatives in schools.
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As the CEO of SpellBee International, Devakanni has championed the development of a progressive curriculum that has positively impacted over 1 million students. Throughout her professional journey, she has also been deeply engaged in collaborating with schools to design and establish effective pre-primary and primary education systems, gaining firsthand knowledge of the essential elements necessary for creating enriching and supportive learning environments for young students.
Her experience as the Project Director of India Trust in the first 15 years of her career has been instrumental in implementing career awareness programs and management workshops, which have had an impact on 1.5 million students. This has provided her with valuable insights into the educational landscape and has enabled her organization to tailor their programs to meet the evolving needs of students and educators.
Through her collaboration with the Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign and World Academy of Art and Science, she is actively involved in advancing human security concepts in the educational realm. These joint efforts aim to instill values of empathy, resilience, and global citizenship in the next generation through impactful publications and workshops that promote these fundamental principles.
Devakanni is passionate about driving educational innovation and impact and continues to leverage her expertise to positively influence the global education landscape.
Ludvik Toplak
Director
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Rector of the Alma Mater Europaea University and former Rector of the University of Maribor. A member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
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Ludvik Toplak is a professor of Civil and International Business Law. He was s a rector of the University of Maribor (1993–2002), and an Ambassador to the Holy See (2002–2006). He is currently the vice-president of Alma Mater Europaea Salzburg and the president of Alma Mater Europaea – European Centre, Maribor since 2007. Between 1980 and 1987 he was Vice-President of Iskra Delta Computers corporation. He was active in the democratization and independence movement in Slovenia. Ludvik Toplak was a member of the presidency of the European Rectors’ Conference and a president of the Danube Rectors’ Conference. He was a governor of the United States Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia. In 2000 he was awarded the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Science award. Ludvik Toplak is also a member of the European Academy of Science and Arts. He is Visiting professor at Ningbo University of Technology, China (2020 – 2023).
Emil Costantinescu
Director
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A Romanian professor and politician, who served as the president of Romania from 1996 to 2000. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Constantinescu became a founding member and vice president of the Civic Alliance.
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The former president of Romania from 1996 to 2000, serving as the country’s first elected non-communist leader. During his presidency, Constantinescu sought to promote respect for the rule of law and respect for human rights, which were vital objectives in the aftermath of 42 years of Romanian dictatorship. Constantinescu began his public service career in 1960 as a junior judge in a district court. After the Romanian revolution in 1989, he became a founding member and vice president of the Civic Alliance, an NGO working for the consolidation of civil society. He was awarded the Romanian Army’s badge of honor in 2012. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Peter Schlosser
Director
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Peter Schlosser is the university vice president and director general of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. He is a leading earth scientist, with expertise in the Earth’s hydrosphere and how humans affect the planet’s natural state. He holds joint appointments in the School of Sustainability, the School of Ocean Futures, the School of Earth and Space Exploration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. He directs the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and is the University Professor of Global Futures.
He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, and the Explorers Club.
Moneef Zou’bi
Director
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Science Advisor to the Interaction Council (IAC) which is an independent international organization that mobilizes the experience of a group of former heads of state and statesmen from around the world.
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Dr Moneef R. Zou’bi has been an advocate of Science and Technology for Development for around 30 years. Born in Amman, Jordan, he studied for his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Civil Engineering Technology and Managementat Brighton and Loughborough Universities in the United Kingdom, 1980 – 1987. After becoming involved in global development issues, he successfully pursued further post-graduate work at the Department of Science and Technology Studiesat the University of Malaya.
Moneef joined the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) (an international scientific NGO based in Jordan and affiliated to the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC)) in 1990, embarking on a career in international scientific and technological collaboration involving more than 57 countries. After serving in various capacities at the IAS, he was appointed by the IAS Council as Director General, IAS, in May 1998. He also serves as the Science Advisor to the InterAction Council (IAC) which is an independent international organization that mobilizes the experience and international contacts of a group of statesmen who have held the highest office in their own countries.
Over the last three decades, he has been involved in scientific missions in more than 30 countries. He has, since the mid-1990s, devoted all his energies to science and innovation advocacy at all levels, and to promoting the role of science and academies of sciences in particular in bridging scientific and technological, development, and evenpolitical divides between countries, cultures and civilizations.
Grant Schreiber
General Manager
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General Manager of the World Academy of Art and Science and Global Campaign Manager for the Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign.
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Grant Schreiber is General Manager of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and Global Campaign Manager for the Human Security For All campaign, a strategic partnership between WAAS and the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. He leads international communications, stakeholder engagement, and global advocacy initiatives advancing human security, sustainable development, and systems-level solutions to complex global challenges. His work focuses on mobilizing cross-sector collaboration among governments, multilateral institutions, business leaders, and civil society to promote people-centered development and long-term global resilience.
He has more than 25 years of experience across media, publishing, and strategic communications, and has built and scaled media platforms and editorial brands across South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He has founded multiple businesses and advised organizations on narrative strategy, reputation positioning, and purpose-driven communications. His advisory work has supported large-scale campaigns, international events, and policy communications aimed at strengthening institutional credibility and public engagement.
His work has ranged from brand development and publishing innovation to public-interest communications, including pioneering world-first educational media initiatives on human rights and HIV/AIDS, recognized by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.