Bio
As programme director, Milena is in charge of the overall programmatic strategy of the European Policy Centre (CEP) as well as developing and managing the quality assurance system and processes within the organization. In terms of thematic focus, she is primarily responsible for the Good Governance and Europe & US program areas. Milena is a proven expert in the fields of public administration reform, regional development and local economic development, with consultancy engagements including Support for Improvement in Government and Management (a joint initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union), the Regional School for Public Administration and the World Bank.
In 2014–2015, in addition to her work at CEP, she acted as the special adviser to the Serbian deputy prime minister in charge of public administration reform. Prior to co-founding CEP, Milena served for six years in the Serbian civil service, as adviser for public administration reform and administrative capacities for EU accession in the EU Integration Office of the Serbian Government and in the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration.
As a Soros scholar, she obtained her B.A. in European studies and international relations at the American University in Bulgaria, after which she obtained an advanced M.A. degree in European studies at the College of Europe, on a King Baudouin Foundation scholarship. She later also graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and obtained an M.A. in European Administrative Law at the Law Faculty of the Belgrade University. She is fluent in English, French, Italian and Bulgarian and has basic knowledge of German. She is married and mother of two children.