She comes with +10 years of experience in the management of physician healthcare associations and has developed expertise in all the main aspects of running a professional society, including strategy and operations, congresses and meetings, budget responsibility, program development, and communications and publishing activities. She holds a BSc in Int. Hospitality Management (Major in Marketing) from the École hôtelière de Lausanne. She is based in Meierskappel, Switzerland.

She is a lawyer by profession and used to practice in the legal field for 6 years, graduated from the Bulgarian University of Veliko Tarnovo in 2010. She has more than 5 years experience with a non-profit organisations, which developed crucial skills like attention to culture, community and mission which are a continuous focus in her work. She was involved in different international projects regarding disadvantaged groups, building communications with different parties and coordination of project activities where in the role of Project coordinator worked for Open Society Institute, Sofia, Trust for Social Achievement and others. She took part in different activities for implementation of the project "T.E.A.M.2 - Together wE Achieve More" implemented by the Secretariat of the NCCEII through the administration of the Council of Ministers, funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020). She has leading role to motivate project teams and monitor project activities, coordinate work with consultants and volunteers in different projects. She is based in Montana, Bulgaria.

She is a seasoned programmes specialist who has worked on health, education, and child protection in both development and humanitarian contexts. Prior to SIOP, Tessie worked for the Int’l Rescue Committee in Ethiopia, Bulgaria and the USA, responding to refugee crises and supporting humanitarian response to situations of internal displacement globally. Previously, she worked as a Sr. Coordinator at the Inter - Agency Network for Education in Emergencies and as a Program Specialist at the Watchlist of Children and Armed Conflict, both in New York City. She holds a BA degree in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College and a MA in Politics from Brandeis University. In her spare time, she likes traveling, hiking, and folk-dancing. She is based in Sofia, Bulgaria.

She has 7 years’ experience in charity communications. Before SIOP, she led the communications activity for a global non-profit organisation that represents the voice of people with intellectual disabilities and their families and as a result of this work, values accessible, dynamic and concise messaging. She enjoys driving engagement through campaigns, publications, platforms and events and connecting members to opportunities to create real social change and measurable impacts. She is based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. She is based in Newcastle-upon-tyne.