Alison Bethel McKenzie has over 25 years experience in journalism, as a reporter, bureau chief, senior editor and trainer. From 1995-2000 she was senior assistant city editor at the Boston Globe, supervising a reporting staff that covered City Hall, urban affairs and transportation. In 2000, she joined The Detroit News as features editor, and then became the paper’s Washington, D.C. bureau chief from 2001 to 2006, overseeing coverage of the White House and members of Michigan’s congressional delegation. She joined the Legal Times in Washington, D.C. in 2006 as executive editor, moving on in 2007 to the Nassau Guardian, in the Bahamas, as managing editor.

Before joining the International Press Institute (IPI) in August 2009, she spent a year in Accra, Ghana, for the Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists, as a Knight International Journalism Fellow, helping Ghanaian journalists improve their reporting skills in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.

Alison oversees IPI’s strategic vision and is responsible for the overall leadership of the staff in the implementation of IPI’s goals, the overall administration and development of the organization and its press freedom activities, and the financial management of IPI.

LANGUAGES: English (Native)

Monika Kubiec-Dobosz is in charge of IPI official and internal correspondence, travel arrangements, assisting in organizing conferences and meetings as well as coordinating activities between IPI and its affiliate organization,  the South East Europe Media Organization, maintaining and developing networks with the international organizations and institutions. She holds the Master degree in political science from the University of Vienna and she also graduated the Senior Master Thesis Programme at the Umeå University in Sweden. Prior to her work at the IPI, she was an employee at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw and a long-term consultant at the United Nation Office of Drugs and Crime in Vienna.  

LANGUAGES: Polish (native), English (fluent), German (fluent), French (fluent), Spanish (conversational), Russian (basic) and Swedish (basic).

Anthony Mills spent almost 10 years in Beirut, Lebanon, as a freelance correspondent for CNN, Deutsche Welle, and other news outlets before joining IPI. Among the events he covered as a journalist were the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, and the brief takeover by Hezbollah-led gunmen of most of West Beirut in 2008. A political and media specialist on Lebanon, Syria and the broader Middle East, he is IPI Acting Deputy Director - a position he was appointed to after overseeing IPI’s press freedom activities and communications for almost three years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a focus on the Middle East, from Brown University in the United States, and a master’s degree in International Journalism, from City University, London.

LANGUAGES: English (native), German (fluent), French (fluent), Arabic (conversational), Luxembourgish (fluent)

A native of Milan, Italy, Barbara Trionfi graduated in Chinese Studies from Ca' Foscari University in Venice with a thesis on freedom of opinion in the P.R. of China. After living and working in China for some years, Barbara received an M.A. degree in International Relations from Webster University in Vienna with a focus on international human rights mechanisms. Barbara also specialized in Chinese contemporary literature at Shanghai's Tongji University and at Shandong University in 1991 and 1993. Parallel to her study, she carried out research into China’s censorship system during Mao Zedong’s and Deng Xiaoping's leaderships.

Barbara started working at IPI in 1999 as Press Freedom Adviser for the Asia-Pacific region. Today, as Press Freedom Manager, she also oversees IPI press freedom activities and leads the IPI press freedom team.

Her field of expertise covers different areas related to press freedom and freedom of expression, including media ethics and self-regulatory media accountability systems, journalists safety, and international mechanisms to protect press freedom.

Barbara has taught undergraduate courses in media ethics and media literacy at Webster University Vienna since 2005.

Barbara is married and a mother of two children.

LANGUAGES: Italian (native), English (fluent), German (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Mandarin Chinese (basic)

A native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Hoyer spent most of her journalism career in Caracas with El Nacional, one of the country’s major independent daily newspapers. She has also contributed to national and international magazines, with some of her working assignments in countries such as Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Spain.

Drawing from her experience with local NGOs and El Nacional, Mariela published her first book, Barrio Adentro: Historias de una misión (‘Inside the Slum: Stories of a Mission’) in 2009. 

Graduating from Universidad Católica Andres Bello in 2005 with a degree in Social Communication (specialised in Journalism), Hoyer was awarded a grant from the Balboa Program for Young Iberoamerican Journalists in 2009, and spent six months in Madrid working for the financial paper Cinco Días, contributing to its “Especiales“ supplement. 

Languages: Spanish (native), English (fluent)

Naomi Hunt coordinates press freedom activities for the regions of Africa and the Middle East, and contributes to projects, advocacy campaigns, and press freedom missions.  She holds a Master's Degree in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and Bachelor's Degrees in international relations and German language and literature from Boston University. Prior to joining IPI, Naomi worked as a news presenter and public relations officer.
   
LANGUAGES: English (native), German (fluent)

Steven M. Ellis coordinates press freedom activities for Europe and the Americas, and contributes to projects, advocacy campaigns and press freedom missions.

Before joining the International Press Institute he was a reporter for daily newspaper The Metropolitan News-Enterprise covering courts and the legal community in Los Angeles. He graduated magna cum laude from the Michigan State University College of Law and is a licensed attorney in Illinois and Michigan, where he practiced law after serving as a legal clerk in the Office of Executive Counsel to the Governor of Michigan.

He also holds a bachelor's degree in advertising and has worked in public and government relations.

LANGUAGES: English (native), Spanish (conversational), German (basic)

Bruce Blake's primary areas of focus include management of IPI's member relations and sponsorship opportunities, social media and public relations outreach, and responsibility for multiple global fundraising efforts.

Prior to joining the International Press Institute, his corporate communications and public affairs experience aided organisations as diverse as IBM, the American Red Cross, and the Boston Police Department. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations from Boston University's College of Communication in Boston, Massachusetts.

LANGUAGES: English (native), German (basic)

Christiane Klint has been working with IPI since 1993 with the primary focus on communicating with IPI’s members and recruiting potential members. Christiane also provides support and assistance on congresses, conferences and other events. Additionally, she works closely with the IPI Marketing and Business Development Manager on advertising and fund-raising and provides planning advice for IPI’s activities. Christiane grew up in Mexico City and attended the German school there, she also studied at York University in Toronto and at the University of Vienna.

LANGUAGES: English (native), Spanish (fluent), German (fluent).

Martin Leonhartsberger is a certified public accountant and has over 15 years experience in finances and administration working for companies such as GEWISTA WerbegesmbH, PROGRESS Werbe, VerlagsgmbH, Altstoff Recycling Austria AG, Manpower GmbH, and more recently Philips Austria GmbH.

Martin ensures the smooth operation of all of IPI's financial and administrative needs.

LANGUAGES:  German (native), English (fluent)

Michael Kudlak is currently responsible for planning, developing and managing IPI conferences and events, including the annual IPI World Congress. Before joining the International Press Institute in 1993, he worked as a Social Affairs Officer at the United Nations Office at Vienna, Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (UNOV/CSDHA). He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada, and a master’s degree in international relations from Webster University in Vienna.

LANGUAGES:  English (native), German (fluent), French (reading knowledge)

Milica Miletic plans, manages and develops IPI conferences, events and seminars, as well as handling public relations and marketing for the events. Prior to joining IPI, she worked for the Media Centre Belgrade, and the South East Europe Network for Professionalisation of Media. She holds degrees in journalism and media studies from the University of Belgrade and is the author of an article on media self-regulation practices in the countries of South East Europe in “Freedom of Speech in SEE: Media Independence and Self-regulation”, published in 2007 by Media Development Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria.

LANGUAGES: Serbian (native), English (fluent), Bulgarian (basic)

José Otárola-Silesky is in charge of managing the IPI News Innovation Contest project which is aimed at advancing the future of news by funding new ways to digitally inform communities in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

A Costa Rican National, José has worked in the fields of communications, marketing, journalism and public relations for, among others, Colgate-Palmolive Costa Rica, Coca Cola Costa Rica, Daimler Chrysler –Mercedes Benz, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Frightliner and Unilever Costa Rica. José has studied international business administration, marketing and communication, international relations as well as journalism in San José, Costa Rica and Vienna, Austria.

LANGUAGES: Spanish (fluent), English(fluent), German (fluent) and French (middle level).

Marta Srokosz assists the IPI staff with mailings, photocopying, faxing, filing, and other administrative tasks.

LANGUAGES: Polish (native), German (fluent), Russian (fluent)

Oliver Vujovic is responsible for activities of SEEMO, an affiliate of IPI for South East and Central Europe. With more than a decade of journalistic experience, he was a correspondent for the Balkans of the daily newspaper Die Presse in Vienna, as well as freelance correspondent for the Balkans for different media worldwide. In addition, Oliver was a director of the magazine Balkan Dialogue. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Belgrade and has authored, co-authored, and published articles in more than 60 books and publications. 

LANGUAGES: German, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin (native), English (fluent), Slovenian, Macedonian, Bulgarian (conversational), Italian, Greek, Albanian, Romanian, Russian (basic)

Mirjana Tomic coordinates press freedom activities for SEEMO.