Ioana Stefana Dorneanu

Contributed to the Implementation of the NDI CEE regional programs with a focus on Roma projects. During my almost 11 years with NDI Romania, through the activities I was part of, I supported Roma politicians and civic activists on building skills to compete for political power and to exercise it, in elected office, issue advocacy, voting, and government monitoring. I engaged more than 1,500 Roma, with thousands more as secondary beneficiaries.

As part of the NDI team, we led advanced training for emerging young political leaders on critical mechanisms for political party integrity, such as codes of ethics, candidate selection procedures, or transparent communication practices.

To advance women’s inclusion in party structures, as part of NDI, I participated in the organisation of several thematic training sessions with women party members, MPs, and potential candidates representing different political parties. These cross-party events encouraged cooperation on different key policy issues, including women’s positions in the political sphere, party integrity and finance laws, contributing towards the larger goal of creating a women MPs network in the parliament, where women can support each other and foster cooperation between the represented parties.

Main activities:

• organizing numerous trainings for political parties, candidates and newly elected on: building an electoral campaign, communication, negotiation skills, how to draft a bill, public consultation, efficient running of an MP office etc.
• organizing meetings for several NGOs and citizen initiative groups on minorities rights (feminist and/or Roma) with Governmental bodies, embassies, political leaders and also offering targeted training for Romani women activists;
• facilitating internship programs in public agencies for aspiring Roma youth leaders
• developing a voter education campaign for Roma communities with both video and printed materials and also organizing community meetings and discussions on political history and ideologies;
• providing a suite of training modules to emerging young political leaders
• organizing 3 annual award ceremonies Roma civic and political participation

Main attributions:

• building the training structure and designing training related documents (invitations, agenda, PowerPoint presentations, hand-outs, evaluation forms and other specific forms);
• maintaining schedules to meet key milestones at every project phase;
• presenting regular reports to executive leadership, providing insights into progress made toward achieving key milestones;
• conducting post-project evaluations to identify areas of improvement and implement corrective actions for future endeavors;
• communication with program participants, trainers, service providers, donors and any other people and institutions involved in our work. I was an efficient point of contact, both for programmatic purposes and for administrative ones;
• financial management as in creating event budgets and monitoring expenses so that they remain within the project parameters. Evaluating vendor proposals, selecting those that provided the best value for cost, quality, and timeliness;
• adapting quickly to unexpected challenges or obstacles encountered during project execution, devising creative solutions without compromising objectives;

Management of the 5 work points (daycare center for disadvantaged kids, family-type center for abandoned children, organic vegetable garden, holistic center and private kindergarten)

• Coordinated office events and meetings, ensuring timely execution and optimal scheduling for all participants.
• Provided exceptional customer service when addressing client inquiries or concerns via phone calls or email correspondence.
• Served as a liaison between upper management and staff members, facilitating open channels of communication to address concerns or issues promptly.
• Maintained accurate financial records by reconciling accounts payable/receivable transactions regularly to ensure balanced budgets.

Projects managed:

- April 8 - Roma Day events;

- Campaign to prevent and combat early marriages – OSCE-ODIHR funding

- Traditional Roma peace court – CNCR “Romano Kher” funding

- Ethno-educational inclusion strategy for Roma – Secours Catolique Caritas France funding

- Pre-school and school participation of Roma children – UNICEF Romania funding

- Intercultural education in school and community – UNICEF Romania funding

Main attributions:

• delivering comprehensive project plans, outlining scopes, timelines, deliverables, and milestones;
• maintained accurate documentation of all projects, facilitating efficient audits and future reference;
• organizing the President’s agenda;
• writing narrative and financial reports;
• creating databases;
• writing invitations and press releases;
• negotiating contracts with vendors and suppliers, securing favorable terms for cost-effective procurement of resources needed for each project's success.

• wrote and edited stories for paper printed newspapers;
• cultivated strong relationships with sources and other contacts to support leads and story development.
• researched and gathered information to develop accurate and credible stories.