Speakers at the 2025 Annual Events
(under construction)
Elif Bahar is a Labour Market Economist at the OECD, in the Skills and Future Readiness Division of the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate. Her recent work includes analysing the OECD Survey of Adults Skills, developing a framework for the flexible provision of adult learning, and understanding the adequacy of training supply for the green and AI transitions. Prior to joining the OECD, Elif was an Applied Microeconomist at the Australian Treasury, where her work using large administrative and survey datasets informed the Australian government’s policy response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her past research centres on the rise of AI technologies in the labour market, productivity-enhancing reallocation of workers, and the gender earnings gap.
Christian Soyk has been working at the Leipzig Adult Education Center (vhs Leipzig) since 2015. In addition to his tasks in program planning, his further focus of activities were educational counseling, training for adult educators and digitization and media education in adult education as well as civic education for youths. In addition, he is active in the development of strategic partnerships and mobilities within the framework of the ERASMUS+ program.
Since 2023, he has been Head of the Pedagogy department and is responsible for the strategic development of the program areas. He is also the Quality Management Officer and Deputy Head of the Leipzig Adult Education Center (vhs Leipzig).
He holds a degree in education and studied educational sciences at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main.
Uwe Gartenschlaeger has dedicated his career to advancing adult education on various levels, culminating in his role as director and chief executive of DVV International in March 2023. His extensive contributions as both a practitioner and policymaker have significantly impacted trainers and students across Europe, Asia, and Russia. Joining DVV in 1995, Gartenschlaeger served in multiple leadership roles, including country director for Russia and regional director for Central and Southeast Asia. His efforts have been pivotal in restructuring adult education systems and developing policies in partner countries. Notably, he managed training cycles for adult educators in Laos and Cambodia from 2015 to 2019, creating communities of practice that have inspired similar initiatives in other regions.
As deputy director of DVV, he developed standardized training curricula like "Curriculum globALE," now a UNESCO-recommended tool. In 2019, he was elected president of the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA), where he advocated for the European Union’s New European Agenda for Adult Learning. Gartenschlaeger, who studied history, political science, and philosophy, is also passionate about fostering a culture of remembrance and reconciliation.
Angeliki Giannakopoulou is a Project Coordinator at the European Association for the Education of Adults. She holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Computer Engineering and Informatics and has followed certified training on Adult Education and Counseling while currently studying for her Masters degree on Gender Studies. Before her work in the EAEA she was a project manager and adult educator in Greece and her key areas of interest on ALE are digitalisation and media, safe public spaces (both physical and digital) gender, and intersectionality.
Raffaela Kihrer is Secretary General at the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and has extensive experience in advocacy and policy on adult learning and education at the European and international level, with a particular focus on citizenship and development. Since June 2022, she is also an elected Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform which brings together all sectors of education. Her background is in International Development Studies, and she is a trained teacher in secondary school education and adult learning.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is President of the German Adult Education Association (DVV). She took over the office from Prof Rita Süssmuth in 2015 while she was still prime Minister of the state of Saarland. She became CDU General Secretary in 2018. In the same year, she was elected to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel as Federal Chairwoman of the CDU and held the office until January 2021. From 2019 to 2021, she was Federal Minister of Defence.
Marina Weisband, born in Ukraine in 1987, is a psychologist and expert in digital participation and education. From 2011 to 2012, she was political director of the Pirate Party Germany. Today, she continues to be politically active, is involved with the Green Party in the areas of digitalisation and education and fights for children's rights. From 2020-2022, she was co-chair of the digitalisation association D64 e.V.
She is the author of several books, e.g. ‘Wir nennen es Politik - Ideen für eine Zeitgemäße Demokratie’ (2013, Tropen); ‘Frag uns doch - Ein Jude und eine Jüdin erzählen aus ihrem Leben’ (2020, Fischer, with Eliyah Havemann), ‘Was uns durch die Krise trägt’ (2023, wbg, with Frido Mann) and ‘Die neue Schule der Demokratie’ (2024, Fischer).
Since 2014, she has been working on the aula project - now aula gGmbH - a concept for political education and liquid-democratic participation of young people in the rules and affairs of their schools and extracurricular organisations (www.aula.de)
She also has a regular radio column on Deutschlandfunk and advises on various aspects of digital change and democracy. She advises companies and film-makers on issues of diversity and participation.
Manos Pavlakis is an Asst. Professor in Adult Learning and Coordinator of the Master's in Educational Leadership at Frederick University, Cyprus. With over 20 years of experience, he has designed, implemented, and evaluated training and research programs for public bodies, private companies, and civil society organizations. He has also played leading roles in European education projects and served as the Learning Manager of UNESCO's Quality and Excellence Awarded YouReCa program.
His active contribution to civic society was recognized when the NGO Youthnet Hellas, which he co-founded, received the 2013 European Citizen Prize from the European Parliament for its work in non-formal education, youth empowerment, intercultural dialogue, and active citizenship. Manos holds degrees in Greek Literature (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) and European Culture (Hellenic Open University), postgraduate diplomas in Human Resource Management (Leeds University Business School) and Political Science (University of Crete), a PhD in Adult Education (Hellenic Open University), and a postdoctoral specialization from Stockholm University focusing on inclusion in workplace learning.