MR. SÁNDOR KÖLES

Areas of Expertise

Sociology of cross-border cooperation; inter-regional development; democratic transition; civil society and community development

Brief Bio

Sándor Köles is a Hungarian-born sociologist, the President of the Carpathian Foundation and member of the Robert Bosch Academy. From 2006 until 2011 Mr. Köles had been the Senior Vice-President for Programs and Development with the International Center for Democratic Transition (ICDT.) Founded in 2005, ICDT's main goal is to pool Hungarian and Central European knowledge and experiences on democratic transition and help countries across the world navigate their own transitions to democracy. Under his leadership the ICDT has developed and implemented numerous projects in Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, South Caucasus, the Middle East and the Caribbean on security, regional cooperation, community and civil society development.

Previously, Mr. Köles had been working with the Carpathian Foundation, first as Country Director for Hungary and, since 1996, as the Executive Director of the Foundation that promotes cross-border and interethnic cooperation in the bordering areas of Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Under his ten years tenure, the Foundation granted 15 million USD to grassroots organizations to implement their project. Prior to joining the Carpathian Foundation Mr. Köles has worked with the Hungarian Institute for Culture, first as researcher and, later as its Deputy Director. Since the beginning of 80’s, he was profoundly involved in the emerging civic and democratic movements and assisted to the creation a number of civil society organizations in Hungary and other Central-East European countries.

He holds graduate degrees in adult education and sociology. He was visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls and Madison, USA, in 1994 and recipient of the Central and Eastern European Third Sector Fellowship program at the Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore in 1990. In 2011 he was visiting scientist at the Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum Geschichte und Kultur Ostmitteleuropas (GWZO) at the Leipzig University, Germany. In 2014, he was the recipient of the Richard von Weisaecker Fellowship of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Köles had been the Vice-President of the European Council for Villages and Small Towns (ECOVAST). He was the member of the Governing Council of the European Foundation Centre in 1998-2005. He has been working as advisor to the Central Asia Leadership Academy (CELA). Currently, he is the member of the Advisory Board of the US-based PASS Global Strategy Consultant and member of the Council of the Dniester Euroregion created in the bordering areas of Moldova and Ukraine.

Sándor Köles is the author and editor of books, articles, studies and documentaries on civil society, regional and cross-border cooperation and ethnic minorities.

Publications (Weblink only), if any:

Barriers in Mind Are Worse than Minefields on the Border researchgate.net