Besjon Tanuzi
BesjonTanuzi is an MIP Fellow, currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration, focusing on Data Analytics at Cornell University, New York.
He is an experienced fiscal risk analyst whose expertise extends in identifying the risks of general budget implementation and from non-budgetary activities related to State-Owned Enterprises, and Public and Private Partnerships.
Besjon was born in Fushë-Krujë, in 1992. He graduated from the University of Tirana in 2016 with a BA and MSc in Business Administration and Management. Upon graduation, he started working in the Ministry of Finance and Economy as a budget management junior expert in the role of monitoring execution of the general budget, and in the following year, he was promoted to fiscal risk analyst in the Fiscal Risk Unit.
His team has played a key role in discussions and decision-making phases of policies related to the implementation of Public Financial Management Reform. Mr. Tanuzi has been working closely with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to improve the risk assessment and mitigation framework in Albania. This experience exposed him to several international training programs that equipped him with technical data manipulation capacities and strongly improved his skills such as strategic thinking and leadership. Thereof, he intends to further hone his understanding and skills related to public policy and administration after being awarded the MIP fellowship program. After graduation from MIP, Besjon intends to play a more active role in solving development issues at a local or international level.
In 2015 he was awarded the first prize in the Hackathon Event from the Albanian Institute of Science and he holds the Public Financial Management and Financial Programming and Policies Certificates. During leisure time, he prefers painting, photography, and digital content production.
Elona Mraja
Elona Mraja is currently an MIP Fellow, pursuing a Master in Public Administration, focusing on Public Finance at Syracuse University, New York.
Assistant professor at a university in Tirana where she teaches Financial Management. Furthermore, she is also a member of the University administrative staff and deals with university administrative tasks.
Between 2017 and 2018, she participated and contributed to the Committee of Economy and Finance at the Parliament of Albania as part of the National Democratic Institute’s mentorship program.
Elona holds a master’s degree in Finance from the “Economics University of Shkodra”. During her Master studies, she was part of an international exchange program at the “University of Economics in Prague”. Prior to that, she successfully completed her bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting.
Passion and dedication for economics and finances is what distinguishes her. Her long-term goal is to be a Public Finance Expert and apply her knowledge to support and improve the Public Administration in Albania.
Ergisa Bejkollari
Ergisa Bejkollari is an MIP fellow, currently pursuing a Master of Economic Development (STEM Designation) at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
She is a Business Solutions Specialist/ Project Coordinator at Vodafone Albania. She holds a Bachelor's and Master of Science degree in Business Administration, at the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana. In 2018, she was a Konrad Adenauer Foundation Scholarship Recipient for her master studies. Previously, Ergisa has held the role of economics journalist at Radio Television Scan. Ergisa has been involved in civil society through her work as a Public Policy Analyst at the A.P.P.A and as an Independent Researcher on the OSCE 1-year project dedicated to transitional justice, with a focus on economic crimes during the communist regime.
Her interests include technology, innovation, history and cinematography. She spends her free time studying the intellectual and professional contribution of Albanian women and girls throughout history.
Kris Hudhra
Kris Hudhrais an MIP fellow, currently pursuing a Master’s of Finance at Brandeis University, Boston.
He is an Auditor with 4 years of experience in internal audit, fraud, and compliance at the National Commercial Bank. After graduating with exceptional results in both BSc. in Finance and Accounting and MSc. in Finance from the University of Tirana, in 2017, he started working as an internal auditor in BKT, the biggest bank in Albania. Kris is a diligent and ambitious person who is always looking for career growth and development. Lately, he has joined the Albanian Institute of Internal Auditor and Albanian Institute of Certified Accountants.
Eager to learn more and broaden his knowledge, he has completed the real estate appraiser course. Additionally, he has worked as a financial and tax advisor in an accountant’s office during his study years. Whereas during the summertime, he has managed his family’s hotel business located in Vlore. In his spare time, he likes to read books and play video games with friends. Also, Kris loves physical activities especially swimming, cycling, and running, so whenever you decide to lace up a pair of shoes, feel free to join him.
Kristiana Dhima
Kristiana Dhime is an MIP fellow, currently pursuing a MSc in Cybersecurity at New York University, New York.
She is an experienced specialist in Core Banking Systems. She holds an M.Sc. in Information Security from the University of Tirana, Albania. Kristiana has been working in the technology field for more than four years.During this time, she demonstrated a passion for the field and always aimed to achieve excellence.Prior to working in the banking sector, she worked as a web developer, while also pursuing her bachelor’s and later master’s degree. In 2017, after completing a three-month internship in the largest bank in Albania, BKT, she received an internal position in the Core Banking Department. She worked at BKT for two years and received a Certificate of Recognition for Excellent Performance during the year 2018. Starting from 2019 she has been working for Raiffeisen Bank Albania as a Core Banking System Developer.
Kristiana is a lifelong learner, who loves puzzles and is always open to new ideas and challenges. She was introduced to the field of cybersecurity during the first International Open Source and Free Software Conference in Albania in 2015 and the field has not stopped fascinating her ever since.
Rei Nace
Rei Naçeis an MIP Fellow, currently pursuing an MBA at North Carolina University, North Carolina.
He has completed his Bachelor and Master of Science studies at the University of Tirana, respectively in the fields of Finance and Management. His master studies focused on strategic management practices and organizational behavior. Following his studies, he began his career as a management consultant at Deloitte Albania and Kosovo. For 3 years, Rei has been working as a Risk Management Specialist and then as Head of the Finance Office in one of the country's key electrical energy companies, laying the foundations of risk management practices in these types of corporations and their integration with the laws in force. After this experience, Rei was one of the twelve fellows of the LEAD Albania Program, and acted as an Advisor to the Albanian Minister of Infrastructure and Energy. Currently Rei has been working as a consultant for a well-known regional firm, mostly focused in the public sector and energy industry consulting.