KCSS Announces the new Advisory Board of the organization

Prishtina, June 24, 2024: The Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), the leading think-tank in Kosovo, in research excellence and policy analysis in the security sector, is proud to announce the establishment of its new Advisory Board. This move aims to enhance the organization's capacity and governance, steering it towards greater regional engagement in the Western Balkans, while becoming more involved in promoting democratic resilience in Kosovo.

The new Advisory Board comprises distinguished experts and leaders who will provide KCSS with guidance and oversight. Its primary purpose is to ensure that KCSS’s mission—to promote security, peacebuilding and democratic governance in Kosovo and the broader region—is pursued effectively and sustainably. The Board will offer strategic advice, policy guidance, and support in resource mobilization, helping KCSS navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities in the dynamic field of security studies.

KCSS is delighted to introduce the members of the Advisory Board for the period 2024-2027:

· Ms. Teuta Avdimetaj, Chief Development Officer and Adjunct Faculty at RIT Kosovo, will serve as the Chairwoman of the Board.

· Dr Gëzim Visoka, Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Dublin City University (DCU), member.

· Dr Florian Qehaja, co-founder of KCSS and its former Director (2011-2019), currently Kosovo’s Ambassador to North Macedonia, member.

Brief Bios of the Advisory Board Members:

Teuta Avdimetaj will serve as the Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of KCSS. She is the Chief Development Officer and Adjunct Faculty at RIT Kosovo and a former senior researcher with KCSS. At RIT, she teaches courses on Artificial Intelligence and the Political Good, and The Rhetoric of Terrorism. Her research focuses on preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE), gender mainstreaming in the security sector, and the intersection between technology and security. Teuta holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University, specializing in International Security with a research focus on sub-state violence and terrorism. She has served as a Policy Adviser to the 4th President of the Republic of Kosovo and as an External Adviser in the Ministry for European Integration, seconded by the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo. Teuta has also consulted international organizations on P/CVE, including the International Organization for Migration, CIJA US, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Dr Gëzim Visoka is the Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU). He currently serves as Deputy Editor of Peacebuilding Journal (Taylor & Francis), founding Editor of Routledge Studies in Statehood, and Co-Editor of Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies (Palgrave) alongside Oliver P. Richmond and Annika Björkdahl. Dr. Visoka is also the founding Co-Editor of the Palgrave

Encyclopaedia of Peace and Conflict Studies with Oliver P. Richmond. His research focuses on the making, remaking, and unmaking of states and peace processes in contemporary world politics. Dr. Visoka is the author and editor of ten published books (with seven more under contract), over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, and over 20 book chapters published with leading university presses and global academic publishers. His work has been featured in top international peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, International Affairs, European Journal of International Relations, and more.

Dr Florian Qehaja is one of the co-founders of KCSS and served as its director from 2011-2019. He currently serves as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kosovo to the Republic of North Macedonia. He coordinated the bilateral support of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (through CIDS) in Kosovo MoD and MiA. He completed the flagship defence programme of Royal College for Defence Studies (RCDS) in London. Florian Qehaja has a post-doc from Columbia University (SIPA) as a Fulbright Scholar. He is a Doctor of Science on security studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. Moreover, he has graduated at the University of Sussex (United Kingdom) in Contemporary European Studies (MA) as an OSI/Chevening grantee whereas, he obtained Bachelor’s Degree in Law at the University of Prishtina. He is married and has two sons.