Vanya Zlateva- Executive Director

Vanya fell in love with BEST’s mission as soon as she attended one of our competitions. With a master’s degree focused on Marketing and Business planning, as well as over 13 years of professional experience in various fields – media, e-commerce, digital marketing, sales, she wanted to apply her skills and knowledge in a way that would support Bulgarian youth. Vanya is a very results-driven and her self-starter personality has helped her launch and expand a number of different companies – magazines, an online store, a digital agency, etc. Her international experience has taught her the importance of foreign language skills, as well as critical thinking, public speaking and self-initiative and she sees BEST as a place where she can help young people foster that through the power of speech and debate. When she’s not dealing with the numerous responsibilities she has when it comes to running our community, she enjoys reading, yoga and swimming.

SAMUIL MLADENOV - Project Manager

Samuil has been an active member of the BEST community since 2017. He has competed in Duo and Poetry. He has graduated the Student Leader Program twice and won the Community Project Award for the 2019-2020 school year. Samuil joined the MT as a Student Leader intern then he took on the role of a Tournament Administrator. As of this year he will be one of our Project Managers. Sami is a full-time nerd, computer enthusiast and is the owner of the most amazing ball python named Calypso.

Tereza todorova -project manager/ Debate program Coordinator

Tereza has been part of BEST since 2017 when she attended her very first tournament and fell in love with debates immediately. As time passed she found herself not only interested in debating but also in the art of public speaking and that being part of a team is something really rewarding. That’s the thing that inspired her to be an SL in 2019 and later on a coach of her team in 2021. Apart from BEST, she is a first-year Chemistry student at Sofia University. And she has a lovely dog called Tina. And she listens to Twenty One Pilots. All the time.

andrea childs - Tournament Policy Coordinator

Andrea Childs is a current Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Ekzarh Yosif Foreign Language High School in Razgrad. She spent all of last year coaching and judging for BEST and is thrilled to join the Management Team as the new Tournament Policy Coordinator.
if you need extra information: Andrea graduated in 2022 from the University in Iowa with degrees in English/Creative Writing and English Education. In her free time, she loves to read, write, sing, and spend time with her two beloved dogs!

Bilyana Bagrayanova - judge program co-coordinator

Bibi has been part of BEST since 2017, first as a competitor, later as an SL, Coach, and after graduation - camp counselor and a judge. She graduated from The Maths and Science High School “Nancho Popovich” in Shumen and is now a third-year university student at the Agricultural University in Plovdiv. This is her second year in MT, last year she was one of the SL Program Coordinators and this year she will be taking the position of Judge Program Co-coordinator. She is very excited to take this role and work with all the amazing judges this year.

avel ivanov - judge program co-coordinator

Avel has been part of BEST Foundation for the past two years. He's been an invaluable asset to BEST’s community, giving advice to students and teachers. Avel started debate in high school and is now a philosophy teacher in Sofia. With his experienced background, Avel is an important part of the BEST community, helping students grow through teaching and mentoring.

Kameliya Hristova - Marketing Coordinator

Kamelia has been part of the BEST community since 2016 when she was a competitor. The primary events she competed in were duo, prose and poetry. After graduating from Aprilov National High School in 2021 she went on to study Digital Media and PR in University of Economics, Varna. Her passion for marketing and social media led her to become the Marketing Coordinator at BEST Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys a good cup of coffee alongside a good book or a cozy movie night.

pavlin valkov - Content and Translation Coordinator 

Born in Elhovo, a quiant town in the heart of Eastern Bulgaria, Papi has always desired to thrive in life. Papi has been involved with BEST since 2019 and has taken various roles in the community - he has graduated the SL program successfuly, was a coach, decorated competitor and a judge the past semester.Papi, a dedicated member of the BEST Foundation, finds endless motivation to give back to the community in various ways all year round. Alongside his passion for community service, he has also taken up the pursuit of a BA in English Philology at PU Paisii Hilendarski in the beautiful city of Plovdiv.

He has diverse passions outside of BEST. Writing brings him comfort, he avidly follows politics , has found reading to be an escape for him and while rigorous, academia fuels his desire for knowledge and answers life's intriguing questions, so he’s fully dedicated himself to it.

kristiyana kiranska - tournament administrator

Kristiyana has been involved in BEST since 2019. At first she participated with duo and was so amazed at the welcoming community that she decided to join and never leave. She has competed in Duo, Poetry, Prose and Debates and is very dedicated to her BEST team. Kristiyana graduated from the Student Leader Program in 2020-2021 and attended the 2021 Debate Summer Camp. Some of her hobbies include reading in her room, blasting music on the speakers when no one is around, baking and writing short stories and poems. Folk dances are one of her passions, she has been doing them for 12 years now. Kristiyana also has a soft spot for all things BEST and cats related.

kelsey walock - coach coordinator/Debate program assistant

Kelsey Walock has been excited about BEST even from the application stage of her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, and is looking forward to using her 8 years of various speech and debate knowledge in different and new ways with the foundation. She has previously ran a collegiate team, judged, coached, and been a competitor and avid lover of debate. She current works as an English Teaching Assistant in Dimitrovgrad, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in May 2023. In college she majored in History and Political Science, and minored in Russian and Eastern European Studies and African Studies. Outside of her ETA position and BEST, she enjoys running, learning about art, and exploring new places!

sofia syed - Balkan voices coordinator

Sofia Syed is the Balkan Coordinator for the BEST Foundation. She is currently serving as a second-year Fulbright ETA at the Akad. “Kiril Popov” High School of Mathematics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Originally from Sterling, Virginia, USA, Sofia studied Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her inspiration stems from working with the students of Bulgaria, and she feels honored to be part of an organization that provides them with a platform to express themselves through creative means.

emona tsoneva - Student Leader coordinator

Emona loves artistry which is why her favorite event as a participant at BEST was duo. Today, however, she is no longer a student, but remains connected to the BEST community as the Student Leader Program Coordinator. Emmy is someone who believes that every team needs a good leader to serve as an example to the others. This is what she is teaching this year's SLs. And as for Emona on a personal level - she is obsessed with the Nordic countries, loves sushi and believes she will become a polyglot one day.

Mel decorte - Photography Intern

Mel strides through life with an artist's lens, forever chasing fleeting moments that whisper untold narratives. filmmaker and student of the enchanting universe of Film and TV at the New Bulgarian University, she seeks to uncover the extraordinary within the ordinary, etching her mark on the tapestry of human experiences.

Ari Wheeler - debate program assistant

Ariana, or Ari, is the current English Teaching Assistant at Geo Milev Foreign Language High School in Dobrich. She is a recent graduate from Hamilton College with a degree in World Politics, concentrating in Authoritarianism. Throughout high school and college, Ari developed a passion for debate and has engaged as both a competitor and coach at the middle school, high school, and college level. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, spending time with friends, and attempting to create a personal record at the New York Times mini crossword. She is thrilled to focus more on the debate program of BEST, and is always up for spirited discussion (hence the title). 

Desislava taseva - student leader intern

Desislava is an 18 years old senior at the “Akad. Sergey Korolyov” Maths and Science High School from Blagoevgrad. She has been actively involved with BEST Foundation since the autumn of 2019. Over the years, Desislava has gained valuable experience as a tournament participant, Student Leader, and volunteer. Additionally, she has been a participant at the BEST Foundation Summer Camp in 2021 and a counselor at its 2023 edition. Her evident love for volunteering is what makes her excited to be part of our team this year.

Outside of the foundation and her high school, you can find her involved with other extracurricular activities as she thrives on challenging herself with new experiences . Desislava has a deep love for animals, particularly cats, as she is a cat owner.

Hristina tsonkova - Videography intern

Hristina is a young individual with interests in languages, theater, development, and volunteering. Throughout her education process at high school, she has participated in various competitions, events, school concerts, and exchange programs. For the past five years, she has traveled to 20 countries and interacted with people from all over the world. All the extracurricular activities have made her who she is today - a strong, determined, open-minded, helpful, and resourceful person.

Gabrielle cascio, Chair

Gabrielle first learned about the BEST community in 2019 and has been involved ever since, as both a coach and Student Leader Coordinator. Outside of her involvement in BEST, Gabrielle has served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Sliven and currently works in Washington, D.C. to advocate for international exchange programs. In her spare time, she loves reading fantasy, talking about cheese, and traveling!

Boris busov

Boris Busov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and moved to the United States when he was less than a year old. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he spent two years teaching English in Sliven as a Fulbright-America for Bulgaria English Teaching Assistant. In Sliven, he coached the BEST team and fell in love working with all of the talented, goofy, and passionate students in BEST. That led him to join the Management Team and then the Board of Directors. Boris serves as the current Chair of the Board of Directors, helping BEST grow and develop into the future. He also currently works for Salesforce / Tableau as a Solutions Engineer, continuing his passion for teaching and learning every day.

morgan rowe

Morgan Rowe has been involved in the debate community for over a decade. As a high school student, she competed nationally in the United States in both speech and debate events. During her time at Temple University, she helped coach students and helped run one of the largest high school tournaments in the United States, the Pennsbury Falcon Invitational. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Morgan came to Bulgaria to teach English in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria and work on BEST's Management Team as the Tournament Policy Coordinator. She'll often tell people that BEST is THE reason she chose to teach in Bulgaria. She's currently getting her Master's degree in Political Science at the London School of Economics. Outside of BEST, Morgan is an avid reader and enjoys creating and sending cringey memes to anyone and everyone.

julia lynch

Julia Lynch has been a passionate member of the speech and debate community for almost a decade. As a competitor on the international stage throughout college, she experienced the power that debate and dialogue hold as a means of intercultural communication and understanding. She graduated from the University of Miami in 2020 with a degree in Finance and Business Law. Seeking to combine her love for debate with her background in teaching, Julia joined the BEST Foundation as the Debate Coordinator while serving as a Fulbright-America for Bulgaria English Teaching Assistant in Dobrich in 2021. During her two-year term, she developed a deep connection to BEST and was inspired by the support and dedication of the students and community. Upon her return to the U.S., Julia began her studies at Harvard Law School and enthusiastically joined the BEST Board of Directors in 2023.

Radoslav nedelchev

Radoslav is currently Chief Operating Officer and Chief Client Officer of dentsu Southeast Europe, where he is responsible for Dentsu’s integrated growth strategy, leading client management and innovation teams. In addition, as Country Manager, Dentsu Romania, he is also focused on making Dentsu Romania the most integrated & progressive marketing solutions company, designed for what’s next.
With more than 20 years’ experience in media and marketing, he was two terms Chairperson of IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) in Bulgaria (2019-2020), Member of Policy Committee of IAB Europe;
Member of the Supervisory Board of Bulgarian Association of Communications Agencies – BACA (2019-2022). Currently he is a Member of CIM – The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. In 2023, he won the
#OnCon Icon Award in the global Top 50 COOs.
Radoslav is very committed in creating positive change, and a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone, acting as a Social Impact Champion for Dentsu, as well as a board member of BEST Foundation since August 2023.

Angela Rodel

Angela Rodel came to Bulgaria on a Fulbright grant in 1996, lured by the mystery of Bulgarian voices. Having fallen in love with Bulgarian folk singing and Bulgarian language, she decided to make Bulgaria her permanent home as of 2004. In recent years, she has become a leading translator of Bulgarian literature into English, with seven novels published in the US and UK, as well as plays, poems and essays by leading Bulgarian writers. As of 2015, she has served as executive director of the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission. Her exceptional work as a translator contributed to the success of the book "Timeshelter" that earned the prestigious 2023 Booker International Award, solidifying her position as a luminary in the world of literary translation. At her first BEST tournament, she was blown away by the students’ talent, intelligence and artistry – and immensely proud of the Fulbright/ABF ETAs who founded this wonderful organization.

Alex Kieselstein

Alex Kieselstein was a two-year Fulbright ETA and BEST Coach at Second English Language School in Sofia. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Kenyon College and a Master's Degree from Middlebury College. Currently, Alex is the Academic Placement Advisor for Humanities fields at the Institute of International Education.

ANJELA deyanska

Anjela is passionate about making education better both in terms of improved access and quality. This and her interest in sustainability in the nonprofit sector brought her to Bulgaria after over a decade in Canada, where she obtained her degrees (Honorary Bachelor's in International Relations and a Masters in Public Policy & Governance from the University of Toronto). Since 2016 she has overseen Fundraising and Development at Teach For Bulgaria, with a specific focus on diversifying sources of private funding to the organization and increasing recurring giving as a way to contribute to organizational sustainability. Anjela believes in BEST's mission and is thrilled to support the organization's efforts so that more and more Bulgarian students can develop critical thinking skills, broaden their horizon by meeting people of diverse backgrounds and join a community of engaged citizens eager to strengthen Bulgaria's democratic future.

In her spare time, you will most likely find Anjela reading nonfiction, drawing or being outside, preferably near a sea or an ocean.