BOARD OF ADVISORS
Alex Kieseltein
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.
Lazar Lazarov
Lazar was born in Dobrich, Bulgaria, but his academics have taken him to Newcastle, England for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, and Minneapolis, MN, USA for a Master’s in Business Administration. He currently resides in Sofia, Bulgaria and works for Konica Minolta as an Account Manager. His BEST journey started in 2013 when he competed in the second ever Bulgarian Forensics League (now BEST) tournament. After competing, he had BEST stints as an intern, MT member, Board of Directors member, Executive Director, and judge. His BEST highlights include the first ever Balkan Voices tournament in 2019 and judging at the 2018 World Schools Debating Championship on behalf of Team Bulgaria. Lazar is beyond excited to add the Board of Advisors to his BEST resume and help the MT continue to grow the organization!
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.
Christo Popov
Christo Popov is born in Communist Bulgaria and a father of three daughters. At present he is the founder and CEO of Fast Track, a cutting-edge global consulting company serving 500+ clients in 30 countries. Christo has founded over 30 companies with over 15 000 employees and has gone through three exits, two bankruptcies, and an IPO, From spending three years in the Army to prestigious roles at McKinsey and Sab Miller, he's navigated diverse terrains. Academically, he's a product of Sofia Institute of Economics, Cambridge, Harvard, and London Business School. Christo is a keen student of Eastern Philosophy, spending a transformative year in an Indian ashram. A prolific writer, his has publications in Forbes, India Times, Fortune, and more. He is a member of YPO member and Chair for learning for Europe and is also just passionate human performance, fitness, well-being, cars, and the human mind. His life is a captivating blend of entrepreneurship, resilience, and a quest for holistic well-being.
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.