United States-Kosovo Educational Exchange Board

The United States-Kosovo Educational Exchange Board (USKEB) is a non-legal advisory body established to foster mutual understanding and advance relations between the United States and Kosovo through educational exchange programs.

Founded in February 2021, USKEB provides guidance, assists in prioritizing resources, and sets strategic directions for United States-Kosovo educational exchange initiatives, including the Fulbright Program in Kosovo. The Board operates with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo, and Kosovo’s Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI). USKEB is implemented by the American Councils for International Education.

USKEB is composed of five members, representing the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo, MESTI, Fulbright Alumni, Kosovo’s academic sector, and civil society.

  • Dr. Iliriana Jaka-Gashi is the Executive Director of Kosova - Women 4 Women (K-W4W), where she manages programs that have served around 40,000 women since 1999.

    Since 2011 she has been for almost six years the Country Director of Women for Women International in Kosovo, an organization that has worked since 1999 in social and economic empowerment programs for marginalized women.

    In 2017, Dr. Gashi led the transition of the Women for Women International Program in Kosovo to becoming an independent local NGO, where she directs and manages the operations and strategy of the organization. She is a medical doctor with a master’s degree in Health Care Management from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

    Before joining Women for Women International, Dr. Gashi had worked for the Canadian Agency for International Development, World Vision, the French Embassy in Kosovo, the World Bank, and the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) in different positions and responsibilities. She was also a member of the Policy and Planning Committee at the Kosovo Ministry of Health. She has served on the Boards of two organizations: The Network of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women's Organizations in Kosovo (RROGRAEK) and the CiviKos Platform. She is a member of the Project Advisory Committee Community Organizational Development (COD) in Peace Corps Kosovo, a member of the Core Group for the Energy Transition and Decarbonization in the Western Balkans project of Balkan Green Foundation in Kosovo, and also the International Soroptimist Club in Pristina.

    Dr. Iliriana Jaka-Gashi serves as a member of the USKEB, representing Kosovo’s civil society sector.

  • Dr. Luljeta Plakolli-Kasumi is an Assistant Professor at the Civil Law Department of the Faculty of Law of the University of Prishtina, with academic and professional expertise in intellectual property law, business & contract law, and human rights in the digital age. She holds a PhD in Law and earned her LL.M. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law as a graduate of its Center for International Legal Education (CILE). She has also served in academic leadership roles.Dr. Plakolli-Kasumi is a Ludovika Scholar, engaged in advanced research on artificial intelligence, data protection, and the right to a fair trial. Her interdisciplinary work explores the intersection of emerging technologies and fundamental rights, with a focus on aligning Kosovo’s legal system with European and international standards. She has contributed to numerous international projects focused on the rule of law, legal education, and gender equality in Kosovo and the Western Balkans. As an arbitrator listed with the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), she also brings practical experience in dispute resolution, with a special interest in commercial arbitration and concession contracts.

    Dr. Plakolli-Kasumi is passionate about mentoring future legal professionals and is actively engaged in policy discussions on digital rights, legal innovation, and inclusive governance.

    Dr. Luljeta Plakolli-Kasumi serves as a member of the USKEB, representing Kosovo’s academic sector.

  • Trim Tërnava is an energy expert and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the renewable energy sector. He currently serves as CEO and Partner at Sunvolta Energy LLC, where he leads the company’s strategic direction in energy projects development and EPC operations across the Western Balkans. He is also the Owner and Managing Director of Energy Service LLC, a firm specializing in permitting, feasibility studies, and technical advisory services for energy projects.

    His consultancy work includes engagements with USAID, GIZ, UNDP, and other international institutions, where he has contributed to Kosovo’s National Energy and Climate Plan and advised on green transition models for different projects.

    He holds a Master of Science in Energy Economics from Rice University (Houston, USA), where he attended with the support of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program (Master’s Degree), and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Prishtina.

    Mr. Trim Tërnava serves as a member of the USKEB, representing Kosovo’s Fulbright alumni.

Patron members are former USKEB board members who continue to serve as a resource for the board and its initiatives.

  • Dajana graduated in the field of linguistics and literature, holds an MA in International Migration Policies and Development from the University of Sussex, a Specialization for Strategic Leadership of Civil Society Organizations from Harvard University, has in depth knowledges of Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws due to her extensive training at Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights next to Lund Faculty of Law and was educated and worked in Albania, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, and USA.

    Dajana Berisha is the Executive Director of the Forum for Civic Initiatives. Dajana joined the forum in February 2013 to manage its development and rise in the civil society sector. Her previous professional experiences include policy-making in areas such as employment, social affairs and migration in order to support active employment policies combined with economic assistance for poverty alleviation in the Government of Albania.

    Ms. Dajana Berisha served as an inaugural member of the USKEB from 2021 to 2025, representing Kosovo’s civil society sector.

  • Kreshnik completed his undergraduate and postgraduate Pharmacy studies at Curtin University, Australia. He returned to Kosovo to contribute at the University of Prishtina (UP) where he currently serves as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine. Kreshnik has academic experience both in Australia, where he developed and coordinated a number of courses and supervised PhD students and in Kosovo, where he served as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (2016-2018). Kreshnik was awarded the 2016 Scientist of the Year from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kosovo.

    Kreshnik attended the Open World Leadership program and visited various universities, gaining valuable insight into the United States higher education system. He also hosted a Fulbright specialist from the US in Kosovo. Kreshnik was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and spent a full academic year as Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

    Dr. Kreshnik Hoti served as an inaugural member of the USKEB from 2021 to 2025, representing Kosovo’s academic sector.

  • Nora is the first Fulbright Foreign Student scholarship recipient through which she earned an MA in Economics from Northern Illinois University, USA. She currently serves as the Executive Director of GAP Institute, which is one of the leading and most influential think tanks in Kosova. She has demonstrated her willingness to contribute to the community several times.

    As an alumna, she is involved in local projects implemented by relevant stakeholders to make positive changes to society. She is interested to see the economic empowerment of women in Kosovo, especially when it comes to participation and representation of women in the labor market.

    Ms. Nora Latifi-Jashari served as an inaugural member of the USKEB from 2021 to 2025, representing Kosovo’s Fulbright alumni.