.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Nina Ognianova
Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Before joining CPJ as Europe and Central Asia research
associate in December 2003, Nina Ognianova worked as a staff writer
for the International Journalists’ Network, the media-assistance
Web site of the nonprofit International Center for Journalists (ICFJ)
in Washington, D.C. She covered the countries of Central, Eastern, and
Southeastern Europe. In September 2003, Ognianova coordinated an ICFJ
conference, which was held in her native Bulgaria, for Balkan investigative
journalists about covering the problems of human trafficking. Ognianova
earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications
from the American University in Bulgaria and a master’s degree
from the Missouri School of Journalism--Columbia. While in Missouri,
Ognianova was on the editorial staff of the magazine of the International
Press Institute, Global Journalist, where she also published articles.
Ognianova is a native Bulgarian speaker, fluent in Russian, and proficient
in Macedonian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, and Italian. She was promoted
to senior research associate in January 2006 and became program coordinator
in June 2006.
Oleg Panfilov
Director, Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES)
Oleg Panfilov was born in 1957 in Tajikistan. In 1979
he graduated from Leninabad State Pedagogical Institute (formerly Khudzhandh
University). He initially worked in a village school, then, from 1979
to 1989, he worked as a research fellow at the Institute of History
at the Tajik Academy of Sciences. From 1989 to 1990 he worked at the
Tajikistan Fund of Culture as a senior expert. Since 1974, he has also
worked as a journalist. He has presented the program Pamiat’ proshlogo
on Tajik television, worked as a correspondent for the newspaper Komsomolets
Tadjikistana, the radio station Yunost’, the news agency Associated
Press, and as a correspondent for Nezavisimaia gazeta and Gazeta wyborzca
(Poland). Between 1995 and 1997 he served as deputy editor-in-chief
for the journal Tsentral’naia azia (Sweden). Since November 2000
he has been writing materials for and presenting the program Authorities
and Media on Radio Liberty. From 1994 to February
2000 he headed the monitoring service at the Glasnost Defense Foundation.
Between 1994 and 1997 he served as a human rights expert in UN-lead
peace talks in Tajikistan.
Alexey Simonov 
President, Glasnost Defense Foundation
Alexey Simonov currently serves as president of the Glasnost
Defense Foundation, working on the issues of freedom of speech and freedom
of the press. Born in 1939, he completed Moscow State University in 1964.
In 1970, he completed a graduate degree in cinematography and began working
for the Ekran film collective. Between 1970 and 1991 he directed 20 musical
and documentary films. From 1991 to 1995 he worked as a dean and professor
at the Institute of Cinematography. Since 1991, he has been the chairman
of the board and president of the Glasnost Defense Foundation. He is the
author of many articles on issues relating to the freedom the press.
Fred Weir
Christian Science Monitor
Fred Weir, a Canadian-born journalist, has lived in Russia
for the past 20 years as correspondent for a variety of Canadian, US
and other news organizations. He travelled widely in Europe and the
Middle East during the 1970’s, and lived on an Israeli kibbutz
1973-74. He received an honours history degree from the University of
Toronto in 1984, and a teaching diploma from the Ontario College of
Education in 1986. Weir moved to the USSR in 1986, to write about Mikhail
Gorbachev’s perestroika campaign for a left-wing Canadian weekly,
the Canadian Tribune. The next year he married a Russian, Mariam Shaumian,
and ended up staying permanently with his family. The couple has two
children, Tanya, 18, and Charles, 6, both of whom are Russian citizens.
Mariam works as editor of the monthly corporate magazine and quarterly
catalogue of Mercury, the leading Russian retailer of luxury goods.
The family maintains a flat in Moscow, but recently built a house in
Razdori, a village about 10 km outside Moscow, where they now live year-round.
Dr. Igor Zevelev
Washington Bureau Chief, RIA Novosti
Dr. Igor Zevelev is Washington Bureau Chief of RIA Novosti,
Russian News and Information Agency. Prior to joining RIA Novosti in
2005, Dr. Zevelev was a Professor of Russian Studies at the George Marshall
European Center for Security Studies in Germany.
Dr. Zevelev received his doctorates from Moscow State University (kandidat
nauk) and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations
of the Russian Academy of Sciences – IMEMO (doctor nauk). He was
Head Research Associate at IMEMO, where he had also served as Head of
Department and Deputy Director of the Center for Developing Countries.
Dr. Zevelev taught at the University of Washington, UC Berkeley, San
Jose State University, and Macalester College. He was a Fellow at The
Woodrow Wilson Center (1996-97) and a Senior Scholar at the US Institute
of Peace in 1997-98.
Dr. Zevelev has written five books and numerous articles
on the politics of Russia, Asian countries, human rights, international
relations, and security issues. Among his books are Russia and its New
Diasporas (Washington, DC: The United States Institute of Peace Press,
2001), in English and Global Security Beyond the Millennium: American
and Russian Perspectives (co-edited with Sharyl Cross, London: Macmillan
Press, 1999), in English; The most recent publication is Power and Influence
in the US-Russian Relations: Semiotic Analysis (co-authored with Mikhail
Troitsky, Moscow: NOFMO, 2006), in Russian.
Andrei A. Zolotov Jr.
Editor, Russia Profile (www.russiaprofile.org)
Andrei Zolotov, Jr. graduated from the Moscow State
University's School of Journalism (M.A., 1992). During his studies,
spent a year as an exchange student at Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville,
New York) and a year as a visiting scholar at Columbia University Graduate
School of Journalism (New York City). He began his journalistic career
in 1992 as a translator and fixer at the Moscow bureau of The Christian
Science Monitor. Worked as the CSM bureau manager from 1994 to 1996.
From 1995 to 2003, Zolotov served as Moscow correspondent for Geneva-based
news and features agency Ecumenical News International (ENI). In
1997, he joined the staff of Moscow's leading independent English-language
newspaper, The Moscow Times, where he covered politics, media and religion
as
a senior staff writer. Mr. Zolotov's coverage of the takeover of NTV
and TV-6 television companies, as well as other aspects of the country's
media policies earned him the reputation as an expert on media issues.
He has been interviewed by leading international broadcasters, such
as BBC, CNN, PBS and NPR and contributed opinion pieces to The Christian
Science Monitor, Nezavisimaya Gazeta and other publications. Mr. Zolotov
is also recognized as an expert in Russia's religious affairs and global
developments in regard to Orthodox Christianity.
In 2003, Mr. Zolotov left The Moscow Times and ENI to
develop a new project - Russia Profile (www.russiaprofile.org). It is
an analytical on-line and print magazine in English covering Russia's
trends and developments, which is published by Independent Media publishing
company (publisher of The Moscow Times, The St. Petersburg Times, Vedomosti
and 11 magazines in Russia) in conjunction with RIA Novosti.
Awards:
John Templeton European Religion Journalist of the Year (1997)
Carnegie Media Fellowship at Duke University (1999)
The
Havighurst Center and Miami University are not responsible for the availability
or content of these external sites, nor do they endorse, warrant, or
guarantee the products, services, or information described or offered
at these external Internet sites.
