This week, July 13-15, the CEELI Institute welcomed board members, partners, and future collaborators to the Villa Grébovka for our annual board meeting. Board members arrived on Sunday for an evening welcome reception on our terrace.

The sessions began with an early morning joint meeting of the CEELI Institute Management and Supervisory Boards and Friends of CEELI Institute. After lunch, the meeting opened up to all guests to discuss strategies for future program development and implementation. CEELI Institute Founder and Chairman of the Board, Homer E. Moyer, Jr., opened the session by facilitating a discussion on our current programs around the world. Most important for the Institute has always been ensuring quality programs and trainings.

The second day of the meeting was composed of panel discussions led by several of our participants. Starting us off in the morning were several members of the CEELI team: Marek Svoboda, Director of Programs; Joel Martin, Director for Special Projects; and Bill Meyer, Chairman of the Board, ILAC. The panelists gave participants overviews of some of CEELI’s programs, focusing mostly on our projects in Burma and Tunisia. The presentations led to a discussion on the future of these programs, strategies for evaluating effectiveness, and how the evolving situations in our host countries affect our programs.

After lunch, Daria Kaleniuk, the Director for the Anti-corruption Centre in Ukraine, and David Ennis, Chief ofParty for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in Ukraine, presented on anti-corruption, election fraud, and investigation standards, both generally and in Ukraine. Both presentations were dynamic and provocative, and participants afterwards agreed that both presentations by Ms. Kaleniuk and Mr. Ennis were substantive contributions to the overall conference.

Following the substantive discussions on Tuesday, the CEELI Institute concluded the Annual Meeting with a small farewell get together at the Villa. Members were able to relax, discuss topics from the day in an informal setting, and enjoy each other’s company for their last night in Prague. The Institute thanks everyone who was able to come, and we look forward to seeing many of you again soon.