Welcome to our new team member
The ERGO Network secretariat is growing! We welcome Marko Pecak, a new team member who joined as the Project Coordinator for Jekhipe.
Within the ERGO Secretariat, Marko has the following responsibilities:
- Coordination of the Jekhipe project
- Work on anti-discrimination and antigypsyism files
- Coordination of transitional justice initiatives
Read more about Marko in his own words:
“My family’s determination and persistence as Romani refugees in the United States is the heart of my motivation for a policy and research career centred on Roma inclusion and anti-racism.
With nearly a decade of experience in research, policy analysis, advocacy, and project management focused on Roma inclusion, combating antigypsyism, and general anti-racism, I am pleased to join the ERGO network as the Project Coordinator for the Jekhipe Project.
I managed and conducted a series of projects on the representation of Roma in European textbooks and Romani Holocaust education. As the Research Officer at Roma Education Fund, I collaborated with the Council of Europe and the Georg Eckert Institute. I led a team of eight researchers to analyze over 850 textbooks.
The efforts highlighted the prevailing representation and discourses surrounding Roma culture, identity, and history within the educational system. Through an independent research study, I explored the representation of the Romani Holocaust in European textbooks with two colleagues. Through critical discourse analysis, we unearth that textbook representations mirror broader societal discourses and may reinforce Roma exclusion.
As an independent research, policy, and evaluation consultant for the last two years, I worked with clients on various projects on inclusion and anti-racism. One of those projects was for ERGO, where I evaluated the state of grassroots-focused funding approaches for Roma inclusion. Additionally, I have spent this time conducting project evaluations for Lumos Transforms, a prominent Los Angeles-based social enterprise committed to promoting anti-discrimination through a trauma-informed and resilience-oriented approach.
I am excited to leverage my policy analysis experience in the Jekhipe project’s goal of promoting transitional justice and supporting ERGO’s efforts in combating antigypsyism. I am committed to building collaborative partnerships, driving impactful initiatives, and influencing positive change.
Outside work, I enjoy walking and hiking with my dog Malna, riding motorcycles, relaxing at coffee shops, camping, and all the other basic outdoor stuff.”