Our team

Wawrzyniec
Smoczyński

Head of strategy at SWPS, Poland’s largest private university. Wawrzyniec worked for 13 years as an award-winning journalist and political commentator, covering international affairs, the global economy and European politics. In 2013 he founded Polityka Insight, a center for policy analysis, which he led until 2019. He is interested in community building – how civic bonds emerge and what drives political polarization. Wawrzyniec is a co-founder and president of the New Community Foundation.

Zuzanna
Rudzińska-Bluszcz

Attorney-at-law, former head of the Warsaw office of ClientEarth. Zuzanna previously served as lead coordinator for strategic litigation at the Office of the Polish Ombudsman. A former defence attorney, judge at the High Disciplinary Court of the Bar, and a member of the Women's Issues Panel at the Supreme Bar Council. Zuzanna is a co-founder of the New Community Foundation.

On 13 December 2023 Zuzanna assumed the office of Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland. In line with our Policy on Avoiding Conflicts of Interest she recused herself from decision-making and participation in NCF activities for her entire time in office.

Mikołaj
Lewicki

Social scientist, assistant professor at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Warsaw, affiliated with the Institute of Advanced Studies in Warsaw. Mikołaj focuses on economic sociology and sociology of culture. His research interests include market-building mechanisms, socio-economic development, mortgage loans, as well as urbanization processes in Warsaw. He wrote a book on Polish modernization discourse and another on mortgage loans. Mikołaj is a co-founder of the New Community Foundation.

Joanna
Zięba

Cultural studies scholar, assistant professor at the Institute of Polish Culture of the University of Warsaw, president of the “Cathedral of Culture” association. Joanna is interested in social history, traditions of social involvement and forms of participation in culture. As a trainer and expert she cooperates with NGOs and cultural institutions all over Poland. Joanna is a co-founder and board member of the New Community Foundation.

Joanna
Matera

Social psychologist. From 2019 to 2021 a research assistant of Center for Research on Prejudice on University of Warsaw. Amnesty International educator. Graduate of Humans’ Rights Academy “Humanity in Action”. Joanna coordinates dialogue series on socio-political subjects within the Polish Dialogue platform.

Katarzyna
Binda

Cultural anthropologist, Serbian studies scholar, tutor and project coordinator. Since 2010 involved with the NGOs system in Poland. Involved in activities targeting grass-roots social change, creating a space for dialogue and creation of social innovations. She likes to work in local environments and connect people from different “bubbles”. Katarzyna coordinates dialogues surrounding climate and natural environment topics in the Polish Dialogue platform.

Sonia
Sokołowska

Social and rehabilitation prevention worker. She gained experience working in corporations where she was in charge of laying out processes, acquiring new business clients and establishing supply chains. Sonia is the head of the NCF office.

Agata
Pietrzyk-Sławińska

Head of the Museum Education Department of the Łazienki Park. She tries to develop new forms of participation in culture, and is particularly interested in museum education and animation. She is a psychosocial skills trainer and an experienced volunteer coordinator. She is a member of the Association of Theatre Educators and the Katedra Kultury Association and a graduate of the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw.

Olga
Białobrzeska

Social psychologist, assistant professor at the SWPS University, affiliated with the Centre for Research on Social Relations. Her research focuses on the role of community in human life. She is currently conducting research on everyday kindness. Olga is a board member of the New Community Foundation.

Anna
Zielińska-Rakowicz

A graduate of international relations and postgraduate studies in management. She supports companies in building lasting relationships with the public sector. She has extensive experience in project and event management. From 2013 to 2017 she was a Deputy Director and Acting Director at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), where she was responsible for the strategic development of the Institute.

Magdalena
Latuch

Cultural studies scholar, facilitator, trainer and social animator. For more than 10 years she has been conducting tutoring processes for both individuals and groups of local community leaders. She also leads workshops on social projects management. She is a board member of the New Community Foundation and a facilitator of community dialogues.

Iwona
Oskiera

Faculty of Sociology on University of Warsaw student. Involved in projects concerning culture and future-education in the NGO sector. She is a part of foundation of Students’ Forum “Business Center Club”. Iwona is in charge of projects commissioned by corporate and non-profit partners.

Izabela
Meyza

Cultural anthropologist, communication trainer and mediator. Acting in line with the principles of Nonviolent Communication, she supports teams in developing communication skills and dealing with conflict situations. For years, she has been involved in the Polish-Jewish dialogue. She conducts workshops for teachers on how to discuss controversial issues with students, and empowers social leaders in their communication with people of divergent views.

Aleksander
Szałański

He has experience in administrative work as an employee of Chancellery of the Sejm, a public relations agency and as a journalist. Graduate of Political Sciences and International Relations at the University of Warsaw. Currently he is responsible for projects on improving air quality in the cities at the Foundation for Promotion of Electric Vehicles. Aleksander is a board member of the New Community Foundation. 

Konrad
Sobczyk

Mediator, facilitator, supervisor, conflict resolution skills trainer. For over 10 years he has been co-leading a mediation center mediatorzy.pl. At the core of his work is dialogue and helping people in getting from mutual accusations to mutual understanding and agreement acceptable for both sides. Konrad leads community dialogues at NCF.

Pola
Rożek

Anthropologist, cultural animator, educator, graduate of the University of Warsaw and Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She works with cultural institutions, libraries and cultural animators supporting them substantively in activities carried out in cooperation with communities and in diagnosing local potentials and needs. Pola is a board member of the New Community Foundation.

Jarosław
Gwizdak

Lawyer, board member of the Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS). Jarosław is a former judge and served as president of the Katowice-Zachód District Court from 2013 to 2017. After 20 years of working in the justice system, he knows well that dialogue and justice can only be found outside of the system. In 2018 he ran for mayor of Katowice as a civic, non-party candidate and came third.

Emilia
Kaczmarek

Public life student on SWPS University in Warsaw. Since 2017 she creates and supports social projects. Winner of Forbes magazine 25under25 award in the “Supporting diversity” category. Emilia is responsible for communication and marketing strategies in NCF.

Foundation’s friends

Marcin
Bruś

Advertising director at Allegro. Economist, business consultant. For 20 years, he observed how cooperation can be effectively built, but also ruined in large and small organizations. He worked in multinational corporations in Poland and abroad. He advises Polish companies with very different corporate cultures and values. When Marcin listens, people talk. He is a graduate of the Leadership Academy for Poland, a coach, and an ultramarathon runner.

Joanna
Sawicka-Skibińska

Historian, senior political affairs analyst at Polityka Insight. She specializes in tracking political and social trends, as well as analysing data and changes in local government. She has worked at Polityka Insight since 2013 and collaborated previously with the “Polityka” weekly. From 2014 to 2019 she was an editor at the "Kontakt" magazine.

Wanda
Hydel

A student at the Department of Hebrew Studies at the University of Warsaw. In autumn 2021 she will continue her studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is a board member and social media coordinator of the “Rethinking Refugees” international initiative, which tries to change the narrative about the situation of refugees in the world. For over six months she was a coordinator of the "What Connects Us?" project at the New Community Foundation.

Michał
Brzeziński

Economist, assistant professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw. He specializes in research on poverty, economic inequality and wealth distribution. He is also interested in political economy of democracy in Poland. He published several dozen works in international scientific journals. He is an expert of the Polish Committee of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN Poland).

Dominika
Blachnicka-Ciacek

Sociologist, assistant professor at University of Warsaw. Her research interests include the relationship between place, space and memory in post-conflict areas and migrant and refugee hosting and integration policies in cities. She translates her academic interests into film and curatorial projects. She is a graduate of Goldsmiths College at the University of London, where she completed a PhD in visual sociology.

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