INFORMATION ABOUT SPEAKERS

Elena B. Poptodorova
Ambassador of Bulgaria
to the United States

Prior to her appointment in Washington Ambassador Elena Poptodorova was Director of the Security Policy Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position, which she held for a year since August 1, 2009. In the period 2008 – 2009 she served as Ambassador-at-Large for the Black Sea Region at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2002 to 2008 she was Bulgaria’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, when Bulgaria became member of NATO and the EU. Prior to becoming Ambassador to the US, she served as Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Organizations Directorate.

Earlier in her career (1990-2001) Ms Poptodorova was elected Member of Parliament in the 7th Constituent Assembly and in the 36th, 37th and 38th National Assemblies of the Republic of Bulgaria. She served on the committees on foreign policy, national security, radio and TV, human rights, agriculture. She was the Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian delegation to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), member of the national delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and the Joint Parliamentary Committee ‘Bulgaria-EU’. She also served as Deputy Chair of the Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (IEPFPD)

From 1987 to 1990 she was minister-counselor at the Bulgarian embassy in Rome and Bulgaria’s Consul General to the Republic of San Marino. Ambassador E. Poptodorova joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1975 and served from 3rd secretary through minister-counselor in the Secretariat, the State Protocol, the Cabinet of the Minister and the UN and Disarmament Directorates through 1990, when she was elected in the national legislature.

Ms Poptodorova earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees at the Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia in English and Italian linguistic and literary studies, after which she attended a post-graduate course in international relations at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia. She specialized at the University of Leeds, UK and the University of Siena, Italy.

Ambassador Poptodorova is Doctor Honoris Causa of the Assumption College, Worcester, USA.