About me
EDUCATION • PUBLIC REPRESENTATION • INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
the starting point of my involvement in education
from school level to national and European level
in the United States and Romania
Profile
My path in education and parent representation did not begin with a position, nor with the intention of building a public career. It began naturally, from my responsibility as a father of three daughters and from wanting to be present where the decisions affecting their education were being made.
I started as a parent representative in my eldest daughter’s class. Then in my second daughter’s class and, later, my third’s. From the classroom I moved up to school level, then became president of the parents’ association, coordinated parent representation for Brașov County, became Vice-President of the National Federation of Romanian Parents and, since April 2024, its President. Since 2026 I have also been Vice-President of the European Parents’ Association.
Looking back, I believe this progression is one of the most important sources of my legitimacy in representing parents. I know first-hand the reality of a classroom, the relationship between family and school, the problems of an education community and the limits of local administration. Today I can carry the same perspective into the dialogue with the Government, Parliament, central authorities and European organisations.
For me, representation grew together with responsibility: from one child to a class; from a school to a county; from county level to national and, today, European level.
Building a national organisation
In April 2024 I took over the leadership of the National Federation of Romanian Parents – Edupart at a time when the organisation had 21 branches. In less than two years the network grew to 44 local structures, present in 38 counties and in all six sectors of Bucharest.
But I have seen the Federation’s development as more than territorial expansion. A national organisation becomes truly relevant when public institutions see it as a serious, predictable partner able to turn dialogue into projects and results.
During my mandate I initiated and built cooperation that led to protocols, partnerships and joint projects with institutions and organisations such as the National Bank of Romania, the Romanian Government, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Institute of Financial Studies, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Internal Affairs structures responsible for school safety, the International Police Association, the Romanian Athletics Federation, the National Gambling Office, the Romanian Customs Authority, the National Anti-Doping Agency, the National Trade Union Bloc, Romanian United Foundation and other national and international organisations.
The institutional relationship with the Ministry of Education already existed when I took over the Federation. Most of the other partnerships were built afterwards, through direct dialogue, negotiation and developing a relationship of trust between the Federation and those institutions.
I consider this ability to build bridges between very different organisations one of the most important parts of my work. Public institutions, the private sector, professional organisations and civil society work according to different logics. My role is often to find the point where these interests can converge into a project that creates value for children and families.
At the same time, the Federation takes part constantly in parliamentary dialogue through the specialist committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and in consultations on legislation and policy in education, child protection, safety and other areas that directly affect the lives of pupils and families.
From representation to public policy
The experience I have gained, from class level to national and European representation, has given me a very clear view of public policy: every decision adopted in a ministry, a parliamentary committee or a central institution ultimately reaches a school and the life of a family.
That is why I believe in representation built on data, consultation and verifiable results. In recent years I have worked to develop the Federation’s capacity to gather information directly from parent communities, identify systemic problems and turn this information into public positions, proposals and practical projects.
The national consultation “Education Through Parents’ Eyes”, answered by around 20,000 parents, is an example of this approach: before taking positions on behalf of parents, we need to ask them, measure and understand the reality they live.
Access to an institution or a seat at a meeting is only the beginning. For me, the result comes when something concrete remains from that relationship: a project implemented, an improved procedure, a legislative change, a resource made available to children or an institution taking on a new responsibility.
The European dimension
Since 2026 I have been Vice-President of the European Parents’ Association. I see this mandate as a natural continuation of the path that began many years ago at the level of a single class.
The European role allows me to bring the experience of Romanian parents into a wider space for dialogue and, at the same time, to bring examples, practices and perspectives from other European education systems into the national debate.
For me, the European dimension does not mean mechanically adopting models from other countries. It means being able to compare, to understand what works in different contexts and to adapt those experiences to Romanian realities.
Entrepreneurship and the ability to deliver
Alongside my civic work, I have been an entrepreneur for more than two decades. My professional experience began in the United States, where I worked and built my first businesses, and continued later in Romania.
In 2007 I founded Tiny Steps in Chicago, an educational project I continued after returning home. I am also involved in running and developing ARA, the industrial company in Râșnov, and in other entrepreneurial and consulting projects.
Years in business have given me a reflex I also apply in my institutional work: an idea is worth as much as it can be implemented. Budgets have to balance, deadlines have to be met, people have to be coordinated, risks have to be anticipated and results have to be measured.
This experience helps me in my relationship with both public institutions and the private sector. I understand the administrative and legal constraints of the public sector, as well as the need for speed, predictability, efficiency and accountability that is specific to business.
Administrative experience and political independence
I was previously active in politics and held mandates in local and county public administration. This gave me an inside view of how public decisions are made, of the budget process, of administration and of the relationship between political decisions and actual implementation.
In April 2024, immediately after my election as President of the National Federation of Romanian Parents – Edupart, I resigned from the National Liberal Party. I believed that representing parents at national level requires a clear separation between a civic mandate and political affiliation.
Today I work institutionally with representatives of the Government, Parliament and central and local administration regardless of their political affiliation, starting from the interests of children, families and the education system.
Political experience remains part of my journey and of my understanding of how the state works. Political independence, however, is part of the mandate I hold today.
What defines me
My three daughters were the starting point of this journey. Without them, my professional path would probably have stayed focused mainly on business.
They brought me into a classroom for the first time as a parent trying to change something. From there, each stage brought greater responsibility: the class, the school, the parents’ association, Brașov County, the national Federation and, finally, European representation.
It has been a path built over years, without leaps and without shortcuts.
Beyond the positions I hold, this is probably what defines me best: the ability to build over time, to bring people and institutions together and to turn the trust I have earned into greater responsibility.
I believe solid institutions are built through consistency, and reputation is built through what you deliver. Positions change. Trust remains only if you have shown, over time, that people can rely on you.
Timeline of my roles → · My personal story, including my years in the United States and my earlier political experience →
About me
EDUCATION • PUBLIC REPRESENTATION • INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
the starting point of my involvement in education
from school level to national and European level
in the United States and Romania
Profile
My path in education and parent representation did not begin with a position, nor with the intention of building a public career. It began naturally, from my responsibility as a father of three daughters and from wanting to be present where the decisions affecting their education were being made.
I started as a parent representative in my eldest daughter’s class. Then in my second daughter’s class and, later, my third’s. From the classroom I moved up to school level, then became president of the parents’ association, coordinated parent representation for Brașov County, became Vice-President of the National Federation of Romanian Parents and, since April 2024, its President. Since 2026 I have also been Vice-President of the European Parents’ Association.
Looking back, I believe this progression is one of the most important sources of my legitimacy in representing parents. I know first-hand the reality of a classroom, the relationship between family and school, the problems of an education community and the limits of local administration. Today I can carry the same perspective into the dialogue with the Government, Parliament, central authorities and European organisations.
For me, representation grew together with responsibility: from one child to a class; from a school to a county; from county level to national and, today, European level.
Building a national organisation
In April 2024 I took over the leadership of the National Federation of Romanian Parents – Edupart at a time when the organisation had 21 branches. In less than two years the network grew to 44 local structures, present in 38 counties and in all six sectors of Bucharest.
But I have seen the Federation’s development as more than territorial expansion. A national organisation becomes truly relevant when public institutions see it as a serious, predictable partner able to turn dialogue into projects and results.
During my mandate I initiated and built cooperation that led to protocols, partnerships and joint projects with institutions and organisations such as the National Bank of Romania, the Romanian Government, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Institute of Financial Studies, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Internal Affairs structures responsible for school safety, the International Police Association, the Romanian Athletics Federation, the National Gambling Office, the Romanian Customs Authority, the National Anti-Doping Agency, the National Trade Union Bloc, Romanian United Foundation and other national and international organisations.
The institutional relationship with the Ministry of Education already existed when I took over the Federation. Most of the other partnerships were built afterwards, through direct dialogue, negotiation and developing a relationship of trust between the Federation and those institutions.
I consider this ability to build bridges between very different organisations one of the most important parts of my work. Public institutions, the private sector, professional organisations and civil society work according to different logics. My role is often to find the point where these interests can converge into a project that creates value for children and families.
At the same time, the Federation takes part constantly in parliamentary dialogue through the specialist committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and in consultations on legislation and policy in education, child protection, safety and other areas that directly affect the lives of pupils and families.
From representation to public policy
The experience I have gained, from class level to national and European representation, has given me a very clear view of public policy: every decision adopted in a ministry, a parliamentary committee or a central institution ultimately reaches a school and the life of a family.
That is why I believe in representation built on data, consultation and verifiable results. In recent years I have worked to develop the Federation’s capacity to gather information directly from parent communities, identify systemic problems and turn this information into public positions, proposals and practical projects.
The national consultation “Education Through Parents’ Eyes”, answered by around 20,000 parents, is an example of this approach: before taking positions on behalf of parents, we need to ask them, measure and understand the reality they live.
Access to an institution or a seat at a meeting is only the beginning. For me, the result comes when something concrete remains from that relationship: a project implemented, an improved procedure, a legislative change, a resource made available to children or an institution taking on a new responsibility.
The European dimension
Since 2026 I have been Vice-President of the European Parents’ Association. I see this mandate as a natural continuation of the path that began many years ago at the level of a single class.
The European role allows me to bring the experience of Romanian parents into a wider space for dialogue and, at the same time, to bring examples, practices and perspectives from other European education systems into the national debate.
For me, the European dimension does not mean mechanically adopting models from other countries. It means being able to compare, to understand what works in different contexts and to adapt those experiences to Romanian realities.
Entrepreneurship and the ability to deliver
Alongside my civic work, I have been an entrepreneur for more than two decades. My professional experience began in the United States, where I worked and built my first businesses, and continued later in Romania.
In 2007 I founded Tiny Steps in Chicago, an educational project I continued after returning home. I am also involved in running and developing ARA, the industrial company in Râșnov, and in other entrepreneurial and consulting projects.
Years in business have given me a reflex I also apply in my institutional work: an idea is worth as much as it can be implemented. Budgets have to balance, deadlines have to be met, people have to be coordinated, risks have to be anticipated and results have to be measured.
This experience helps me in my relationship with both public institutions and the private sector. I understand the administrative and legal constraints of the public sector, as well as the need for speed, predictability, efficiency and accountability that is specific to business.
Administrative experience and political independence
I was previously active in politics and held mandates in local and county public administration. This gave me an inside view of how public decisions are made, of the budget process, of administration and of the relationship between political decisions and actual implementation.
In April 2024, immediately after my election as President of the National Federation of Romanian Parents – Edupart, I resigned from the National Liberal Party. I believed that representing parents at national level requires a clear separation between a civic mandate and political affiliation.
Today I work institutionally with representatives of the Government, Parliament and central and local administration regardless of their political affiliation, starting from the interests of children, families and the education system.
Political experience remains part of my journey and of my understanding of how the state works. Political independence, however, is part of the mandate I hold today.
What defines me
My three daughters were the starting point of this journey. Without them, my professional path would probably have stayed focused mainly on business.
They brought me into a classroom for the first time as a parent trying to change something. From there, each stage brought greater responsibility: the class, the school, the parents’ association, Brașov County, the national Federation and, finally, European representation.
It has been a path built over years, without leaps and without shortcuts.
Beyond the positions I hold, this is probably what defines me best: the ability to build over time, to bring people and institutions together and to turn the trust I have earned into greater responsibility.
I believe solid institutions are built through consistency, and reputation is built through what you deliver. Positions change. Trust remains only if you have shown, over time, that people can rely on you.
Timeline of my roles → · My personal story, including my years in the United States and my earlier political experience →