Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation

Dinu Toderașcu is a Bucharest-based senior program officer responsible for managing ProElect and INCRES, both EU-funded projects. Prior to joining GMF, he worked for the National Democratic Institute in Moldova as a program officer, assisting the country director with program design and implementation. In 2019, he was appointed chief of staff to Moldova’s minister of foreign affairs and European integration. He was appointed three months later state secretary at the ministry and was responsible for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Toderașcu holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Bucharest and a master’s degree in European public affairs from Maastricht University. He is a fluent in English, Russian, and Romanian. 

Sergiu Panainte is the deputy director of the Black Sea Trust (BST), overseeing the strategic and operational implementation of BST’s grantmaking and capacity building activities across the Black Sea region. He is responsible for conceptualizing and leading programs, engaging with major donors and stakeholders, and managing a diverse team to foster regional cooperation and development. 

Panainte is a seasoned professional in the field of international relations, grant management, and democracy, with a focus on the Black Sea basin and administration of programs that support civil society, media, human rights, and democratic development. His expertise also extends to monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Fluent in Romanian, English, and Russian, Panainte holds master’s degrees in international relations and European studies from Central European University in Budapest and in international relations from Moldova State University. His scholarly work includes several publications focused on regional politics and EU relations.

Maria Florea oversees the Black Sea Trust’s (BST) Enhancing the Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership project and BST’s grantmaking portfolio for the wider Black Sea region. 

Florea has extensive experience in leadership program design, having implemented GMF’s Leadership and Democracy Initiative for Eastern Europe, which focuses on Eastern Partnership countries. Over the course of her 10 years at GMF, she has helped hone the skills of more than 200 leaders and civil society activists, supported more than 100 organizations working to improve communities in the wider Black Sea region, and organized numerous events and large-scale forums. 

Florea holds a master’s degree in European governance from the University of Bristol and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Vienna. She is also a graduate of the Georgetown Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program. She speaks English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian, in addition to her native Romanian.

John Alexander was formerly Program Coordinator at GMF.

Stella Uțica is a program officer at the Black Sea Trust. She administers grantmaking operations that support civil society actors from the Black Sea region in their efforts to promote citizen participation and democratic accountability. 

Before joining GMF, Uțica worked as a project coordinator at the Institute for Public Policy in Moldova, where she oversaw projects promoting gender equality, European integration, and good governance and accountability. She also worked with the European Institute for Political Studies of Moldova, organizing a training program for young leaders under the auspices of the Council of Europe.

Uțica holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in security and diplomacy from the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. She speaks Romanian, English, and Russian.

Mihnea-Mihail Florea was formerly Program Officer at GMF.