Following the election of the new Executive Board in June 2025, the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) has appointed three new Vice Presidents. EAEA’s new Vice Presidents are Oleg Smirnov (Ukraine), Marta Jendeková (Slovakia), and Dearbháil Lawless (Ireland). Each brings unique expertise to supporting EAEA’s strategic development and its role as a leading voice of adult learning in Europe.
The proposal for the new Vice Presidents was made by the EAEA President Lauri Tuomi.
“Each of our Vice Presidents is an outstanding expert in non-formal adult education. Their expertise, knowledge of European adult education policy, and understanding of their regions’ specific contexts provide an excellent foundation for our joint work. I also consider it highly important that our representative from Ukraine is now starting as a Vice President, as this will allow us to further strengthen our support for Ukraine”, says Tuomi.
This is stated in the news published on the EAEA website.
It is worth mentioning that Oleg Smirnov has been actively supporting the development of civic initiatives for several decades. He is also a founder of the Information and Research Center “Integration and Development.” He has been holding the position of Director of the DVV International Representative Office in Ukraine since 2015. Since the beginning of 2022, the focus of his work has shifted to promoting psychosocial resilience and strengthening adult education institutions during wartime. His activities within the EAEA are centered on policy, social inclusion, and capacity building, particularly in regions affected by crises.
We sincerely congratulate the director of the Office on yet another change-making role that will help accelerate positive developments in the field of adult education at the European level.