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Faculty and Administration

School of Law and Politics: Mr. Bakur Kvashilava, Dean.

International Affairs Program:

• Mr. Tornike Sharashenidze (MA Public Administration, GIPA) – Program Coordinator, Lecturer in the History of Diplomacy.

  Tornike Y. Sharashenidze graduated in 1993 from Tbilisi State University, School of Applied Mathematics. For Several years he worked as a World Business and World Politics Analyst for leading Georgian newspapers.

  In 2002 Tornike Sharashenidze graduated with honors from Georgian-American Institute of Public Affairs, School of Government. Then the worked first as an Expert for National Security Council of Georgia and then as a Foreign Affairs Assistant to the Prime Minister of Georgia.

  Now Tornike Sharashenidze is a Director of Information Center on NATO.

  His articles concerning "international review" are published on mondays, in the newspaper 24 hour.

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• Natia Chigvaria Candidate of sciences. MA in International Affairs. (GIPA) Research assistant at International Affairs program (evening classes) Graduated from Kutaisi Ak.Tsereteli State Univercity with the specialization of Western European languages and Literature, also Law faculty at the same university.

  E-mail: natia@gipa.ge

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Faculty:

• Teona Kupunia - MA in Social Science, Linköping Universitet, Sweden.

  In 2002 Teona Kupunia graduated from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University with a BA in International Relations and was qualified as an expert in International Relations.

  In 2004 she graduated from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University with an MA in International Relations.

  After graduation, Teona worked in National Democratic Institute for International Relations (NDI).

  In 2005 she received a scholarship from Swedish Institute and continued her studies in Sweden, at Linköping Universitet, Faculty of Arts and Science, International Masters Programme in International and European Affairs. She graduated in 2007 with an MA in Social Science.

  Teona Kupunia is currently working at World Vision Georgia as an A-TiP Project Manager.

  Since 2007 she is MEER (Middle East and Eastern Europe) regional ATAC (Anti-Trafficking Action Coalition) point person in Georgia.

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• Mr. Bakur Kvashilava (MA International Relations, Yale University) – State institutions, International Relations and Economic Development.

  Bakur Kvashilava graduated with honors from the Ivane Javakhishvili State University of Tbilisi receiving the qualification of Expert of International Relations.

  Following his graduation B. Kvashilava worked with the President’s Office of Georgia as a Junior Adviser in the Department of Foreign Policy Analysis.

  In 2001 he was selected as a participant of the Freedom Support Act Graduate Program receiving Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship (administered by the State Department of the United States). In 2003 he was conferred the MA degree in International Relations by Yale University. During his study B. Kvashilava focused on Political Risk Analysis, Political Institutions, and Development issues.

  Currently, he works at the OSCE Mission to Georgia.

  This course is supported by the Academic Fellowship Program award of the Open Society Institute.

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• Ms. Natia Natsvlishvili (MA Public Affairs, Harvard University) – International Economics.

  Natia Natsvlishvili graduated from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2002. At Harvard she has obtained degree of Master in Public Policy with concentration on International Trade and Finance. Before going to the USA, Natia Natsvlishvili has completed Master’s programs in Physics at Tbilisi State University and in Public Administration at GIPA.

  Natia Natsvlishvili currently works at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative Office in Tbilisi. She researches and monitors the monetary policy of the country. Prior to working with the IMF, Natia Natsvlishvili had worked with the OSCE Mission to Georgia and the National Bank.

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• George Tugushi (MA in Public Administration, MA in international Human Rights and Law)

  In 1999 Graduated from Tbilisi State University, Faculty of International Law and Relations with a Diploma in International Law. He continued his studies in Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, and in 2001 graduated with MA degree in Public Administration. In 2003-2004 he was pursuing his studies in Sweden, University of Lund. In 2004 he graduated from the Faculty of Law with LL.M. degree in International Human Rights Law.

  Since his graduation from Tbilisi State University Mr.Tugushi held various positions at Municipality of Tbilisi, Parliament of Georgia, Urban Institute, and United Nations Development Program. In 2002 he is a visiting lecturer at Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. Since that period he has conducted classes at the School of Public Administration, School of Local Government and GIPA Law School. After the completion of his studies in Sweden, Mr.Tugushi continued his professional activities at the OSCE Mission to Georgia, in the capacity of human Rights Officer. On December 1, 2005 Mr.Tugushi was elected as a member to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

• Ms.Tamar Beruchashvili MPA in International and Comparative Affairs, MA in Chemistry, Candidate of Economical Sciences.

  Graduated from Moscow International University, faculty of French language and literature, Chemistry faculty with MA degree. She also holds MA degree in International and Comparative Affairs from Indiana University, USA. Different times she was the State Minister on European Integration, Deputy State Minister of Georgia, Deputy Minister at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, worked as an analyst in the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the office of Dr. Zh. Bzezinski Washington DC. Tamar Beruchashvili is the member of different professional organizations and one of the members of GIPA’s governing board.

  She has published about twenty publications on international trade and European integration issues.

  Currently Tamar is a Deputy State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

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• David Lezhava (MA in Economics, Candidate of Sciences in Physics)

  MA in Economics, Williams College, MA, 2002: Development Economics

  Candidate of Sciences in Physics, Academy of Sciences of Georgia, Tbilisi, 1994: Solid State Physics In 1987 David Lezhava graduated from the Tbilisi State University School of Physics. He was a postgraduate student at the Academy of Science of Georgia in 1987-1992. In 1994 David Lezhava obtained Candidate of Sciences Degreee in Physics. Since 1995 was working for non-governmental organization “The Strategic Research Institute”. David Lezhava graduated from the Center of Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts, USA in 2002. At Williams he obtained Master of Arts Degree in Development Economics.

  David Lezhava currently works at National Bank of Georgia at Macroeconomics and Statistics Department as a Head of Macroeconomic Research Division.

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• Mrs. Nia Sharashidze (MA in Economics, Williams College, MA) - Development Economics, Public Finance.

  Nia Sharashidze graduated from the Center of Development Economics at Williams College, Massachusetts, USA in 2002. At Williams she obtained degree of Master of Arts in Development Economics with concentration on Social Economics. Before studying in the US, she has graduated Tbilisi State University, School of Applied Mathematics in 1997 and from the School of Arts and Humanities of the same university in 1995.

  Nia Sharashidze currently works as a fiscal economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative Office in Georgia. Her responsibilities include monitoring the developments in the country’s fiscal sector, trade and civil service reform issues as well as poverty reduction and anti-corruption efforts of the government of Georgia. Previously she has worked at the Ministry of Finance, Tax Department of Georgia, various donor projects in Tbilisi and in the World Bank in Washington DC.

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