Zarko Palankov,

Hi, I am Zarko Palankov!

Zarko Palankov's Bio:

IMy name is Zarko Palankov and I believe everyone is a leader and can make a difference. In everything I do, I put people first and strive to enable those around me to learn, grow and succeed. I am a social entrepreneur who helps organizations flourish and magnify their social impact. I co-founded and grew a Washington, DC-based not-for-profit that connects and empowers people through language and culture. I spent seven years building an organization from a simple idea - creating a forum for motivated individuals to share their language and culture with those interested in learning - to a thriving community where people from all walks of life learn how to teach their language, grow as educators and leaders, and enable thousands of eager learners to speak a different language. Currently, I am building a new venture, Lead In, a leadership learning community where aspiring leaders come together to reflect, share perspectives and practice their leadership. I always seek opportunities to apply my knowledge and skills in a way that enables people to grow and helps organizations to achieve exceptional results. My specialties include organizational development, strategy and leadership, training and facilitation. I appreciate connecting with like-minded people and finding different ways to continue learning and growing.

Zarko Palankov's Experience:

Founder at Lead In
June 2015 - Present | Washington, DC
Lead In fosters an “everyone a leader” world where people discover their strengths, act as agents of change, and build societies that prosper. Lead In disrupts the traditional hierarchical model where leadership is associated with job titles. Everyone is a leader and everyone can learn to be a more effective leader. We put people first and enable individuals of any background to learn, grow, and lead. Lead In is an open, inclusive community of emerging and aspiring leaders who build their leadership through reflection, sharing and practice. To find out more about Zarko Palankov, Lead In's Founder or to get involved, visit www.lead-in.co
Board President at DC Net Impact
May 2015 - Present | Washington, DC
Net Impact is a growing community of emerging leaders who are committed to tackling the world's toughest social and environmental problems. The DC chapter includes hundreds of passionate professionals and graduate students seeking to drive positive change through their work in government, non-profits, consulting, advocacy and start-ups. As Board President, Zarko Palankov is responsible for the following: ✓ Lead the 10-person Board of DC chapter that has 2,000 members ✓ Shape the vision for DCNI's overall strategy, branding, programming and partnerships ✓ Serve as the face of DCNI in the community
President at The Global Language Network
June 2008 - March 2015 | Washington DC
Co-founded and grew GLN to offer accessible and affordable language classes in 60+ languages to adult learners throughout Washington, DC. ✓ Leadership and Strategic Planning: defined organizational vision; formulated and executed organizational strategy ✓ Growth: tripled organizational budget from $60k to $170k ✓ People Development: led and developed a core leadership team of 12; designed and expanded an organizational structure of 80+ volunteers which included recruiting, training and engaging a diverse volunteer force ✓ Partnership Building: formulated a Partner Engagement plan; cultivated and maintained strong partnerships with more than twenty local universities, nonprofits and businesses ✓ Fundraising Strategy: grew the organization's donor base and individual contributions: - Established GLNsiders membership program and grew membership to 100+ new members yearly - Composed donation appeals to GLN's community of learners and boosted donations from 10% to 40% of solicited individuals ✓ Program Development: pioneered GLN's Teaching Fellowship to develop educators and leaders, increase teacher retention, and ensure consistency and high quality of the language program: - Created a robust recruitment plan and selection process to bring 30+ Teaching Fellows yearly to teach their language and share their culture - Developed a learning pipeline and foreign language teaching curriculum - Prepared trainers and facilitated quarterly teacher training workshops and an annual forum - Enhanced course curriculum, materials and resources through collaboration with language experts ✓ Brand Development: increased visibility and brand awareness by devising and executing marketing strategy ✓ Community Building and Cross-Cultural Relations: spearheaded G-FEST, an annual international festival, to bring together embassies and community partners to promote language learning and cross-cultural awareness

Zarko Palankov's Education:

The George Washington University
2006 – 2008
M.A.
Concentration: International Affairs
Ohio Wesleyan University
2001 – 2005
B.A.
Concentration: English (Creative Writing) and French

Zarko Palankov's Interests & Activities:

Social entrepreneurship, education, innovation, social impact

Zarko Palankov

Social Entrepreneur

Hi, I am Zarko Palankov!

Zarko Palankov's Bio:

Zarko Palankov's Experience:

Founder at Lead In

Board President at DC Net Impact

President at The Global Language Network

Zarko Palankov's Education:

The George Washington University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Zarko Palankov's Interests & Activities: