Dr. Assen Assenov

Dr. Assen Assenov co-founded the Bulgarian Community Center in April 2002. After receiving his M.Sc. degree in Political Economy from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1985, Assen was appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Economics. He completed his specializations at Moscow State University (Russia), Kiev State University (Ukraine) and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna, Austria. In 1997, Assen received an M.A. in Economics form the University of Delaware, followed by a Ph.D. in Economics from American University in Washington, D.C. in 2006. Currently, Dr. Assenov works at American University where he teaches research methods to undergraduate and graduate students at the School of International Service.

Dr. Assenov is chair of the Board of the Directors of the Bulgarian Community Center and Executive Director of the Bulgarian Music Society. In these capacities, he leads the Bulgarian-American community's efforts to celebrate Bulgarian history, culture and heritage in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Diana Roeva

Diana Roeva has served as Secretary of the Board of Directors since March 2010 and as a member of the Board since 2007.

Diana came to the United States from Bulgaria with her family in 1997. She currently lives in Reston, Virginia with her husband and two daughters.

Diana holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Mathematics from the Sofia University and a Master Certificate of Project Management from George Washington University. She currently works for Verizon Telecom.

Elitza Popova-Talty

Elitza Popova-Talty is an associate in the Washington, DC office of the international law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP. Ms. Talty is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University Kliment Ohridski Law School. Ms. Talty lives in Silver Spring, MD. She is a member of the Board since March 2011.

Irena Todorcheva

Irena Todorcheva was born in Montana, Bulgaria. She graduated from the Sofia University with a Master degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. She later obtained a degree from the MBA Management Program of the University of Delaware. She has worked in the fields of education, telecommunication and microfinance, holding managerial positions at various companies in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the U.S.

Together with her husband, Irena relocated to the United States in 1998, where her two daughters were born.

She joined the Board of Directors at the beginning of 2010

Rossen Roev

Rossen Roev has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 2007. He has lived in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1999. Rossen has served the community through charitable work and assistance for Bulgarian immigrant families during their initial transition and settlement in the U.S.

Rossen holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Mathematics from the Sofia University. He has held various positions in the information technologies field and has worked in the private sector. He currently works for IEC Inc.

Simona Assenova

Simona Assenova is co-founder of the Center and a member of its Board of Directors. Simona received a M.Sc. in Finance from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Before relocating to the U.S., Simona was a senior manager at the Commercial Bank Biochim in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has also held positions at J.P. Morgan Chase and SunTrust banks in Delaware and Washington, D.C. Simona is currently Foreign Nationals Specialist at American University.