Jacek Purchla has served as the director of the International Cultural Center in Cracow since its establishment by the Polish government in 1991. He is also the chair for urban studies and a professor of art history at Jagiellonian University. Dr. Purchla serves as chair of urban development at the Cracow Academy of Economics and as the editor of Rocznik Krakowski, the Academy’s yearbook. His past public service includes a term as deputy mayor of Cracow and as general coordinator of the European Cultural Month in Cracow in June 1992. An economist dealing with urban studies, and an art historian, Dr. Purchla has received numerous fellowships and awards including the city of Cracow Scientific Award, the Minister of Science and Higher Education Individual Prize and the Minister of the National Education Individual Prize. He is a national correspondent for the European Cultural Foundation, and a member of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the Polish UNESCO Committee. Dr. Purchla received his Ph.D. in art history from Jagiellonian University, Cracow and his masters in economics from the Cracow Academy of Economics. He is an alumnus of Salzburg Seminar Session 332, Preserving the National Heritage: Policies, Partnerships, and Actions, 1995.