Liana Ghent is the executive director of the International Step by Step Association. She has more than 20 years' experience in developing, implementing and managing programs in higher education and in early childhood development. Prior to joining ISSA, her leadership experience included being a senior level manager for more than six years (two of these as co-president) with the Civic Education Project, a non-profit organization engaged in higher education initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Before joining ISSA, she worked with the Open Society Foundations' Higher Education Support Program. She holds an English language degree from the University of Bucharest, followed by numerous trainings in leadership and management.