Barbara is a trailblazer in global trade and diplomacy, currently serving as the President & CEO of the San Francisco Global Trade Council, where she leads efforts in international alliances, technology transfer, and global trade opportunities. In 2001, she made history as the first woman in the U.S. to be appointed Honorary Consul of Slovakia, and today, she continues to make significant contributions to diplomacy as the Executive Officer of the San Francisco Consular Corps, the third-largest diplomatic community in the U.S.

In addition to her diplomatic role, Barbara is deeply engaged in the tech world, serving on the boards of two tech companies and advising San Francisco State University’s Graduate School of International Studies. Her involvement with the Start-Up in Residence (STIR) program further highlights her commitment to innovation and fostering new opportunities.

Ivan Miklos is the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic (2002-2006, 2010-2012), Deputy Prime Minister for Economy (1998-2002), and Minister of Privatization (1991-1992). He has co-founded and led the economic think tank MESA10 (1992-1998). Between 2006-2010 and 2012-2016, he was a Member of Parliament. In 2014, he was reappointed as the President of MESA10 and became a Member of the International Advisory Board of the National Reform Council of Ukraine and the platform VoxUkraine.

Ivan Miklos was one of the leading figures of economic transformation in the Slovak Republic. He significantly contributed to the entry of the Slovak Republic into the OECD and instigated an extensive and effective tax reform. He led the government agenda on economic restructuring and fiscal consolidation.

Jana is a senior Slovak diplomat with more than 20 years of experience in international relations, economic diplomacy, and cultural affairs. As Consul General in New York, she became a trusted connector within the Slovak-American community and a respected leader, elected President of the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York, the largest consular corps in the world.

During her career, she was a founder and Director of the Slovak Institute in Rome, Head of the Slovak Consulate in Padua, board member of the Slovak-Italian Chamber of Commerce, President of the Slovak-Italian Association, and Director of the European Cultural Society. She also worked as an advisor on foreign relations to the Vice President of the Slovak Parliament, and in recent years as an analyst and advisor to various organizations. Educated at the University of Oxford and the University of Economics, Jana speaks several languages and is dedicated to promoting Slovakia, supporting the arts, mentoring young professionals, helping businesses, and building connections among Slovaks worldwide.

Robert was born and raised in Washington DC but with most of his extended family in Pittsburgh, PA and originally from Presov. Bob earned a BA in Economics from Yale University in 1991 and worked as an Investment Analyst at Hull Trading (acquired by Goldman Sachs) before attending Wharton (UPenn) Business School where he earned an MBA in Finance in 1997. Robert then spent 24 years at Morgan Stanley in San Francisco, advising Venture Capital investors and start up company Founders on how and when to raise capital, as well as becoming founding investor for several seed stage Venture Capital firms. During this time Robert was an early investor and advisor to Twitter, Uber, Pinterest, Airbnb, as well as other San Francisco based technology companies. Bob retired from Morgan Stanley in 2021 to focus on his own investing and is currently an investor in 50 companies, including 4 based in Slovakia.