OUR TEAM
Information about other members of Z E P H I R O team is being prepared and will be uploaded as soon as it becomes available.
Dr. Monika Zalnieriute
Monika is a co-founder and Director of Z E P H I R O. She is a civil society activist and academic, working in the area of human rights for many years now. Monika’s work and interests focus on Internet Governance, queer rights, data privacy, surveillance and freedom of expression, especially in the digital sphere. Monika holds a PhD in Law from European University Institute in Florence, and is a Fellow at the Centre for Internet & Human Rights in Berlin. She also provides research expertise on data privacy and free speech issues to the Council of Europe and Article 19, and is actively involved in the ICANN policy formation processes, particularlu the establishment of the Advisory Human Rights Council. Monika has published widely in academic journals, as well as contributed to the civil society outputs & activities.
Sandra Amankaviciute
Sandra is a co-founder and Deputy Director of Z E P H I R O, responsible for running of our Research & Policy Department. She is a human rights activist and researcher. Her areas of interest focus on freedom of expression, queer rights, information and communication science. Sandra has a lot of expertise in information management, and has worked on different projects related to libraries and their revision in Lithuania. At the moment Sandra is leading an empirical research project ‘No Identity Bullying in Schools’ funded by ILGA-Europe; and is working on her PhD in Political Science on Internet filtering mechanisms of LGBT-related content at the Centre for Internet & Human Rights in Berlin. Sandra is an active queer community member, she is a co-founder of the first ever summer queer festival SapfoFest (previously know as ‘PiLeFe’ – Angry Lesbian Festival) in the Baltics, and has been active on many advocacy, research and cultural campaigns in Lithuania for many years.
Dovile is a co-founder and Head of Education and Culture Department at Z E P H I R O. She is a graphic designer by education and works on visualization of our projects and outputs, but Dovile is also an active organizer of our cultural and community events. She is an artist and human rights activist, who combines her artistic skills and theoretical insights from feminist and queer theories to produce progressive conceptual art challenging societal preconceptions and stereotypes. Dovile has graduated from London University of Arts with BA in Book Arts & Design, but her broad interests focus on feminist theories, music, cinema and graphic design, among others. She has travelled extensively in her study years, and wishes to share her experience gained abroad here in Lithuania. Currently, Dovile is working on the agenda of cultural programme for SapfoFest, as well as the festival and Z E P H I R O looks.
Dovile Alseikaite
Inga is responsible for running Z E P H I R O’s Interventions & Strategic Litigation Department. She is a lawyer specialised employment issues and social affairs, and has a Master degree in Law from Vilnius University in Lithuania and Masters in EU Politics, Business and Law from the University of Surrey, the UK. Inga has a lot of experience both in employment policy-making as well as legal practice and litigation - both on national and international levels. She has worked in the EU Employment and Social Affairs Committee in Brussels, and has also been in public service in Lithuania, where she has been involved in employment litigation and practice as a senior expert. Inga is currently participating in the project related to LGBT+ discrimination in the area of employment and is working on a proposal for social-centre for Vilnius Municipality. Inga’s experience in litigation and legal practice makes her insights and opinion on legal matters invaluable to Z E P H I R O’s effective operation.
Inga Titova
Marija Bartkeviciute
Marija runs Z E P H I R O’s Advocacy & Campaigning Department,
and is a researcher and as well as a team builder and human resources leader at our organization. She holds a MSc degree in Social and Organizational Psychology and has an extensive scientific research experience, allowing her to meaningfully contribute to our empirical and quantitative research projects. Marija’s professional interests and expertise include diversity management, gender bias in the workplace, talent acquisition, team building and management. Marija has studied and lived in Barcelona and Amsterdam, and she loves travelling. Her personal interest are feminism and human rights and she is a determined activist and campaigner for queer and women’s rights in Lithuania and abroad.
Elena Lazutkaite
Elena is a Researcher and Campaigner at Z E P H I R O’s Research & Policy Department, as well as an active contributor to our cultural and educational projects. Elena is currently a PhD candidate at The University of Nottingham, UK; where her PhD study applies theories of language and power, predominantly Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), to the issue of treatment of farm animals. While doing her PhD, Elena is involved in the “Cultural and Scientific Perceptions of Human-Chicken Interactions” project funded by Arts and Humanities Researcher Council, where she has developed public outreach activities and presented in various conferences in the UK. The scope of Elena’s interests is highly interdisciplinary and extensive. She is not only exploring issues in animal welfare and ethics, ecology, sustainability, environmental and social justice, but is also immersed in feminist critical theory and intersectionality. She remains a passionate activist and campaigner for queer and women’s rights in Lithuania and abroad.
Laura Banketaite
Laura runs Z E P H I R O’s financial administration and accounts. Graduate of Vilnius University, Economics studies, she is a professional finance consultant with over nine years of experience in finance field, including among some of the leading professional financial services networks in the world. Laura is a committed vegetarian and a determined animal rights activist, loves traveling and exploring new cultures and communities. For the last two years, she lived in Sydney, Australia where she was studying tourism and had a chance to celebrate 35th anniversary of Sydney Mardi Gras. Laura also extensively travelled in Asia where for 6 months she was taking part in various volunteering programmes providing support for the local communities and preserving wild animals in natural habitat. While an economist by education, Laura’s interests extend well beyond financial matters and include psychology, animal rights, Permaculture, organic gardening, and meditation practice. She now wishes to share her experiences gained abroad and contribute to the advancement of queer rights here in Lithuania.