Nikola Ilić

Growing up in war-torn Yugoslavia in the 90s, I joined Otpor at 15—a resistance movement to end Serbia's dictatorship. Witnessing societal collapse driven by absolute power and the failure to embrace diversity sparked my lifelong quest to understand the relationship between power, authority, leadership, and change. As a professor of leadership at Georgetown University, social entrepreneur, and activist, I've dedicated my career to democratizing leadership. In 2009, I co-founded "Serbia on the Move," leading grassroots campaigns for anti-corruption, health justice, and civil rights. I now advise social movements worldwide including Kreni-Promeni, Volt Europa, World Liberty Congress and I am one of the co-founding members of the Serbian Diaspora Assembly. In 2020, I founded ChangeLab and AI company LeadUp to make leadership tools accessible regardless of socio-economic status. Among my most prominent clients are Obama Foundation, UNICEF and various US Government agencies. I teach "Becoming a Democratic Leader" and Ethics in International Affairs at Georgetown's MSFS program, based on my Democratic Leadership Framework. I hold a master's degree from Harvard and live in DC with my wife Merissa Khurma and daughters Mila and Sophia.