A NEW BEGINNING

An Interview with Mišo Dokmanović, president of MAAA

The president of MAAA, Prof. Mišo Dokmanović, talks about the association and the opportunities it offers to the current and future alumni as well as about the past and future activities of MAAA.

Mr. Dokmanović you were recently elected president of MAAA. What exactly does MAAA represent?



Founded in 2000, Macedonian American Alumni Association serves as an umbrella organization of over 1100+ participants from the Republic of Macedonia of US government sponsored academic, exchange and professional development programs. Our members come from different walks of life including business, education, politics, media etc. As an organization MAAA is committed to further strengthen US – Macedonian relations, promote bilateral cooperation in education, culture and arts and support knowledge transfer initiatives between the citizens and organizations in both countries.Following a challenging period, in July 2017 MAAA had organized an extra-ordinary Assembly and elected new President and Board. The assembly represented a new beginning for the organization in many ways. We have managed to set up new teams and initiatives and to strengthen our visibility in the public. Alumni support and vote for a new logo has provided us with the opportunity to launch modern visual identity, website and social media presence.



What does the association do for the current and future alumni? How can they benefit from the activities of the association?



The main focus of our Alumni community is to engage our members and provide them with necessary tools to implement the knowledge and skills acquired overseas in our society. While many of them are proven professionals in their fields, MAAA constantly initiates development of new initiatives/projects by members who are encouraged to utilize our network of contacts and experience. Additionally, we have been working intensively to attract new participants of US government programs. Following their return, they will represent a strong asset that could contribute to advancement of our nation. MAAA is strongly committed to assist them in the process.

What kind of activities have you (and MAAA members) done since your election?



I am delighted to inform you that our American alumni community is now one of the most vibrant and dynamic in Europe. MAAA has organized numerous and diverse activities in the last six months that drew the attention of the Macedonian public and attracted new members. Our “One night in America” Jazz fundraising concert turned out to be a huge success. We succeeded to attract many visitors, improve our visibility and donate funds to Women Domestic Violence Shelter Center and a Roma community. Apart from that, we have organized a one day strategic planning event, Alumni happy hours, re-launched MAAA newsletter as well as the Annual award and supported activities and events implemented by our Alumni.

What are your plans for the future? What do you think MAAA will look like 5 years from now?



Since my term ends in July 2019 and I guess you should also talk to the new President. However, attracting new members and supporting our alumni initiatives remains at the core of our activities in the next year. We would like to continue the tradition of the Annual award and concert. As organization we are always open for new ideas. I would also like to encourage your readers to follow our activities in the future through our website www.maaa.mk and our Facebook page.

Written by Angela Dimitrovska