Project Team
The Project provides assistance in the persons of a Chief Technical Advisor, a National Project Director, an Agricultural Economist, an Editor, a Translator, an Administrative Assistant, a Computer Technician, a Secretary and two Drivers. Beside the resident team, the Project recruits many international experts coming from the 5 continents in order to provide the NAPC with the best suited training and support according to emerging necessities.
MANAGEMENT
Chief Technical Advisor :
Pirro-Tomaso Perri is the Chief Technical
Advisor (CTA), a position he has held since January 2007.
He
holds a PhD in Economics and an MA in Management and Control of
the Environment at the St. Anna School of PG Studies, Italy. Over
four years spent at the Project as the agricultural economist and
Officer in Charge (CTA a.i.), he was actively involved in the on-the-job training for the capacity building of the NAPC staff expertise, and assisting and supporting NAPC
officers in their daily work assignments. This has provided him
with the appropriate experience needed to
complete the tasks required in his current role. In the past he was university lecturer of Environmental Economics at the University of Florence, Italy, and provided several consultancies at FAO Headquarters in the Economics and Statistics divisions, as well as at the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Policies.
Ciro Fiorillo is the former CTA of the Project
until the end of 2005, then assigned to a FAO project in Bangladesh. 
He holds a PhD in Agricultural Policy (MURST, Italy) and MAs in Economic Development (Nottingham, UK) and Agricultural Economics (CSREAM, Italy). Over the seven years spent in Syria as agricultural economist and Project manager he was actively involved in training, policy analysis and institutional building activities aimed at establishing the National Agricultural Policy Center. In the past he was a university lecturer of economics and agricultural economics in Mozambique and a research consultant in agricultural trade and development with a focus on transitional economies.
National Project Director :
Atieh El Hindi 
is the National Project Director. He holds an MA in Agricultural
Planning. Since 2000, he has been Director of the National
Agricultural Policy Center. Over the six years spent at the Project, he has been involved in policy analysis and institutional building activities aiming at establishing the NAPC. He monitors synergic implementation of NAPC and Project work programs and facilitates Project liaison with national authorities and other stakeholders. He ensures adequate responsiveness of the Project's applied policy work to the actual needs of Syria .
INTERNATIONAL RESIDENT CONSULTANTS
Agricultural Economists :
Ilaria Tedesco
is currently one of two Agricultural
Economists at the Project. She holds a Degree in Economics at
Bocconi University in Milan and an MA in Local Development at
Catholic
University in Piacenza, Italy. She follows the study related to
Agro Food Division and Rural Development division, assisting and
supporting NAPC officers and providing training for statistical
and mathematical software packages. She started as volunteer at
FAO Headquarter in the Technical Cooperation division and has
since also carried out several consultancies at the FAO in the
Economics and Statistics divisions.
Chiara Monotti
is
currently one of two Agricultural Economists at the Project. She holds a
PhD in Rural Sustainable Development and a in Agricultural
Economics at the University of Perugia (Italy). In addition, she holds
an MSc in Food Economics and Marketing at Reading University (UK). She
provides support and on-the-job training to the NAPC and contributes to
studies and researches, preparing publications, organizing and
participating in seminars and workshops. In the past she has been a
lecturer at the Universities of Perugia and Malta as well as at
CIHEAM-Bari. Also, she was Research Analyst for Euromonitor
International (UK) and worked in
Albania
at the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) where she was responsible for the
agro-food sector; enhancing cooperation amongst the International
Organizations (e.g. FAO, WB) which were undertaking projects in rural
areas.
Editor :
Oliver Bridge
is the current Editor of the Project. As an Editor he is involved primarily with the effective dissemination of NAPC material from a technical point of view, and therefore has been involved in training and assisting NAPC staff to achieve this. He is also focusing on developing the visibility of the NAPC at regional and national levels. Formerly he was working for the UNDP in Syria as a Human Development Advocate and previous to that as a regional director for a UK-based charity. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies, with a focus on the religion and culture of the Mid-East region, from the University of Cambridge.
David Munir Nabti is a former Editor of the Project. He holds a BA in Political Science, with an emphasis on international political economy, from the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to working to improve the English-language skills of the NAPC Staff, he is focusing on improving the internal communications of the Center, with a focus on efficiency, sustainability and self-sufficiency. In the past, he worked in the Department of Communication at Stanford University, at a research center in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, and for brief periods at Google headquarters in California and in the policy analysis division of Cisco Systems.
Carmela Grillone
is a former Editor of the Project. She holds an MA in Development and International Cooperation. Over the three years spent in Syria as editor and trainer she was actively involved in the on-the-job training for the capacity building of the NAPC staff expertise, particularly assisting and supporting the officers of the Information and Communication division in their daily work assignments. Besides her support in the editing of Project and NAPC publications such as newsletters, websites, press releases, proceedings, she produced the training material on English communication skills tailored to the needs of the Center. In the past she worked in the Education Committee of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO in Rome with a focus on the Education for All project.
NATIONAL STAFF
Translator and Public Liaison Officer Assistant
Asma Al Matar 
Asma
Al Matar is the Translator and Public Liaison Assistant of the Project. She holds two postgraduate degrees: one in Translation and Interpretation and one in Didactics of Foreign Languages (University of Damascus). Over the nine years spent at the Project, besides facilitating communication within a multicultural environment, she has worked as simultaneous interpreter English/Arabic during the various Forums and Workshops organized by the NAPC, as translator and reviser of several Project and NAPC publications, and as trainer on Arabic versus English writing style. In the past she was the personal interpreter for the Syrian Minister of Finance, particularly during meetings with countries representatives as well as IMF and WB delegations, and for the State Planning Commission as an English-language trainer for their staff..
Administrative Assistant
Reem al-Saleh is the current Administrative Assistant of the Project. She has held this position since early 2006, during which time she has been engaged in a wide range of activities instrumental to the smooth running of the Project. She has been involved in maintaining financial records, and preparing occasional and recurrent reports and correspondence. Her work has also included drawing up and dealing with the broad range of administrative duties that are needed in the Project, which included event organization. She holds a BA in French Literature from Damascus University, and also has spent long periods of study at numerous institutions in the UK. Previously she has worked with the computer company, IBM.
Rouba Ghanem is the former Administrative Assistant of the Project. She holds an MA in Business Administration from the University of Damascus. Over the three years spent at the Project, she performed the administrative and logistical support actions relevant to the operation of the Project. Moreover, she assisted in the organization of events and in the logistics for international personnel, besides offering her expertise in graphic design to both the Project and the NAPC. In the past she was a program secretary at the WHO.
Computer Technician
Nasouh Keilani 
is the Computer Technician of the Project. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional, and he holds the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification, furthermore he holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering Assistance from the University of Damascus. Over the eight years spent at the Project, he has ensured a smooth and efficient functioning of computer facilities and related equipment, performed server and network administration tasks, including managing the Exchange email system, provided on the job training and seminars to address specific computer user needs, and set up the NAPC Internet & Intranet websites. In the past he was technical manager in a computer company as well as a computer instructor.
Executive Secretary
Shahed Alloush is the Executive Secretary of the Project. She holds a diploma in Accounting and she is currently in her final year specializing in the field of Translation at the Open Learning System department of the University of Damascus. Over the seven years spent in the Project she has been assisting in organizing meetings, management of the Project correspondence and classification of the Project documents. She has contributed to the administrative support process and logistical performance actions relevant to the operation of the Project. Moreover, she assisted in organizing events and facilitating the realization of missions of international consultants.
Drivers
Souhail Maylaa and Mazen Boukai are the drivers of the Project. They have been providing their services to the Project since 1998 and 1999, respectively.