Jiří Bárta
Jiří Bárta is Executive Director of the VIA Foundation in Prague, whose mission is to strengthen democracy by empowering communities and people in the Czech Republic.
Prior to joining the foundation, Mr. Barta was a management consultant to NGOs, municipalities and businesses, and participated in implementation of the Democracy Network Program funded by the US Agency for International Development
Currently he serves as member of the Advisory Committee to the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network (TCFN) funded by the C. S. Mott and Bertelsmann Foundations. He is also a member of the Remarque Forum organized by the Remarque Institute at New York University.
He holds a Masters degree in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
The VIA Foundation was established in 1997 as the successor to the Czech office of the American Foundation for a Civil Society, which had operated in the country since 1990. Mr. Barta played an important role in that indigenization process. Today, the VIA Foundation is one of the largest and most active Czech foundations, providing grants, training and other forms of assistance to civic initiatives and communities across the Czech Republic, while promoting philanthropy and corporate community involvement.
