Co-Executive Director
Location: Gqeberha (former Port Elizabeth), South Africa
Igor Lesko is Co-Executive Director of Open Education Global (OEGlobal), an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing open education worldwide. Originally from Slovakia and based in South Africa since 2003, he has more than 16 years of experience working with international and national organizations on strategies to expand equitable access to knowledge and information. He has contributed to numerous national and international education projects as a researcher, evaluator, and coordinator.
Igor holds an MA (Cum Laude) in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), an MA in Development Management from Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), and a PhD from the Open University of the Netherlands. His doctoral research examined how international organizations shaped governmental Open Educational Resources (OER) policies between 2002 and 2019, explored policymakers’ perceptions of their effectiveness, and developed recommendations for expanding access to educational resources and opportunities. His work focuses on open education policy, international collaboration, and strategies for sustaining knowledge as a public good. An open-access eBook version of his doctoral thesis is available here: https://proefschriftmaken.nl/ebook/igorlesko.
At OEGlobal, Igor helps lead the organization’s global strategy, international partnerships, conferences, advocacy, and community engagement initiatives that support more inclusive and equitable access to education worldwide.
Outside his professional work, Igor is an endurance athlete and triathlete who has completed numerous road and trail marathons and ultramarathons, as well as major endurance events including Ironman 70.3 races and a full Ironman triathlon.
contact: igorlesko@oeglobal.org