Secretariat

The Secretariat supports all other bodies in their work, ensures the information exchange between the different bodies, serves as contact point for third parties and represents and promotes EQAR both within the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) as on international level.

Colin Tück - Director

Management of the Register: general oversight
DEQAR: communication with key stakeholders, infrastructure and technical matters
External representation
Statutory meetings
Financial and HR management

Colin Tück has been working for EQAR since October 2007, initially as Project Manager on behalf of its founding members (ENQA, ESU, EUA and EURASHE). Prior to joining EQAR he was involved in quality assurance-related topics as a member of the European Students’ Union’s (ESU, formerly ESIB) Bologna Process Committee. He was a member of the Executive Board of the National Union of Students in Germany (fzs) before his involvement in ESU.

Phone: +32 2 234 39 11
Mobile: +32 485 28 23 55
Email: colin.tueck@eqar.eu

Annelies Traas - Communications Officer

Communication planning and content
Organisation and planning of all EQAR events
Contact for general and media inquiries
DEQAR: Communication and dissemination, organisation and planning of events
Finances

Annelies Traas joined the EQAR Secretariat in 2009. She has a Master Degree in European Studies (Amsterdam) and complemented her degree with a post-graduate degree in European Law (Bilbao, Spain). Previously, Annelies has held various positions (operations manager, legal advisor, director of the board of an international pre-school in New-York) in different fields of expertise (non-profit organisations, business incubation, financial services, education), based in different countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Malta, USA and Austria).

Phone: +32 2 234 39 12
Mobile: +32 474 9009 74
Email: annelies.traas@eqar.eu

Melinda Szabó - Senior Policy Analyst

Management of the Register: coordination and primary contact for applications, Substantive Change Reports, annual updates
Knowledge base of national QA systems
Support of EHEA monitoring and peer support activities
Monitoring of European and national policy developments, analyses, statistics
Content and programme of EQAR events
DEQAR: Pilot studies

Melinda Szabó joined the Secretariat in March 2013. Melinda has done her master studies in Educational Management in Romania and complemented her degree with studies in political science at the Universite Libré de Bruxelles. She has previously worked in the Bologna Follow-Up Group Secretariat in providing support for the activities of the Working Groups and Networks (mainly the Social Dimension Working Group and Network of Experts on Student Support in Europe).

Phone: +32 2 234 39 15
Email: melinda.szabo@eqar.eu

Aleksandra Zhivkovikj - Policy and Project Officer

Support the Register: analyse applications & Substantive Change Reports, review & update information, guidance for agencies
DEQAR: general maintenance, contact with agencies, handling questions from agencies & end users, maintaining data on HEIs
DEQAR CONNECT: manage & implement project activities, peer support for QAAs, contact with ENIC-NARIC centers

Aleksandra Zhivkovikj joined the Secretariat in July 2020. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University “SS. Cyril and Methodius”-Skopje and a master’s degree in educational policies and development from the University of Oslo, the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Malta. She has been working in the civil society sector in North Macedonia for a few years, participating in several research projects about higher education, exploring topics such as malpractices in academia, disadvantaged groups in higher education, student services and guidance, student activism and organising. Before joining the Secretariat, Aleksandra worked as a consultant at the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills.

Email: aleksandra.zhivkovikj@eqar.eu