EPPM Members

George Machabeli Ph.D  

Dr. George Machabeli has a solid working experience in public and civil society institutions and in governing bodies of international organizations.  From 2003 until 2014 and from September 2018 onwards Mr George Machabeli served in the International Institute for Education Policy, Planning and Management (EPPM) first as a Program Manager and then as an Executive Director; in 2014-2018 occupied position of the LEPL Director of National Centre for Teacher’s Professional Development; He has 10 years working experience (1992-2002) in the Ministry of Education of Georgia on the different positions and represented Country in Council of Europe’s General Education and High Education Committees.

During his professional carrier Dr. George Machabeli accumulated a vast experience in education policy analysis and research, designing and implementing consultation programs in education planning and budgeting, needs assessment and performance monitoring, strategic management, self-assessment issues, human resource management, project management, financial management and fundraising; analyzing and evaluation of the level of integration of education systems of different countries with international conventions. Managed educational projects and programs on international, regional and country levels.

Tamar Sanikidze

Ms. Tamar Sanikidze holds a Master’s degree in Public administration, BA in English Language and Literature and has background in financial Management. Since 1998 Ms. Sanikidze held different executive positions in private, non-governmental, international and public institutions. Since 2009 shewas actively involved in the field of education. She provided lecturing and consultation services to different higher education institutions. Ms. Sanikidze held a top management position at Georgian Institute of Public Affair. In 2012-2013, Ms. Sanikidze acted as the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia and later, during 2013-2016 as Minister of Education and Science of Georgia. From July 2016 to September 2018, she held the position of Director of National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) in Georgia. Since 2017, she is engaged in development of higher education system as a Higher Education Reform Expert of Erasmus plus (SPHERE, Erasmus +, CoE). From October 2018 she joined the International Institute for Education Policy Planning and Management (EPPM), nongovernmental organization. In November 2018, the governing board of EPPM approved her candidacy for the President of the organization.

Nino Chinchaladze Ph.D

Dr. Nino Chinchaladze is the Director the of the Foundation “Center for International Education”(CIE), an independent educational NGO  and the official representative of the Education USA Network in Georgia.

Nino has a solid experience in education system. She occupied high managerial positions in different entities at different times. She was the deputy Director and acting Executive Director for Open Society Georgia Foundation in 1997-2005. Nino joined EPPM from 2003. From 2006 she is the executive director of the CIE.

Nino Served as the Higher education authorization board chairperson and the member of the higher education accreditation council. She is the member of the International Education Center board under the Ministry of Education and Sciences, and board member of Ajara Ministry of Education, culture and sport higher education development fund.  She serves as supervisory board member of Millennium Challenge Account Georgia.

Revaz Apkhazava

Mr. Revaz Apkhazava has Master’s Degree in Education Sciences. He currently works on his PhD in the same field. Revaz Apkhazava, expert in education, has a wide experience of working with NGO sector, local and international, that work primarily towards education. He has teaching experience in general and higher education institutions. Since 2000, he was engaged in the process of development and decentralization of education system. He held leading position at the International Institute of Education Policy Planning and Management (EPPM) where he was managing institution’s education programs. Later in 2013 he became CEO of EPPM and remained in the office until 2018. His working experience counts for number of researches and analysis towards decentralizing the system of education, with primary view on private tutoring at general education.  Since 2016, Revaz was serving as Chairman of the board of coalition “Education for All”, where later on he continued acting as a member of the governing board and policy advocate officer. Revaz is an independent education expert and has provided his consultancy services in the field of strategic planning in education. Since 2011 Revaz provided his consultancy services to the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy and was also lecturing at the school of democracy. He has been a member of institutional Authorization councils for general and higher education entities at LEPL National center for Education Quality Enhancement since 2013. Since November 2018, Revaz Apkhazava serves as a chairman of the governing board of EPPM.

Tamar Bregvadze Ph.D

Tamar Bregvadze is an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Ilia State University (school of education) and the national project manager of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Georgia. She is a member of the National Team of Higher Education Reform Experts (European University Association/Erasmus+ Georgia).

Tamar Bregvadze holds PhD in education from Ilia State University, Georgia. An overarching theme of her research is quality management in education. She has worked as a consultant for the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and as a researcher in local and international research teams on projects related to various aspects of education quality management. Tamar also served as a consultant for Teachers Professional Development Center, National Center for Quality Enhancement and various education institutions on quality management and strategic planning issues.

Nina Kobakhidze

Mrs. Nino Kobakhidze is a partner and DG of the Global Benefits Georgia – Global Benefits Group – partner branch of the American insurance company in Georgia.

Since 2014, Nina Kobakhidze held the position of the deputy chief of the Administration of the Government of Georgia. Among her multiple initiatives and achievements stands out structural reorganization reform of the administration, methodical activation of the International Education Center, establishment of the Solidarity Fund and other student related social projects.

Nino Kobakhidze’s name is also connected with bringing world’s third-largest broker Willis Towers Watson to Georgia. Since 2011, Nino Kobakhidze has been among the several partners of this financial broker group.

Nino Kobakhidze had been participating in various local and international projects. She holds a Master’s degree in Law, Business Administration and Management.

Nino has joined EPPM team in November 2018.

Ketevan Natriashvili

Ms. Ketevan Natriashvili holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Master’s degree in Business Administration, BA in English Language and Literature and has background in  complex management and development. Since 2000 Ms. Natriashvili held different consulting and managerial positions in private, non-governmental, international and public institutions. Since 2004 she was actively involved in the fields of education, good governance and development. She provided training and consultation services to various organizations. Ms. Natriashvili held a top management position at Georgian Institute of Public Affair. In 2013, Ms. Natriashvili acted as a Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia and later, during 2013-2018 as a First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia. Her primary focus was the reform of vocational education including facilitation of new legislation formation, however, at different times her portfolio also covered but were not limited to  international relations, budgeting and finances, national minority education, strategic planning, higher education, infrastructure development, etc. From November 2018 she joined the International Institute for Education Policy Planning and Management (EPPM), nongovernmental organization.

Tinatin Bregvadze

Ms. Bregvadze has a solid experience in working for various local and international non-governmental organizations and foundations.

She held managerial positions at different institutions. During 2005-2010 she worked for organizations – Transparency International Georgia and World Vision Georgia, where her major focus was education. In 2010-2014 Tinatin engaged in implementing academic fellowship programs. In 2012-2014 Ms.Bregvadze was overseeing the program in three south Caucasus countries – Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

She served as Deputy Director at the International Center of Education. During 2015-2018 she occupied the position of Deputy Director and board member at Georgian Center for Security and Development (NGO). From 2016 through 2018 she worked at Millennium Challenge Account Georgia.

Tinatin is an invited professor at Tbilisi State University, at the faculty of Social and Political Studies. She served as a deputy chairperson at the authorization council of LEPL National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement.

From March 2018 she holds the position of Director of Levan Mikeladze Diplomatic Training and Research Institute.

Tinatin joined EPPM team in November, 2018

Giorgi Tabuashvili

Mr. Tabuashvili has a solid experience working for public and private sectors in Georgia as well as for International Financial Institutions. Mr. Tabuashvili occupied position of the First Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia from October 2012 till September 2018 and the Director General of Georgia Revenue Service (GRS), Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL) from December 2014 till September 2018. Before that, in 2009-2012 he worked as Chief economist of “Public Finances Management Reform Monitoring” project – CARDNO EMERGING MARKETS Ltd and as Treasury Expert at the Project of World Bank “Public Finances Management Reform Monitoring” – WYG International Ltd. From 2004 to 2007 he was Head of State Treasury-Ministry of Finance of Georgia. In 2004 he served as Deputy Minister of Finance. In 2002-2004 he worked as Fiscal economist at local representation of International Monetary Fund in Georgia. Mr. Tabuashvili also held various senior positions in the private sector.

Mr. Tabuashvili holds Diploma in Law and Master’s Degree in Economic Sciences from Tbilisi State University. He holds Master’s Degree in Public Finance and Economic Development from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Master’s Certificate in Project Management from The George Washington University/ESI International/Free University.

Mr. Tabuashvili holds Diploma in Law and Master’s Degree in Economic Sciences from Tbilisi State University. He holds Master’s Degree in Public Finance and Economic Development from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Master’s Certificate in Project Management from The George Washington University/ESI International/Free University.

Ekaterine Dgebuadze

Ekaterine graduated Tbilisi Independent Institute of Foreign Languages. She received a full scholarship of Oslo State University and got Master Degree of Philosophy in Special Need Education.

Since 2001 she works in different positions at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and is responsible of developing Inclusion in Education, Science, Culture and Sport system.

Ekaterine has teaching experience and currently is a lecturer at Sokhumi State University – Teaching Inclusive Education.

Ekaterine developed the policy of Inclusive Education in Georgia, she carries out different programs and projects in Education, among them she developed the first states projectiles for supporting out of school children’s in Georgia.

In November 2018, Ekaterine joined the International Institute for Education Policy planning and management (EPPM) team.

Khatuna Ioseliani

Khatuna Ioseliani is a Program Manager at the Open Society Georgia Foundation since 2010. During the last eight years she managed higher education, education support, civil society support and national integration programs. Prior to joining OSGF she worked at the Open Society Foundations’ Higher Education Support Program (HESP) as a Director of South Caucasus Academic Fellowship Program; At the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) she acted as Project Management Specialist and at the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations, in the capacity of Second Secretary.  .

Khatuna has a Master’s Degree in International Education Policy from Columbia University (USA) and Master’s Degree in International Politics from Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).

Khatuna joined EPPM team in November, 2018

Nino Begiashvili Ph.D

Nino Begiashvili holds PhD in Law from New Vision University. Nino has an outstanding professional experience in developing education legislation base and educational quality assurance system. She has served at LEPL National Center of Education Quality Enhancement at different positions, including manageral and was one of the leading persons in higher education quality assurance system reform. She has been awarded with a number of scholarships, including German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and German foundation on international legal cooperation (IRZ). She has also won a Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation grant competition under which she conducted a doctoral research at Max Plank University, Germany. Since 2011 she is an Editor in Chief of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) “Student Law Journal” as well as an author of many legal articles.

Nino joined EPPM team in November 2018.

Natela Sakhokia

Mrs. Natela Sakhokia is the expert in Public Administration and Public Policy Analysis as well as non-military national security issues. Since 1991 until present she serves as a director of the Strategic Research Institute. Mrs. Sakhokia has long term experience of consulting state institutions –  the Parliament of Georgia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs etc on different policy issues. During her carrier, she worked with number of international organizations, UNDP, INICEF, EU and USAID among them. Mrs. Natela Sakhokia has been working towards development of the Georgian education system and produced number of publications on education policy issues.

Mrs. Natela Sakhokia joined EPPM in March 2019.

George Eminashvili

George Eminashvili is a Master of Law. He also holds the academic degrees in General Management and Information Technologies. He has 20 years of working experience in private, public and civil sector as a strategic development and planning analyst. He also held different leading positions in various business companies related to strategic development and internal audit.

Since 2004 he has been giving lectures in the Caucasus Academic Center (CAC) in contemporary business, business design, public relations, finance and business legislation. George has designed the course in sales effectiveness and since 2016 has been teaching at the Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA).

From 2014 George is Lloyd’s Register UK certified internal audit system expert (ISO 9001: 2008). Over the years George is the partner of consulting company SECM and is providing consulting service to various local and foreign business companies and public institutions, including education institutions in the field of budgeting, strategic development and other.

George has joined EPPM in March 2019