Meet The Team

Srdjan Vukovic

Born in Belgrade, I grew up in New Jersey and went to school at NYU.  A father of two and husband, I enjoy family time when I am not working, which is most of the time.  I have 18 years experience as a professional investor, and prior to that 2 years of investment banking training.  I love working with motivated people who are looking to make a positive impact in the world, which is why I enjoy working with the SPA team.

Ivana Boberic

Coming from a small town in “South Bačka” called Bečej and being surrounded by people with big hearts, I embarked on the journey to make my dreams come true. It all started at tennis courts close by the river Tisa where I spent every day practicing tennis. Little by little, tennis
became my passion and after countless hours spent on the court practicing tennis, I received a scholarship at Division 1 university in the United States. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I got the opportunity to be a graduate assistant tennis coach while completing my
master’s degree. Little did I know that my tennis journey is about to come to an end, and that the new chapter of my professional life is about to start.

My professional career started at Deloitte as an international tax consultant and after gaining some experience, I decided to transfer and move into the Mergers and Acquisition – Valuation and Modeling team.
While working in the New York City, I had the opportunity to meet like minded professionals from Serbia, with similar journeys, same love for our culture and one common vision to make a lasting positive impact on the Serbian community. After volunteering for two years and helping
to organize the Serbian Philanthropic Gala, I am proud to be a member of Serbian Philanthropic Association and I am looking forward to all the new projects and ideas that will continue to make this positive impact in our community.

Aleksandra Markovic

I entered the vibrant world of fashion at the age of 23, and ever since, never wanted to leave.   I got knee-deep with three different publications – started off with Jolie, continued to Grazia Serbia as Editor-in-Chief and then to Harper’s Bazaar Serbia as an Executive Editor. From Rome with Valentino, to London with Burberry and Paris with Givenchy, I got to travel the world with high end fashion brands, and eventually dropped my anchor in New York City.

Philanthropy is quite literally in my blood, as that was how I got to beat leukemia – thanks to the kind donations of my Dad’s coworkers. Driven by that experience, ever since the early age, I’ve been eagerly looking for ways to give back to other children that are fighting the same battle.

Vladimir Pavlovic

Born and raised in Belgrade, I’ve lived in New York City for 20 years now. Did a number of odd jobs early on: parking attendant, yellow cab driver, graveyard shift waiter, ultimately ended up in law school.

Practiced law in New York City for a number of years, now working in legal tech. I enjoy basketball, biking, and most other sports, reading fiction, Harlem jazz. Late bloomer. These days spending time with my daughter Leda. Really excited to be a part of Serbian Philanthropic Association.

Milos Citakovic

Founder and Chief Operating Officer of EvermedTV, an online platform that is bringing world-class medical education to physicians around the world.

I’m entrepreneur and an active angel investor in the New York City tech scene. In 2017 I started the New York City chapter of Serbian Entrepreneurs, a pay-it-forward global network of entrepreneurs fostering the Serbian startup ecosystem.

Igor Mladenovic

At the age of 7, I was in possession of an non-exhaustive amount of energy that my parents didn’t know what to do with. They thought sports were the only answer, and lucky for me, they were right. Fast forward 10 years, I was a part of the Serbian water polo national team, traveling across the world and winning many championships. Soon after, I decided to move to New York City to study finance and play NCAA Division I water polo. During that era, I was a 3 times Final 4 finalist and was also recognized as a first-team All-American athlete.

However, since we all know water polo is no American football, I decided to hang my water polo cap and put my finance hat on and pursue a management consulting career. A decade later, I am still wearing the same hat and happy to call New York City my second home. What I have learnt working at Ernst & Young is that working in a corporate job is very similar to a water polo game, it all comes down to who your team is and how you work together. That is also exactly why I am truly honored to be a part of this fantastic group of people.

Anja Martinovic

Born and raised in Belgrade where I grew up playing basketball, dancing folklor and aspiring to pursue international relations degree in New York. My interests in the latter led me to youth NGOs in Serbia and Europe where I met interesting people from all over the globe, learning about different cultures, values, but also proudly representing my country.

As life is quite unpredictable, I ended up graduating in Los Angeles with Finance and Film Studies degrees, lived in DC afterwards and finally landed to the capital of the world where I work in strategy consulting.

I love traveling and discovering new places, film, sports, good wine and meeting brilliant people who inspire me to learn, grow and create every day. Serbian Philanthropic Association definitely gave me that opportunity and I am more than proud to share values and work towards same goals with the rest of the wonderful team.

Petar Marković

From Belgrade, via London, with a pit stop in Bengaluru, landed amidst New York City skyscrapers in 2014.

Today, Vice President in Investment Banking of Deutsche Bank, focusing on corporate derivatives. Previously, he worked at Goldman Sachs for ten years across London, Bengaluru, and New York.

At one point, burnt candles at both ends, while getting an Executive MBA degree from Columbia University. When time permits, making attempts at arts – such as playing the piano and writing a novel.

First step towards philanthropic work was a volunteer position at the 2009 University Olympics in Belgrade. Later on, started mentoring students and professionals; organized and helped organize several fundraisers in New York City: flood relief in 2014, a traditional music concert in 2016 and banquets from 2015 to 2018 for the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava. Currently, main philanthropic activities revolve around the non-profit school IT Bootcamp, and the Serbian Philanthropic Association.

Mihajlo Kozjak

Born in Belgrade and raised in a part of town called “New Belgrade” (across river from the old town and city center) did not stop me from getting on an adventure as a curious 10-year-old boy to cross the bridge by myself and explore new neighborhoods and playgrounds I’ve never seen before. That same curiosity kept growing and by the age of 17 I found myself once again
on a lonely adventure, except this time I was crossing the Atlantic Ocean to study in USA.
Now, after almost 15 years, few different states and cities, I’ve settled in Washington, D.C. where I’ve been working as an M&A advisor at EY-Parthenon for the past five years. Leaving Serbia in pursuit of my professional career always felt like a piece of me was left behind which is why I would always get myself involved within local Serbian community, whether through dancing “folklor”, volunteering at the “SerbFest” or participating in different
social and cultural events. Naturally, it made sense to be part of SPA, teamed up with Serbian professionals with the same passion and willingness to make a positive impact involving both Serbia and its diaspora. Through SPA platform, my personal commitment is to help inspire
other Serbian communities to become organized, and philanthropically active.

Lana Butorović

Lana is a financial technology consultant at Ernst & Young and delivers both on strategy and software development projects within the emerging technology space across industries (financial services, customer/retail, life sciences, technology to name a few). Her professional skills range from deep technical understanding of financial concepts, full-stack programming and data analysis skills, to project management and strategic business decision-making. She came to the United States 6 years ago as a college student at Lehigh University where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Business Information Systems. Lana served as a United Nations representative for the American Association of University Women throughout her time at Lehigh and continues to be committed to diversity and equity in all her involvements. With this in mind, she aims to create a more equitable society by enhancing financial and technical literacy by bringing a unique blend of skills to the table. In her spare time, Lana does her best to stay physically healthy and active and enjoys cooking, listening to live music, and attending museums and galleries around New York City.

Ana Stanisavljev

Coming to the big city, the Serbian Philanthropic Association gave me a sense of home, echoing the Balkan community I grew up with in the DC area. I’m a Marketing Strategist in financial services by trade, and a graduate of the University of Virginia. As a serious foodie, lifelong language learner, and avid traveler, New York is never short on adventure, and the SPA is where I channel that energy toward something bigger than myself.

Nikola Ćosić

I’m a Senior Analyst at Ariel Property Advisors, where I lead a team dedicated to evaluating commercial real estate properties and producing market reports throughout New York City. With seven years of experience in NYC commercial real estate, I bring comprehensive market insight and analytical expertise to his role.

Originally from Serbia, I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Marketing from the Faculty of Economics in Subotica at the University of Novi Sad, where I also served as Student Vice-Dean.

Deeply committed to giving back and staying connected to my roots, I’ve been an active and dedicated supporter of the Serbian Philanthropic Association since 2022. Outside of my professional and philanthropic work, I prioritize staying physically active and spending quality time with my family.

Jelena Dragović

My journey has taken me from professional volleyball courts to negotiating international technology deals in New York, but one thing has remained constant: my belief in the power of people coming together.

I’m a New York-based attorney working in the technology sector, with a background spanning professional sports, international business, and law. Having grown up in a family of six siblings, teamwork, resilience, and looking out for one another have always been part of my life, long before they became part of my career.

That same sense of community is what drew me to the Serbian Philanthropic Association. For me, philanthropy is about more than giving back. It’s about connecting people, creating opportunities, and making sure that the success we build abroad can have a meaningful impact on the communities we remain connected to.

What I love most about SPA is the people behind it and the shared commitment to making a difference. I’m proud to be part of a community that turns good intentions into meaningful action, and even more excited about what we can accomplish together.

Sofija Vujasinović

Growing up in Novi Sad, my professional journey started with my initial studies in gastronomy, which opened doors to the hospitality industry across Slovenia and the United States. Drawn by a love for the mountains, I later moved to Kopaonik, leading the pastry department at a 5-star hotel while spending every free moment on the ski slopes. Advancing into high-end hospitality was a natural next step, ultimately bringing me to New York, where working within a demanding, 3-Michelin-starred restaurant as a Pastry Sous Chef taught me firsthand the true power of exceptional teamwork.

That same appreciation for shared effort brought me to the Serbian Philanthropic Association, where I found an equally remarkable and driven community. Working alongside the SPA team has been a deeply rewarding experience, where a shared mission meets inspiring people.

Today, as I pursue my PhD studies in gastronomy and embrace new professional and personal horizons, I look forward to continuing to make a meaningful impact together with SPA.

Matija Andjelković

Like a lot of kids in Belgrade, I grew up with a basketball in my hands. What started as afternoons on the city’s outdoor courts slowly turned into a dream, and at 17 I packed my bags and crossed the ocean to play high school basketball in the United States. That leap opened the door to playing college basketball, and between practices and road games, I earned my degree in finance.

When it came time to hang up my sneakers, I brought the same competitive drive into the world of finance, where I’ve spent my career advising public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions. That path has now taken me from New York to the West Coast, where I recently joined Evercore in Menlo Park.

Leaving Serbia at 17 meant growing up between two worlds. With every move, from Belgrade to New York and now to California, I’ve looked for ways to stay connected to home, to the language, the culture, and most of all the people. SPA gave me exactly that, a team of Serbian professionals who share the same drive to give back. Basketball taught me early on that the best results come from a team that trusts each other, and years later, that’s exactly what I’ve found at SPA.

Lada Durica

For me, giving back has always started close to home. Having spent my childhood in Serbia, I still have close family ties there, and that connection, together with a lifelong belief in the power of family and education, drives much of my charitable work.

That belief has shaped my path in many ways: I have worked as a teacher, volunteered with Teach First, and continue to mentor others. Through SPA, I am proud to help connect our New York community with projects in Serbia that strengthen families and open doors through education.

Professionally, I am an Ads Account Manager III at Amazon Publisher Services (APS) in New York, with more than 13 years of experience in digital advertising across APS, Nativo, and Bauer Media. I joined Amazon in London before relocating to New York. Beyond SPA, I also volunteer through Amazon’s corporate giving programs.