Zsuzsanna Szelényi is Program Director of the CEU Democracy Institute Leadership Academy.
Before joining the CEU Democracy Institute, Zsuzsanna Szelényi was Richard von Weizsäcker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin conducting research on polarization, populism, and autocratization as threats to democracy in the context of the future of the European Union.
Between 2014-2018 Ms Szelényi has been a liberal Member of Parliament in Hungary, covering foreign policy, migration, and constitutional affairs.
Before rejoining politics in 2012 in Hungary, Ms Szelényi served at the Council of Europe advising governments and NGOs on conflict management, human rights education, and human development issues. Between 2010-2013 she worked as a human development consultant for international organizations in various Central European and North African countries.
Ms. Szelenyi started her career as a member of Fidesz, a youth party at the regime change in Hungary in 1988. As a Member of Parliament, she was dealing with international and migration affairs. She left politics in 1994 for a professional career. In 2012 she returned to Hungarian politics.