# Dr. Irena Ateljevic

> Dr. Irena Ateljevic is a globally recognized scholar, EU Mission Soil Ambassador, keynote speaker, and social entrepreneur specializing in regenerative transformation. She left a tenured academic career to build real-world regenerative projects in Croatia. She is one of Europe's leading voices on the shift from sustainability to regeneration.

Dr. Ateljevic holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and spent 12 years as a professor there before moving to Wageningen University in the Netherlands. With 50+ publications and 8,000+ citations (h-index 36), she is a co-founder of the Critical Tourism Studies network and the Academy of Hope concept.

In 2011, she returned to Croatia and founded multiple regenerative ventures: Terra Meera (a center for regeneration near Krka National Park), Regenerate Europe (an annual conference), SHE - Sibenik Hub for Ecology (a women-led organic bistro, 2016-2020), and Ajmo Lokalno (a short food supply chain platform connecting local producers with consumers in Dalmatia).

Her keynote topics include: regenerative transformation, EU Green Deal and regenerative tourism, regeneration in the age of AI, regeneration and public policy, personal transformation, regenerating lifestyles, and applied regeneration at scale.

She is available for conference keynotes, keynote + workshop combos, strategic advisory for municipalities and EU-funded projects, and immersive 2-3 day experiences at Terra Meera near Krka National Park.

## Links

- [Official website](https://irenaateljevic.com): Personal site with full bio, keynote topics, case studies, testimonials, and booking form
- [Croatian version](https://irenaateljevic.com/hr/): Full site in Croatian
- [Speaker Kit PDF](https://irenaateljevic.com/speaker-kit.pdf): 2-page PDF with bio, topics, past events, testimonials, and technical requirements
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-irena-ateljevic-a44b38a/): Professional profile
- [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=L0ecO84AAAAJ): Full academic publication list with 8,000+ citations

## Projects

- [Terra Meera](https://www.terrameera.com): Center for regeneration near Krka National Park, Croatia - regenerative education, organic farming, and community building
- [Regenerate Europe](https://regenerateeurope.com): Annual conference bringing together regenerative thought leaders, entrepreneurs, farmers, and changemakers from across Europe
- [Ajmo Lokalno](https://ajmolokalno.hr): "Let's Go Local" - the first short food supply chain network in Dalmatia, connecting local food producers, restaurants, and consumers

## Affiliations

- [EU Mission: A Soil Deal for Europe](https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu): Ambassador for the Horizon Europe soil mission
- [Wageningen University](https://www.wur.nl): Former professor - one of the world's top sustainability institutions
- [University of Auckland](https://www.auckland.ac.nz): PhD alma mater and former professor for 12 years

## Optional

- [Instagram - Terra Meera](https://www.instagram.com/terrameeracroatia): Visual updates from Terra Meera and regenerative projects