There are millions of us, across more than 50 countries and 300 cities. We were born in Cluj or in Chicago. Some of us left, some of us stayed, and some of us have never lived in Romania at all. What we share is that we carry Romania with us, and we want it to do well.
GlobalRomania is where that turns into something useful.
A trusted Romanian in every city, every university and every major company in the world.
The trust is the part that matters. A network is only worth belonging to if a Romanian anywhere can find a door that opens, and if a Romanian anywhere is willing to open one.
Today
We are connecting people, communities, and initiatives across the world and creating more ways for Romanians to support one another.
By 2030
GlobalRomania becomes a trusted bridge between Romanians abroad and at home, with a growing portfolio of initiatives whose progress and impact people can see and contribute to.
By 2050
Talent, knowledge, opportunity, and investment flow in both directions, strengthening communities across cities, countries, and generations.
A resilient and connected Romania powered by a world-class diaspora.
To connect Romanians and friends of Romania worldwide, and to turn that connection into work that counts: projects, mentorship, partnerships, careers, and help that arrives when someone actually needs it.
We measure ourselves by what gets built rather than by how many people signed up, because connection on its own has never finished anything.
Five values. We chose them to describe how we behave, not how we would like to sound.
Excellence
We set a high standard and hold to it, in our own work and in anything carrying the GlobalRomania name. Being Romanian is not the qualification. Being good at what you do is.
Collaboration
We look for partners first. We do not compete with people already doing good work in our own community, we join them, because there is far more to do than any one organization can carry.
Action
A bias toward doing. The diaspora has produced a great many plans over the years and rather fewer finished things, so we would rather ship something imperfect and improve it in the open.
Accountability
We follow through. When someone here says they will make the introduction, take the call or read the deck, it happens. Every bit of trust in this network rests on that.
Altruism
Give first. Contribution before ask. The people who do best here are the ones who show up for others long before they need anything themselves.
Four ways in, and none of them is more legitimate than another.
By birth
Born in Romania, whether you stayed or left. The one in Cluj and the one in Berlin are equally GlobalRomanians.
By descent
The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Romanians, born abroad.
By family
Those who married into it and chose to carry it as their own.
By affinity
Friends of Romania. No Romanian blood, just a real attachment to the place and its people, and a decision to stand with it.
Nobody confers this identity and nobody applies for it. If the description fits you, you already are one. There are no tiers and no gatekeeping.
Connect
We introduce people deliberately rather than leaving it to chance, and every introduction carries a human vouch. Someone puts their own reputation behind it. That is why it is worth something, and it is why we never sell one.
Enable
Good initiatives get what they are missing: mentors, partners, working groups, and a route into institutions that are otherwise hard to reach.
Showcase
We put real results in front of people, so that good work inspires more of it and the next person can see it is possible.
This runs through a handful of places: GRX for professional connection and expertise, IdeaLab for turning ideas into projects, Student Ambassadors on university campuses, and local chapters in cities where enough of us live to make meeting in person worth it.
We are not a political organization. We take no partisan positions, endorse no parties and no candidates, and this rule is permanent. It exists because a community that picks a side loses half its members and all of its usefulness.
We are not a social feed, and we are not a place to sell to each other. No paid placements, ever.
The identity is open to everyone it describes. The community platform is a smaller and more deliberate thing: it runs on invitation and review, because members arrive through someone who already knows them, and that is what keeps the trust worth having.
If you recognize yourself in this, apply and tell us what you are building.
Mihai Lehene
Founder and President
Chicago, USA
Luciana Ionescu
Chief Programs Officer
Lisbon, Portugal
Stefan Bota
PR Director
Zalău, Romania
Georgiana Merdariu
Chief Engagement Officer
Chicago, USA
Andreea Golumbeanu
Head of GlobalRomania
Krakow, Poland
Aldina Gheorghe
Institutional and Partners Liaison
Bucharest, Romania
Dragos Iliescu
Non-Executive Director
Luxembourg
Madi Bucheru
Marketing and Communications Lead
Spain
Oana Mican
Social Media and Community Manager
Poland
Diana Gini
Chief Growth Officer at RUF
Spain
Mihaela Livanu
Community Partners Lead
Chicago, USA
Mihaela Lovin
GlobalRomania Structured Network Lead
Detroit, USA
Cristi Puscas
GlobalRomania Business Network Liaison, former CTO at RUF
Timisoara, Romania
Diana Dram
GlobalRomania Business Network Lead
Chicago, USA
Daniel Toda
Tech Team Lead
Timisoara, Romania
Irina Nedeljkovic
Trips to Romania Program Manager
Illinois, USA
Adriana Preda
Fundraising Director
New York, USA
Romina Ionascu
Executive Assistant
Chicago, USA
Amalia Fret
HR and Volunteers Engagement Director
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Irina Ciortea
Finances Assistant
Chicago, USA
Cristina Farmus
Youth Programs Lead
Indiana, USA
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GLOBALROMANIA - brought by Romanian United Fund - Your connection to the world.
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