Kaplan Grantees

Through the generous support of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, ten heritage professionals have been selected as the 2026 ICOM-CC Fund Kaplan Grantees to attend  the ICOM-CC  21st Triennial Conference in Oslo, Norway, September 2026.

The J.M. Kaplan Fund, operating worldwide from New York, has given these exceptional professionals the opportunity to connect, learn, and share their knowledge in Oslo with colleagues from around the world.

This fellowship program reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the global conservation community by ensuring that voices with experience from countries facing significant political, economic, or social challenges are present and heard at the most important international gathering of heritage conservation professionals . 

The grantees selected to travel to Oslo have important roles in projects in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Greece, Iraq, Lebanon, Macedonia, Syria and Ukraine, bringing with them invaluable expertise and perspectives shaped by working in some of the world's most complex heritage contexts.

Hiba Albassir

Hiba Albassir is a Syrian-German conservator and cultural heritage expert with over 30 years of experience in archaeological restoration and project management. Born in Damascus in 1968, she studied technical drawing and conservation in Syria and Germany, including training at the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz and the German Historical Museum in Berlin.
From 1990 to 2010, she participated in major excavations across Syria, specializing in the restoration of clay tablets, glass, and metal artifacts. She worked with the German Archaeological Institute and the Syrian Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums. In 2013, she came to Germany through a program of the Federal Foreign Office and joined the "Syrian Heritage Archive" project at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.
Since 2017, she has been managing humanitarian and cultural projects for Syrienhilfe e.V. in Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon. She is also a founding member of Simat e.V. – Syrians for Heritage – in Berlin. In 2023, she was part of the team working on the Raqqa Museum project. Hiba is deeply committed to preserving cultural identity while supporting communities affected by conflict.

Lila Bajjaly

Lila Bajjaly is a public policy advocate and communications officer at Biladi, an NGO dedicated to the protection and education of cultural heritage in Lebanon and the wider region. With a background in political and administrative science, Lila focuses on the intersection of heritage preservation, social justice, and community resilience in times of crisis. Her focus centers on how safeguarding cultural identity empowers local communities, transforming heritage protection from static preservation into a dynamic tool for civic pride, intergenerational learning, and regional growth. Passionate about bringing policy to practice, Lila is dedicated to understanding how connecting individuals with their local history fosters agency and long-term social cohesion.

Sydney Betancourt

Sydney Betancourt is a graduate from University College London’s Master’s program in Objects Conservation, where she completed dissertation research on the corrosion of archaeological iron. During her graduate studies, Sydney interned with the Kaymakçi Archaeological Project in Haciveliler, Turkey, and with Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum. Since graduating, Sydney has worked as the Head Conservator for the University of Cincinnati Palace of Nestor Excavations in Pylos, Greece. While still early in her career, Sydney has gained much experience conserving artifacts of diverse materials and contexts. She looks forward to learning from the conference presentations and forging new connections with colleagues from around the world.  

Silvana Blazhevska 

Silvana Blazhevska holds a BA, MA, and PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, North Macedonia. She gained extensive field experience at archaeological sites in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Israel, contributing to the organization, supervision, and documentation of excavations. From 2002 to 2008, she served as curator of the Hellenistic period collection at the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje. Since 2009, she has been director of the National Institution for Management of the Archaeological Site Stobi, leading programs for archaeological research, conservation, and public presentation of the site's cultural heritage. She has directed major excavation projects, international archaeological field schools, and conservation workshops, while overseeing the preservation of both architectural remains and movable heritage. An active researcher and heritage professional, she has presented her work at numerous international conferences and public lectures.

Giota Bouri

Panagiota (Giota) Bouri is a conservator of antiquities in Athens, Greece. She graduated from the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art of the University of West Attica in Athens, with a specialization in Conservation of Archaeological materials and Historical documents. Her main interest is in conservation of metals and composite objects. Professionally trained in both lab-based and on-site conservation, in 2021 Giota joined the Bronze Age Palace of Nestor excavation (University of Cincinnati) in Pylos, Greece. She served as head of conservation from February 2023 until August 2025 treating both organic and inorganic materials from two newly discovered Mycenaean beehive tombs and the grave of the Griffin Warrior. Giota was instrumental in conserving objects for the traveling exhibition: “The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Mycenaean Greece.” She assisted in the installation in the Archaeological Museum of Messenia; the Getty Villa; and the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum.

Kateryna Kulai

Kateryna Kulai is a Ukrainian cultural leader and museum professional committed to safeguarding and strengthening cultural heritage in times of war. As Director of the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum, she has played a key role in ensuring the institution’s resilience, leading emergency response efforts, developing international partnerships, and expanding public engagement despite the challenges of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Alongside her museum leadership, Kateryna serves as Project Manager at Museum for Change, supporting cultural institutions across Ukraine in protecting museum collections and historic sites. She has successfully managed more than 20 national and international projects supported by UNESCO, ALIPH, USAID, the Goethe-Institut, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and other partners.
Kateryna is an alumna of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and the Aspen Institute Kyiv Responsible Leadership Program. She is currently pursuing an Executive MBA at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.

Amanda Long

Amanda Long has spent her career committed to the understanding and preservation of cultural heritage. She has a degree in International Relations from American University and two postgraduate degrees in archaeology from University College London’s Institute of Archaeology. Amanda’s time at the Smithsonian Institution, from 2014 to 2022, continued to focus on heritage preservation, including coordinating the Preventing Trafficking/Protecting Cultural Heritage training for Homeland Security Investigations. As the Executive Director of The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII), Amanda oversees all of TARII’s activities, developments, and personnel. The Institute has been led by Amanda since 2018, a period which has seen TARII develop significant capacity and a strategic plan, successful recognition of TARII as an NGO in federal Iraq and the IKR, and the development of all Iraqi facilities, personnel, and projects.

Angela Pencheva

Angela Pencheva is a co-founder, program director, and member of the Board of Directors of the Balkan Heritage Foundation, and a program director of the foundation's main educational program, the Balkan Heritage Field School. She holds a master's degree in Classical Archaeology from Sofia University in Sofia, Bulgaria, and a Ph.D. in the same subject from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. She also works as an adjunct professor in CPCE at New Bulgarian University in Bulgaria. Over the past 15 years, she has coordinated various field schools and research projects in archaeology, conservation, and preservation of cultural heritage. She has served as a former board member and secretary of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM) (2017-2022).

Mohammad Fahim Rahimi

Mohammad Fahim Rahimi is an Afghan archaeologist and museum professional specializing in museum management, cultural heritage preservation, and archaeology. He holds a B.A. in Archaeology and Anthropology from Kabul University (2005) and an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania (2016) as a Fulbright Scholar. He joined the National Museum of Afghanistan in 2007 as a curator, became Chief Curator in 2013, and later served as Director, leading museums development in Afghanistan, exhibitions, collections management, conservation, and the repatriation of cultural property. He has completed specialized training at ICCROM, the University of Vienna, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and served as an ICCROM mentor in 2021. Rahimi is the founder and director of the Cultural Heritages of Afghanistan Conservation and Research Institute (CHACRI). Through CHACRI, he has led major projects to document, conserve, and rehabilitate the Museums across Afghanistan, contributing to the protection and promotion of Afghanistan's cultural heritage.

Tetiana Trehubova

Tetiana Trehubova has been working with Museum for Change since 2026, an Odesa-based non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering Ukrainian cultural institutions. While its origins lie in modernizing museums and boosting fundraising, the priority today is safeguarding cultural heritage, evacuating collections, and supporting museum teams across Ukraine in times of war.