Blerta Thaci is the Executive Director of Open Data Kosovo and the founder of Girls Coding Kosova. Her main goal is to contribute to public causes and to help the youth of Kosovo build their capacities in the tech industry. She is driven to contributing to the formation of ‘smart institutions’ that deliver high-quality services to Kosovo’s citizens. As ODK’s Executive Director, Blerta has always encouraged young women to take part in the events and workshops organized by the organization and has granted a number of the participants internship opportunities.

She studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Prishtina. She was awarded the FIDES Philanthropy Award in 2016 and the Women in ICT Award in 2017. Blerta is also a part of different local and international tech communities, including FLOSSK, Prishtina Hackerspace, Open Heroines, and TransparenCEE. She was previously awarded the Forbes 30 Under 30 award for her work at Open Data Kosovo, which recognized the organization as one of the most successful initiatives for contributing to the improvement of Law and Policy making in Europe.

Blerta strives to help young Kosovars develop their technical abilities and portfolios through mentorship and training programs. She is constantly engaged in fostering new international partnerships that focus on providing expertise for potential civic-tech initiatives. Throughout her working experience, Blerta has shifted her contribution from the developing end to advocating for ideas that aim to open government through digital humanitarianism.