As an evaluator, you recommend change. As a board member, you help lead the change.

Ivanka Tzankova has spent more than three decades assessing whether development programs deliver what they promise. She served for 16 years as Program Office Director at the USAID mission in Bulgaria, then for 15 years at the America for Bulgaria Foundation, where she built the organization's monitoring and evaluation function and led its education portfolio. She holds an MSc in Electronics and a PhD in Computer Science from the Technical University of Sofia. 

You were at the America for Bulgaria Foundation when TSA was created. When did you first learn about TSA, and what stood out to you at the time?

In 2012 when the organization was created and I thought that was a very brave decision.

What made it brave? What did the odds look like from where you were sitting at the time?

Starting any new organization is challenging, but launching an NGO in Bulgaria with a mission to support socially disadvantaged communities was particularly ambitious. The needs were immense, resources were limited, and meaningful results could not be expected overnight. It required not only courage but also patience, determination, and a long-term vision. Choosing to move forward despite those uncertainties demonstrated a strong sense of purpose. Fourteen years later, I believe that courage has been fully justified by the impact TSA has achieved.

After more than thirty years evaluating other people's program from the outside, you joined TSA's Board in January 2025. What made you want a seat inside one?

Curiosity, to know the organization from a different perspective and to support TSA in achieving its ambitious goals.

You have assessed a great many organizations from the outside. What can you see from a seat on the Board that you could not see as a funder or an evaluator?

Evaluation gives you a valuable snapshot of an organization at a particular moment in time. You assess what has been achieved, identify strengths and weaknesses, make recommendations, and your role is largely complete.

Serving on the Board is fundamentally different. You witness the organization's journey over time. You see how decisions evolve into actions, how people grow, how challenges are overcome, and how strategies are refined. Instead of looking at a single frame, you watch the entire film unfold.

Perhaps the biggest difference is responsibility. As an evaluator, you can recommend change. As a board member, you help make it happen. You have the opportunity—and the obligation—to use evidence, including evaluation findings, to influence decisions, support innovation, and help guide the organization toward an even stronger future. The Board is not simply observing change; it is helping to lead it.

You led an education portfolio for fifteen years. Which of TSA's program areas draw you in most?

Early childhood and education speak to me the most.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about the communities TSA works with?

What it takes to want to change and how brave one needs to be to follow his/her dreams. The personal stories of people who now are role models.

Could you perhaps mention one? No name is needed, and one moment or one scene is enough.

I have met several students whose university education was supported by TSA, including graduates of the American University in Bulgaria. What impressed me most was not only their academic success but the determination behind it. They had to overcome circumstances that many people would consider insurmountable - limited opportunities, financial hardship, and low expectations from their environment.

Seeing these young people graduate, confident in their abilities and ready to contribute to society, is deeply inspiring. Their stories remind us that talent is universal, while opportunity is not. With the right support, determination can change the course of a life.

Ivanka Tzankova congratulates the participants of the "Teacher in my Community" program on their university graduation in 2025

What gives you hope when you look at the TSA team and the work ahead?

Their holistic approach to addressing the issues and the right choice of communities to work with and demonstrate that change is possible.

What does the holistic approach look like in practice at TSA? One specific example would bring this to life for readers who do not work in the sector.

Education is a good example because success depends on much more than what happens in the classroom. Children from disadvantaged communities often face barriers long before they start school. If they do not attend kindergarten, they may not learn Bulgarian well enough to succeed in the first grade. Without early support, they begin their education already at a disadvantage.

TSA addresses the entire journey rather than a single stage. It encourages parents to understand the importance of early education, supports kindergartens and teachers so they can respond to children's needs, helps students remain engaged throughout their school years, develops their confidence and 21st-century skills, and opens opportunities for higher education through scholarships and mentoring.

The same integrated thinking extends beyond education. TSA also works with parents to improve employment opportunities, strengthens local partner organizations that deliver programs in communities, and collaborates with municipalities and government institutions so successful approaches can reach more people and become sustainable. Lasting change requires all these elements to work together.

In a few words, how do you envision Bulgaria's future if TSA's mission succeeds?

With more smiling and optimistic faces all over the country.

What do you do outside of your role with TSA?

I consult NGOs on how to use evaluation to demonstrate their achievements in a convincing way, thus increasing the number of their supporters and donors. Beyond my professional work, I am actively involved in an initiative for starting a new cultural entity in Sofia. It is a very different field, but it reflects another passion of mine - the belief that culture, like education, has the power to connect people and shape society.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I also enjoy traveling to less explored parts of the world. Experiencing different cultures and meeting people whose lives are very different from my own continually reminds me how much we can learn from one another.