Teona Surmava is a senior advisor at the Office of the National Security Council of Georgia where she specializes in internal security affairs. Previously, she spent five years at the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, where she worked on police reform efforts and EU integration initiatives in the internal security sphere. She has more than six years of work experience in security sector, covering European integration, law enforcement reform, and countering violent extremism. Teona has worked as a consultant/trainer in community-oriented policing methodology for Project Harmony International (PH International).

Teona is assistant professor at East European University and invited lecturer at Caucasus University where she teaches courses on nationalism and its impact on international relations.

Teona holds a Master of Arts in Nationalism Studies from Central European University (Budapest, Hungary) and Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Tbilisi, Georgia).

Teona is an Alumna of various international programs, including the Leadership Lab Fellowship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the U.S. State Department’s Professional Fellowship Program (PFP) and the Swedish Institute Summer Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP).