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Ilir Zherka is a human and civil rights activist. He is currently the Executive Director of the Alliance for International Exchange. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the National Conference on Citizenship, DC Vote , and the National Albanian American Council. Zherka also gained political experience working in the Clinton Administration and on Capitol Hill. He has taught emerging leaders at Georgetown University and as an associate with the Human Systems Dynamics Institute.

Additionally, Zherka has served as an advisor to four Democratic presidential campaigns and was an elected member of the Democratic National Committee. Zherka is the author of Winning the Inside Game: the Handbook of Advocacy Strategies. He is also a recognized community leader. Zherka was selected to join Leadership Greater Washington and has received numerous awards, including the Meyer Foundation Exponent Award and the National Urban League's Whitney M. Young Jr. Leadership Award. In 2012, DC Mayor Vincent Gray recognized his work by proclaiming October 26 “Ilir Zherka Day.” The Washingtonian magazine featured Ilir in an in-depth profile, describing him as a “chief strategist” and a “cool tactician.”

Zherka graduated with distinction from Cornell University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. Zherka is Albanian-American. He immigrated as a child with his family to the United States, speaks Albanian, and grew up in New York City.