Marlena Ivanović graduated from the Political Sciences Faculty of the Vienna State University. She attended various seminars and workshops on the Austrian political system, European integration, and the Western Balkan. Additionally, she volunteered as an environmental protection activist within the Mother Earth Protection campaign in Vienna. During her studies, she worked at the foreign trade company Ghbryal Gesellschaft in Vienna, as an assistant manager and administrative assistant. She successfully completed the Regional Democracy School organized by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), the Center for International Relations from Banja Luka, and the Center for International Studies from Zagreb in Banja Luka. Marlena also finished the capacity-building program for youth within the CGO’s YouthJobLink project – connecting youth and social enterprises, supported by the Directorate for Finance and Contracting of EU Assistance Funds (CFCU) of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Montenegro. During the 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, she participated as an accredited observer from the CCE. Through internal CCE’s trainings, where she previously volunteered, she advanced her skills in event organization, conducting tender procedures, free access to information, using WordPress, writing project proposals, and communicating EU-funded projects, as well as basics of the Albanian language. She participated in numerous seminars and conferences on the topic of hybrid threats and the fight against disinformation in the country and the region. She is a co-author of the publication Digital Activism Against Hate Speech – A Handbook in the Fight Against E-Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, Hatred, and Violence. She is fluent in German and English, with knowledge also of Italian and Spanish.