Anna Soboleva, born in Liepaja (Latvia), graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU) and later continued her post graduate studies at the faculty of psychology of MGU.

She conducted research on human cognitive processes, taught general, cognitive and social psychology, author of training courses: "Organizational Behavior", "Team Building", "Psychology of Personnel Management".

Anna has worked as a consultant on organizational development, as the adviser on public relations in politics, and as the director of personnel management at an automobile factory.

In 2004 when the Latvian government launched an attack on Russian schools, trying to eradicate teaching in Russian language, Anna joined the Russian School Defense Staff (Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools).  Anna is currently a member of the Council of Russian Humanitarian SEMINARIUM HORTUS HUMANITATIS in Riga and a member of a group for strategic analysis of the Joint Congress of Russian Communities in Latvia.

When asked why she joined the Building Global Democracy Programme and what her aspirations for the programme were, Anna replied:

"I want to tell colleagues and reflect with them on how, in the formally democratic Latvia, an apartheid regime was established, lasting 18 years. This was a political system which divided the population into citizens and non-citizens.

I want to get support and advice on how can one work and struggle in an EU country to stop discrimination against the Russian speaking population, and I want to share our practical experience as a multinational country in Europe confronting the policy of exclusion and cultural destruction of culture and education in people’s native language.

I am sure that the analysis of successes and failures of civil resistance against ethnocratic regimes, belief in justice and solidarity will help me be useful for BGD project and I expect to meet like-minded people".

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