Nikola Ilic

Nikola is a leadership development and citizen engagement professional, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, social entrepreneur, and executive coach who has led and participated in various community-building and leadership development projects in government and private sectors worldwide. In his 15 years of experience, he has worked with various organizations in Europe, the World Bank, the Obama Foundation (sessions on Adaptive Leadership and coaching for OF International Fellows 2019), and coached politicians, business leaders, and professional athletes. Among his current clients are several US government agencies, UNICEF, and Emerson Foundation. Nikola brings innovative frameworks, including Adaptive Leadership, Adult Development, Community Organizing, and Just in Time Leadership, into his practice and coaching.  

He believes that insight is transformed into action through practice; therefore, a deep understanding of leadership comes from action and practice. That is why he is devoted to practicing the frameworks he is using and commits his time to community organizing campaigns and activism. He is currently volunteering with two NGOs in Europe on a board level and co-leads the Leadership Development Program in the pan-European movement Volt Europa. Nikola is also an entrepreneur, as a co-founder of two LD/tech startups aiming to make leadership development more accessible: ChangeLab Global and Just in Time Leadership.

Nikola holds a MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, a BS in Communications from Hult International Business School, and a coaching certificate from Georgetown University. He is originally from Serbia and today lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and two daughters.