Sviatoslav Vakarchuk

Sviatoslav (Slava) Vakarchuk is leader and founder of the rock band, Okean Elzy, social activist with a PhD in theoretical physics Okean Elzy is Ukraine’s most successful and popular rock band. Since 1994 Okean Elzy has released 10 studio albums and conducted numerous concert tours around Ukraine and Eastern Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe. In 2015, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk became a Yale World Fellow. He was the third fellow from Ukraine since the program launched in 2002. The program is designed for mid-career professional with a significant record of achievements. From 2015-2016, Slava gave several lectures and presentations at UC Berkeley, Fordham, Columbia and Harvard. In fall 2017, Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) invited Mr. Vakarchuk as a visiting scholar. During his residency at CDDRL Mr. Vakarchuk interacted with the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program. Launched in 2016, the program seeks to provide Ukrainian leaders with opportunities for professional growth and development, as well as the chance to work on a project over the course of a 10-month residency at Stanford University. Slava is also known for his social and cultural projects. In 2015 Sviatoslav Vakarchuk was declared as the most active Ukrainian philanthropist. Slava Vakarchuk is also the founder of “Lyudi Maybutnyogo” (People of the Future) Charity Foundation.