Successful Croatian women from around the world
Dr. Elizabeth Kera, New Jersey, USA (see her short biography below)
Recipients of the Croatian Women’s Network Award, Zagreb 2023.
The Croatian Glagolitic letter Ž (held by each awardee) is for Žena – Woman. The name of this Glagolitic word is živite, derived from Život – Life!
| Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža hrvatskih žena Welcome to the Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža hrvatskih žena A global forum for the advancement, dialogue and education of and about women’s issues Our members are successful women from around the world, who share Croatian heritage and ancestry and come together to celebrate achievements, to inspire, champion and mentor younger generations. Become a member today and join a network of incredible women who celebrate, champion and connect like-minded members around the world. More details: www.CroatianWomensNetwork.org |
Ms. Caroline Spivak, Canada, the founder of the Croatian Women’s Network
Cathy Gorn (USA), Elizabeth Kera (USA), and Sara Dyson (Croatia).
Dr. Gorn ordered her beautiful golden dress, inspired by Croatian folklore.
Julija Kaleb (Croatia) and Elizabeth Kera (USA) in Zagreb
| Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža Hrvatskih Žena Congratulates the 2023 Croatian Women of Influence Award Winners Prestigious award recognizes 23 leaders from 10 countries Toronto, ON, Canada & Zagreb, Republic Croatia, November 15, 2022 “Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža Hrvatskih Žena congratulates the 23 winners of the coveted Croatian Women of Influence Award which will be conferred at a gala event on International Women’s Day Wednesday, March 8th, 2023 in Zagreb, Republic of Croatia. “We are thrilled to come back to Zagreb and host our conference and awards gala event,” said Caroline Spivak, founder, Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža Hrvatskih Žena and the Croatian Women of Influence awards. “This year we received nominations from nine new countries, and in particular, an increased number of first-time nominees, and now winners, from South America. The growing international interest in the award reinforces our purpose as we continue to connect, celebrate, champion and recognize the accomplishments of Croatian women the world over. “CWN/MHŽ thanks and congratulates all its nominees and its 2023 laureates. They are true role models and women of inspiration.” Winners were drawn from more than 135 nominations representing 17 countries. The 2023 class of laureates come from Argentina, Austria, Chile, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Peru, Serbia and the United States of America. This brings the overall number of award winners to 140 selected from more than 400 nominations. A complete list of the 2023 Croatian Women of Influence Award winners can be found at https://croatianwomensnetwork.org/cwoi-awards/cwoi-2023. The Croatian Women of Influence Award recognizes leadership, innovation and community impact of Croatian women and will be conferred to 23 distinguished women from the Republic of Croatia and the vast Croatian diaspora. “While the class of 2023 does not include any Future Leaders Award winners, we look forward to encouraging our young woman under the age of 21 who have demonstrated extraordinary talent at an early age to give us the opportunity to recognize and support them. “We have a significant opportunity to cultivate future generations of successful Croatian women and we stand ready to do so,” said Spivak. Awards will be presented at a gala event celebrating International Women’s Day, following the international conference: Advancing Women, Advancing Economies. Realize the Potential! She Can on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The Croatian Women’s NetworkTM/ Mreža Hrvatskih Žena/Red de Mujeres Croatas is a global forum that celebrates, champions and connects distinguished women of Croatian ancestry from around the world who work together to inspire and support each other. The Croatian Women of Influence Award and the Future Leader Award honor their achievements. More information can be found at www.CroatianWomensNetwork.org and @CWNLeaders. Media Contacts: Ivana Perkovac, Profile Communications Corp. MediaRH@ProfileComs.com 092 1660 630 Caroline Spivak, founder of Croatian Women’s NetworkTM / Mreža hrvatskih žena Info@Croatianwomensnetwork.org 1.416.371.9740 CROATIAN WOMEN OF INFLUENCE AWARD – 2023
Croatian Women of Influence – interviews |
Croatian women with Mr. Goran Grlić Radman, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Croatia
| Dr. Elizabeth Kera Dr. Elizabeth Kera was born in the USA, but her roots are from the city of Nin, Croatia. Her parents instilled the value of her culture early on during their yearly trips to Croatia to visit family. After attending a specialized magnet school for her secondary education at the Bergen County Academies in New Jersey (the Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology), she obtained her B.A. in Psychology as an Honors Scholar at New York University in 2000. During her undergraduate studies, she wanted to be more involved in representing her community, and became president of the Croatian Cultural League, a student club on campus at NYU. She went on to complete her M.A. and M.Phil. in psychology and her Ph.D. in 2006 in neuropsychology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. During her graduate studies, Dr. Kera founded the Croatia Neuropsychology Group as an online forum to bring those in the field of Croatian descent closer together.  In the following years, Dr. Kera completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Children’s Specialized Hospital of New Jersey, respectively. She currently serves as the Director of the Division of Psychology and Neuropsychology within the Neuroscience Institute/Department of Neurology at Hackensack University Medical Center and is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. She is also the Co-Director of the North Jersey Neurodevelopmental Center. Dr. Kera’s specialty focuses on the neuropsychological assessment of cognitive functions within both pediatric neurologic and adult neurologic populations. Dr. Kera has co-authored numerous publications and presented on a variety of topics in neuropsychology. Given her background, Dr. Kera has also served as a consultant to several pharmaceutical companies to oversee the administration of neuropsychological assessment tools within clinical dementia trials within Croatia. Dr. Kera is an active member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, the American Psychological Association, and the International Neuropsychological Society, serving as a representative for Croatia on the Global Engagement Committee of the INS. The goal of the committee and thus of its representatives is to provide the assistance necessary to further the field of neuropsychology across the globe. In 2020, Dr. Kera was named a “Croatian Woman of Influence” by the Croatian Women’s Network based on her advocacy for the field of neuropsychology within Croatia and research collaborations internationally. She was the first board certified neuropsychologist to request that the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology add Croatian to their list of languages for which neuropsychological assessment is available within the USA. Dr. Kera is also an advisory board member for PingPongParkinson (PPP), a charity organization founded by Nenad Bach which is dedicated to the rehabilitation of Parkinson’s disease through table tennis. She founded the first PPP chapter in New Jersey, which today continues to meet in River Edge, NJ. In 2020, she helped secure a Parkinson’s Foundation Community Grant which highlighted the benefits of physical, cognitive, and social engagement through the PPP program. Elizabeth Kera, PhD, ABPP-CN |
Elizabeth Kera in Zagreb, 2nd from the right, accompanied with
Radojka Šverko (Croatian diva) on the far right, her mother Ankica Ćurko, Vjera Bach, and Darko Žubrinić.
Lavishly decorated initial of Croatian Glagolitic letter Ž appearing in Hrvoje’s Missal dating from 1404.
The book is kept in Istanbul, in the Library of Turkish Sultans (Topkapi Sarayi).
Yelow ornaments are made of gold. The intial Ž is a part of the word Žena, appearing in a Biblical text
describing the importance of woman in family.
