Ivan Stepurin is a candidate of technical sciences, PhD. Director of the Samit-Kniga Publishing House and co-founder of the Samit-Film production company, director of the ICF "Your Kindness". He is a member of the Public Council at the Kyiv City State Administration, member of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Book Distributors, co-chairman of the Ukrainian Association of Adventure and Detective Writers, executive secretary of the Public Council for Culture and Sports of Ukraine, expert of the All-Ukrainian Literary Competition "Coronation of the Word". Ivan Stepurin is convinced that "Ukrainian Smile" is a means of doing good in Ukraine! His life credo: "Live so that people are the goal, not the means.".

She graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University in 1971. She worked as a dental surgeon, later completed a clinical residency, and then moved to work at Ohmatdyt, where she has been working for about 35 years. Her main area of expertise is cleft lip and palate treatment. "When you see how a child changes and how parents change, it is a real gift to a surgeon. I always tell parents: We put even more into this than you think," Natalia says. She trained in America, where she had the opportunity to study new modern techniques with the best professors.She has been working with Smile Train for many years: "Don't be afraid and do what you have to do.".

Working with Ukrainian Smile, Olena applies her 27 years of experience in public service in the fields of social protection and public finance. She is skilled in planning, utilizing, analyzing, and monitoring the use of budget funds and in preparing draft regulatory legal acts. She gained project management experience through five years of work in the World Bank project “Modernization of Ukraine’s Social Support System.” “When you see smiles on children’s faces and hear positive feedback from parents and professionals, when you feel their genuine emotions from being part of our projects – it inspires you and motivates you to move forward.”.

She has over 23 years of experience in public administration, social policy, labor, and employment, having served as Deputy Director of the State Employment Center. Since 2018, she has coordinated World Bank projects and government initiatives aimed at modernizing Ukraine’s social support system. Currently, she coordinates the implementation of projects by the NGO “Ukrainian Smile” in the fields of education, psychological support, and child protection in frontline regions of Ukraine.

For 20 years, she has built a successful corporate career in top international companies such as Henkel, Nestle and Unilever. For the last 4 years, she has been the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Henkel in Ukraine, and for 2 years she was a member of the Board of Directors of the European Business Association. She has been repeatedly included in the list of "Top 100 Most Successful Women in Ukraine" and one of the most effective top managers in the country. Currently, she is developing new digital formats for education in the world and for Ukrainian schools, as well as a charity and countering disinformation in the interests of Ukraine. Nina is a co-founder of Women on Boards Ukraine, an association of women leaders in corporate governance. Her life motto is "Every crisis is a new opportunity.".

PhD in Philosophy (Philosophy of Education), Professor of the Department of Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Education and Educational Policy, and of the UNESCO Chair in Science Education at the Ukrainian State University of Mykhailo Drahomanov. She has over ten years of experience in management, monitoring, and evaluation of international educational projects. In her work, Tetiana combines academic research, project management, and training; creating a platform for dialogue between education, science, and civil society.

In 2016, he graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University with a degree in dentistry. He worked his way up from an orderly, nurse, laboratory assistant at the department to a surgeon. During 2015-2017, he worked as a voluntary physician's assistant. In 2018, he completed his specialization at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in Surgical Dentistry. "I am glad that we are repairing a child's face," says Oleh. Since 2016, he has been working at the Children's Maxillofacial Department of the National Children's Hospital Ohmatdyt. He is one of the organizers of the first international conference in Ukraine "Topical issues of treatment of children with congenital cleft lip and palate" at the NDSL Ohmatdyt.

In 1993, he graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Kyiv Medical Institute. He completed his internship at the Maxillofacial Department of Children’s Clinical Hospital No. 7 as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, where he later worked in the same position. He has experience working as a researcher at the Department of Head and Neck Tumors at the Institute of Oncology of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. He is the author of 18 scientific publications dedicated to improving thyroid cancer treatment, an inventor in this field, and a co-author of a unique three-vector distractor for the mandible. He deepened his knowledge and practical skills during two internships in Italy, specializing in pediatric maxillofacial surgery. Since 2006, he has been working at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Microsurgery at Ohmatdyt. He is proficient in modern methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients with surgical diseases of the maxillofacial area and manages complex cases of traumatic injuries, inflammatory diseases, congenital anomalies, and tumors.

In 2016, he graduated from Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, specializing in Dentistry. He completed his specialization in Oral Surgery at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at Bukovinian State Medical University. In the same field, he completed an internship in the Czech Republic after studying in a Czech language program with a medical focus. He has been working at Ohmatdyt since 2021. Together with other maxillofacial surgeons of the department, he treats children with cleft lip and palate. He continuously improves his professional skills by participating in international conferences on cleft care.

Olena Anopriienko is the Head of the Center for Medical, Psychological, and Social Rehabilitation of Children at Ohmatdyt, PhD in Psychology, clinical psychologist, and UNICEF national trainer on developing youth-friendly health services, as well as a trainer of the project, “Childhood Without Violence.” Since 2012, she has been cooperating with the charitable organization Smile Train in organizing and conducting rehabilitation camps together with psychologists and speech therapists to support social adaptation of children with cleft lip and palate.

She is the organizer of an online school for children with cleft lip and palate at Ohmatdyt. In her work, she implements various forms of interaction with families and children. She uses instrumental techniques and an interdisciplinary approach to diagnose children's speech and develop a correctional program: "Speech therapy and work with children for me is about a lifestyle change, so we improve it and enjoy all the processes.".

In 2021, she graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University, specializing in Medical Psychology. She completed her internship at Ohmatdyt, where she continued her professional career. “I love my work with children, because every meeting is the discovery of a little world, a step toward joy and harmony in a child’s life.”.

Iryna Klymenko is a specialist in speech therapy. She is a top-category specialist, teacher-methodologist, with extensive pedagogical and clinical experience and methodological developments. She actively implements modern approaches and innovative technologies for correcting speech disorders.

In 2013, she graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University, specializing in Medical Psychology. She completed her master’s program at the hospital, where she continued her career as a medical psychologist. She is conducting research on the topic: “Group Communicative Psychocorrection of Stigmatization in Children with Rare Diseases and Visible Anomalies of Development.”.

She graduated from Bogomolets National Medical University in 2009, from Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in 2011, and received her specialization in Orthodontics in 2012. She began working at Ohmatdyt in 2015. Her main focus is treating children with congenital facial anomalies. She constantly develops her professional skills by attending seminars and trainings. She was a participant of the first international conference in Ukraine “Topical Issues of Treating Children with Cleft Lip and Palate” at Ohmatdyt. She is proficient in modern orthodontic treatment methods for children with cleft lip and palate. She easily establishes rapport with young patients. “Every child is a little hope for a better future! We create a better present for our hope!”.

In 2007, she graduated from the Odessa National Law Academy with a degree in Law (specializing in Civil Law). She has over 17 years of experience in the field of law, including legal support for legal entities and self-employed individuals. She joined the Ukrainian Smile NGO during its establishment in 2022. The activities of non-profit organizations that provide charitable assistance in the field of protecting fundamental human rights and freedoms (including, but not limited to, the protection of the rights to life, liberty and personal integrity, respect for dignity, honor and privacy, to an adequate standard of living, property, education, health care and medical assistance, social security) has been of interest for quite some time, which significantly influenced the decision to participate in the activities of the Ukrainian Smile NGO. She supports the existing belief “That the more love, wisdom, beauty, and kindness you discover in yourself, the more you will notice them in the world around you,” because many people discover such noble qualities as love, beauty, wisdom, and kindness in other people and in the world around them precisely in the process of helping those in need, since they have been able to develop these positive qualities in themselves.

Dr. Inna Khyzhniak is a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, and Head of the Department of Theory and Practice of Primary Education at Donbas State Pedagogical University. She leads her own scientific school, is the Editor-in-Chief of a peer-reviewed academic journal (http://profped.ddpu.edu.ua/about/editorialTeam), and a member of the editorial boards of two other Ukrainian scholarly journals. She actively contributes to the work of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, having served as Chair of the Expert Commission on Pedagogy and Primary Education Methods, Deputy Chair of the Subcommittee on Pedagogy within the Scientific and Methodological Council on Higher Education, and member of the Ministry’s working group on revising the State Standard for Primary Education, among other roles. Life credo: “The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”.

PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor of the Department of Speech Therapy at Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko, speech therapist and special education teacher at the Scientific and Practical Center of the same department. She has a multidisciplinary background in special education, speech therapy, physical rehabilitation, and educational management. She has been working in the field of special and speech education for over 10 years. In her work with children, she uses modern methods of art therapy and speech rhythmics to support speech development, communication skills, and creative potential. She also has practical experience working with adults. “I believe that children’s future is in the hands of adults!”.

He has been part of the project since September 2023. He has many years of experience in teaching and organizing team work. He is highly communicative, always searching for new forms and methods to achieve set goals. “Keep learning new things and help everyone learn.”

She holds two university degrees in Cultural Studies. An experienced manager of humanitarian projects with many years of professional background. For many years, she has been engaged in cultural and educational initiatives working with all age groups — from preschool children to seniors. Since 2023, she has been cooperating with the NGO Ukrainian Smile, serving as a regional manager in the Kharkiv region.

Iryna Martynenko – Doctor of Psychology, Professor at the Department of Speech Therapy and Speech Psychology, Ukrainian State University named after M. P. Drahomanov, founder of the “Iryna Martynenko Development Center,” practicing psychologist and speech therapist, Vice President of the NGO “Ukrainian Association of Special Education Teachers,” and Education and Mental Health Advisor of the NGO “Ukrainian Smile.” She is convinced: “Children are our future. It is precisely for the sake of preserving their health and ensuring their full education that I cooperate with the NGO ‘Ukrainian Smile.’”.

She holds both medical and psychological education, which allows her to combine care for physical and mental health. Currently, she is completing her studies in Social Work to provide comprehensive support to children, adults, and families in difficult life circumstances. Her diverse professional experience helps her to see a person holistically – in the unity of body, mind, and social connections. She works with a focus on support, developing inner resources, and creating a safe space for change.