The Working Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina (WGBiH) is a volunteer association of Bosnian-American leaders and allies committed to peace and justice in a secure, united, and civic-based democratic Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). To this end, we engage in public advocacy of policies that support these goals. WGBiH is not affiliated with any governmental, political, or religious organizations.
Vision
The WGBiH is committed to a free, united and democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina under the rule of law with human rights, justice, dignity and equality for all citizens.
Mission
The WGBiH is a pragmatic, inclusive and transparent organization that is dedicated to a fully democratic, secure, and sovereign state of Bosnia and Herzegovina with territorial integrity, ensuring equal rights for all citizens.
WGBiH’s Four Areas of Priority
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Our Board Member @depettigrew is always at the forefront of human rights advocacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bravo, David!
Meet The Team
Djenita Pasic, Esq.
Djenita Pasic is a multicultural, multilingual attorney residing in Louisville, Kentucky. Aside from her legal practice, Djenita is an educator teaching various legal practice courses in the U.S. and abroad. Djenita is a Bosnian-American who moved to Louisville permanently in 1992 due to the aggression on her home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before settling in Louisville, Djenita and her family lived in Africa and Europe, which gave her varied perspectives on life and human relations in different environments. Her unique background, experiences and versatile education resulted in her becoming a humanist, an activist and an outspoken proponent of civil equality. She is a member of many local, national and international non-profit organizations.
Leila Duric
Leila Durić, born and raised in Srebrenik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law. She was the lead advocate in the legislation to proclaim July 11th as Bosnian Genocide Remembrance Day in Connecticut, which became law in 2024, and whereby Connecticut became the first U.S. state to recognize July 11th as a day of the Bosnian genocide remembrance. Leila is the founder of a non-profit organization, “Bosnian Women United,” in CT, which is missioned to create educational and social programs for Bosnian refugee women and children in Connecticut.
Vildana Bijedic, MSc
With a background in international business consulting, program leadership, and academia, Vildana is the Vice President of the Working Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina (WGBiH).
Vildana’s career began at the United Nations, where she managed conflict resolution and collaborated with international organizations such as NATO and OSCE. Her work at the UN involved contributing to significant projects promoting peace and development.
Following her tenure at the UN, Vildana joined Accenture, where she developed strategic solutions and managed diverse teams. As the founder and president of the Mandala Academy Foundation, she spearheads initiatives in leadership development and social justice.
Vildana holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Miami University, and a Master’s from the University of Milano. She graduated high school in Munich, Germany. Fluent in multiple languages, including German, her global perspective and extensive experience make her an invaluable asset to WGBiH. Vildana’s dedication to fostering peace, justice, and cross-cultural understanding inspires those around her and drives impactful change.
David Pettigrew
Dr. Pettigrew is a Connecticut State University Professor and Chairperson of the Philosophy Department at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Yale University Genocide Studies Program.
In 2020, his article, “Mandate Interrupted: The Problematic Legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” appeared in Washington University Global Studies Law Review. In May 2024, he presented a lecture at the Swedish Parliament as part of a White Armband Day commemoration.
Pettigrew accompanied the government exhumation team to Višegrad in 2010 to witness and document the exhumations on the Drina River. In 2012, he served as a credentialed international observer for the local elections in Srebrenica. Pettigrew also served as a consultant for the completion of the first comprehensive educational museum about the Srebrenica genocide, which was installed in the Srebrenica Memorial Center on February 9, 2017.
Pettigrew has written open letters to the High Representative and other international officials, as well as op-ed essays to advocate for memorials for the victims of genocide and other war crimes in Republika Srpska at atrocity sites where such memorials have been forbidden.
Patrick McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy is the founding coordinator of the Working Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina (WGBiH). Patrick has worked with the Bosnian community since 1993 and traveled to wartime Sarajevo in 1994 to provide humanitarian assistance. The same year, McCarthy founded the St. Louis Bosnian Student Project, which located scholarships for Bosnian student refugees.
Patrick is the author of After the Fall: Srebrenica Survivors in St. Louis, a companion volume to an exhibit at the Missouri Historical Society in 2000. With fellow board member Akif Cogo, Patrick co-authored Bosnian St. Louis: Between Two Worlds (2022). An honorary member of the Bosnian Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences, McCarthy served as an adviser to the traveling exhibit, “Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide.”
Azem Dervisevic
Azem Dervisevic, born Višegrad, BiH, distinguished himself as the youngest brigade commandant in the Army of BiH at age 24. His academic journey led him to Babson College, where he receiving the Babson College Award for Global Citizenship. In his professional life, Azem co-founded a restaurant and two firms blending his entrepreneurial spirit with his dedication to community development.
Further demonstrating his commitment to BiH, he served as co-founder and first president of New England Friends of BiH. He is also the co-founder and current president of the World Congress of Bosniaks.
Akif Cogo
Born in Zenica, Cogo was recognized in 2016 by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the “40 under 40” most influential business and community professionals in the St. Louis region. In 2017 he received the St. Louis Mosaic Project’s Immigrant Professional Award as one of the impactful immigrant professionals in St. Louis. Cogo is also the historian / archivist for St. Louis Bosnians Inc., a nonprofit organization he founded in 2011. He co-authored “Bosnian St. Louis: Between Two Worlds.”