As of July 20, Zdeslav Milas, M.Sc. is assuming the helm of the Croatian Heritage Foundation for a four-year term. Milas has built an impressive career in higher education; starting in 2013, he worked as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Algebra Bernays University of Applied Sciences, as well as Head of the University Department of Communication Sciences.
The Croatian Heritage Foundation, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, has received a new director. For the next four years, Zdeslav Milas, M.Sc. will be at the helm of Matica, taking over from the former director Mijo Marić. The ceremonial transfer was held in the office of the CHF director and on that occasion, Director Milas thanked his predecessor for eight years of successful management of this institution.
Namely, in the words of Mijo Marić, Matica is, thanks to its programs and professional and united team, a meeting place between the homeland and Croats abroad, and the new Director Milas will take over the institution in this state.
“Today, more than three and a half million Croats and their descendants live throughout the world, from emigrants in Europe and overseas countries, to Croatian minorities in neighboring countries. They all form an inseparable part of the unique Croatian national being; they are the guardians of language, tradition and cultural heritage, without whom our identity would not be complete. A unique position is held by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its oldest constituent people, resulting in our special relationship with them. In this sense, the Croatian Heritage Foundation, during this period of modern Croatian sovereignty, has a special and indispensable role: to be a bridge between the homeland and the diaspora, to connect the hearts and the people, to transfer knowledge and experience, to preserve and promote what makes us Croats; our language, our culture, our faith and our belonging to the united Croatian people.
We are aware that belonging to the Croatian people goes beyond the boundaries of formal citizenship. A Croat is anyone who has Croatian roots, whether they are a descendant of the second, third or fourth generation of emigrants, whether they are just discovering their ties through language, culture or a sense of unity. Within this meaning, we are only a symbol of the always extended hand of the homeland of Croatia to all who want to deepen their connection with their primeval heritage and values. In particular, we are particularly thinking about young people, who are our future and a guarantee of the preservation of what it means to be Croatian throughout the world,” said Director Milas during the transfer of duties. After the transfer of duties, Director Milas met with the heads of CHF branches in Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Pula and Vukovar, as well as Matica employees, with whom he spent time pleasantly socializing and inquiring about their work up to the present. Thus, Director Milas assumed his new position with great enthusiasm and joy.
Zdeslav Milas, M.Sc. was born in 1969 in Zagreb, and from 1975 to 1991, he lived and studied in Vienna, where he graduated from Schulbrüder Strebersdorf Catholic General Secondary School. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Relations from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mostar in 2010. As a returnee from Austria, in the early 1990s, he was the co-founder and first President of the Croatian International Youth Corps (HMZM), an association that brought together young Croatian emigrants and returnees. Launched within this framework was Task Force, held since 1995 under the auspices of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, today known as Eco Heritage Task Force.
Starting from 2013, Milas was Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Algebra Bernays University of Applied Sciences, which is in the process of integration with Algebra Bernays University, and headed the University Department of Communication Sciences. He teaches courses in public relations and corporate communications. He is the author of the first book on corporate communication in the Croatian language. He is a member of the National Council for Science, Higher Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Croatia. As an adjunct professor, he teaches in the field of communication sciences at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb.
From 2020 to 2024, he was President of the Court of Honor of the Croatian Public Relations Association, and is one of the authors of the new Croatian Code of Ethics for Public Relations (2023), which regulates the professional ethics of communication practitioners in Croatia. He also served as Vice President and Member of the Executive Board of the Education Branch within the Croatian Employers’ Association (2017 – 2024).
Milas is engaged socially, professionally and politically. He is the Honorary President of the Croatian Academic Union, the largest student and academic organization in Croatia, serving as national president from 2016 to 2022. He is a member of the Foundation Board of the Croatian Statehood Foundation (ZHDZ), The Society of Brethren of the Croatian Dragon, Matrix Croatica, the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA), the Dikovača Culture and Arts Association from Zmijavci, the Podgorac Croatian Peasant Singing Society from Gračan and the Posavac Chess Club from Ruščica. Since October 1989, he has been a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ); he is the founder of Kroatische Demokratische Gemeinschaft in Österreich (HDZ in Austria), and is currently serving as Secretary General of the “Dr. Franjo Tuđman Union of HDZ Founders”.
Text:HMI Photo: Krasnodar Peršun 
