Mila Shelehoff
Kolovita was founded and is stewarded by Mila Shelehoff, whose work lives at the intersection of culture, care, and design. She carries the belief that heritage is not something we preserve from a distance, but something we practice together—in real time, with real people.
Born in Ukraine and arriving in the United States in 1994, Mila brings a lived understanding of migration, adaptation, and belonging. Her early training in architecture and business shaped a global design career spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and instilled a deep respect for how spaces—physical, cultural, and relational—shape how people feel, heal, and connect.
At Kolovita, Mila weaves systems thinking with ancestral knowing, bringing arts, storytelling, and culturally rooted wellness into spaces of belonging and resilience. She is also a certified Nordic and Alpine ski coach and outdoor educator, guided by land, seasons, and the quiet intelligence of natural cycles.
She lives in Bend, Oregon, on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, with her son and their blue heeler, Woofee—often outside, listening for what wants to emerge next.
Sue Meyer
Sue Meyer is part of Kolovita’s inner circle, serving as a trusted business advisor and steady guide as the work grows. While not on the board, Sue is essential to how Kolovita thinks, plans, and sustains itself over time.
With decades of experience in strategy, organizational development, and education, Sue brings clarity, structure, and long-view wisdom. Her background in higher education and business advising—particularly within Central Oregon—grounds Kolovita’s creative vision in strong systems and sound decision-making.
Sue helps ensure that imagination is matched with integrity, and that growth happens with care. If Kolovita is a living organism, Sue helps keep its roots strong.
Eugenia “Genia” Chelekhova
Eugenia “Genia” Chelekhova serves as Secretary of the Board, holding the structure that allows the circle to function with trust and transparency.
Originally from Ukraine, Genia is a holistic bodywork therapist whose work integrates energy-based healing, movement, and self-awareness. She is multilingual, deeply attentive, and trained across multiple therapeutic modalities—bringing presence and precision to everything she touches.
At Kolovita, Genia oversees records, minutes, and governance rhythms with care, ensuring that the organization’s inner workings remain clear, grounded, and well held. She is also a visual artist and floral designer, carrying a creative practice rooted in form, color, and living materials.
Genia reminds us that governance, too, can be an act of care.
Yuliia Hryhorenko
Yuliia Hryhorenko helps the circle turn.
As Kolovita’s Volunteer Coordinator, Yuliia supports the people whose time, energy, and presence make the work possible. She is an educator, coach, and refugee mother whose leadership is rooted in relationship and lived experience.
Originally from Ukraine, Yuliia brings years of experience in youth education and coaching, shaped by discipline, patience, and care for the whole person. At Kolovita, she ensures volunteers feel welcomed, prepared, and valued—because strong culture is carried by people who feel held.
Her work reflects a simple truth: when people are supported, the circle holds.
Inna Kovtun
Inna Kovtun carries living tradition into the present moment.
A Ukrainian vocalist, ethnographer, and cultural leader, Inna’s life’s work is devoted to song as memory, ritual as medicine, and community as a place to belong. Trained in Kyiv as an ethnomusicologist and ensemble director, she has spent decades gathering and safeguarding Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage through extensive fieldwork across the country.
In performance and leadership, Inna bridges the ancient and the contemporary—inviting people not just to listen, but to enter the circle. Since 2022, she has continued this work in Oregon through theater, youth ensembles, masterclasses, and arts-based spaces for healing and resilience.
Also certified as a QMHP-C in Oregon, Inna works at the intersection of cultural practice and mental health support. At Kolovita, she serves as a cultural bearer and guide—reminding us that tradition is something we remember together.
Matthew Zolezzi Romero
Matthew Zolezzi Romero helps Kolovita build future heritage that can endure—where technology serves people, not the other way around.
As Kolovita’s AI Advisor, Matthew supports the ethical, human-centered integration of artificial intelligence into storytelling, systems, and long-term sustainability. His work asks a careful question: how do we use advanced tools without losing the human thread?
With deep experience in applied AI, workforce development, and frontline systems, Matthew brings practicality, restraint, and care to emerging technologies. His background in service, search and rescue, and extreme environments informs a deep respect for risk, responsibility, and collective trust.
At Kolovita, Matthew helps steward the meeting point of culture and code—ensuring that innovation strengthens memory, belonging, and relationship. His role is not to automate the circle, but to help it last.