Mariela Modeva was born in Sofia.
She holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She has completed specializations in Applied Cultural Studies (marketing, management, and PR) and Journalism. She also holds a PhD degree. She is a Professor of Public Communications and Information Sciences and has been a long-standing lecturer at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies and the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy.
She served as Deputy Minister of Tourism in the 99th, 100th, and 101st Governments of the Republic of Bulgaria. In the 102nd Government, she was an advisor to the Minister of Tourism.
She has worked as a project manager and lecturer in leadership, tourism information resources, cultural heritage, specialized tourism, European institutions, programmes and projects, and artificial intelligence. She is the author of more than 100 publications and publishes in scientific journals referenced and indexed in international databases.
Since 2019, she has been Director of the Institute for Research and Development of Leadership in an Information Environment. She has also served as a member of the National Council for the Protection of Immovable Cultural Monuments at the Ministry of Culture, a member of the Public Council to the Minister of Culture, advisor to the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works on matters related to the protection of immovable cultural heritage, European programmes and projects for the development of cultural tourism, as well as an expert to the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media in the 44th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Between 2018 and 2021, she chaired scientific expert commissions in social sciences and humanities at the National Science Fund.
She served as Secretary General of the Bulgarian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) from 2011 to 2017. Since 2016, she has been a member of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Tourism of ICOMOS International.
She is the recipient of the National Honorary Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Cultural Tourism for 2023.
She is fluent in English and Russian and has working knowledge of Spanish and Italian.