Skip to main content
- Mayor, Municipality Radlje ob Dravi
- Biography
Alan Bukovnik was born on September 23, 1970, in Slovenj Gradec. He spent his childhood in Radlje ob Dravi, where he attended the Radlje ob Dravi Primary School and completed part of his primary education at the Vuzenica Primary School. After successfully finishing primary school, he decided to continue his education at the Secondary Agricultural School in Maribor, which he attended from 1984 to 1988.
He began his academic path at the Higher School of Agronomy in Maribor, where he graduated in 1994. In his thesis titled Comparison of the Efficiency of Broiler Farming in 1993 on Two Farms, supervised by Prof. Dr. Nada Zorko, he researched the effectiveness of livestock farming practices in the local environment. He later expanded his knowledge at the Higher School of Administration in Ljubljana, where he obtained a college-level qualification in local self-government between 1999 and 2002. His thesis, prepared under the supervision of Dr. Marjan Brezovšek, was titled Organization and Work of Municipal Administration.
His educational journey continued at the Graduate School of Government and European Studies in Kranj, where he pursued a master’s degree in business and administrative sciences from 2004 to 2014. In 2014, he successfully defended his master’s thesis titled The Concept of Public-Private Partnership and the Construction and Management of Wastewater Drainage and Treatment Systems, under the mentorship of Dr. Slobodan Dujić. Since 2015, he has been enrolled in an interdisciplinary doctoral program in Humanities and Social Sciences with a focus on public administration.
He gained his first professional experience in the private sector. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in the companies Gašper Franc, Nada, and for entrepreneur Damjan Grubelnik, initially as a production worker and later as a sales representative. From 1994 to 2002, he was employed at INTERINA d.d. in Ljubljana, at the Radlje ob Dravi petrol station, working as a salesperson.
In 2002, he was first elected Mayor of the Municipality of Radlje ob Dravi, a position he held until 2008. During this time, he was actively involved in the development of the local community and gained significant experience in municipal administration leadership. In 2008, he was elected to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, where he served as a Member of Parliament until 2012. After completing his parliamentary term, he was re-elected Mayor of the Municipality of Radlje ob Dravi, a position he continues to hold successfully to this day.
Alongside his regular work, he has participated in various professional trainings and conferences. In 2005, he attended a seminar on Cultural Heritage and Rural Development, in 2010 a consultation on current tasks in the development of local communities for mayors and senior municipal officials, and in 2013 an educational visit to the institutions of the European Union in Brussels.
His interest in research and professional work is also demonstrated by a scientific publication co-authored with Associate Professor Dr. Simona Kukovič and Professor Dr. Miro Haček. The article titled The Issue of Local Autonomy in the Slovenian Local Government System was published in 2016 in the respected journal Lex Localis – Journal of Local Self-Government. In it, the authors analyze the issue of local autonomy in the Slovenian system of local self-government.
Alan Bukovnik combines many years of practical experience in local self-government and politics with extensive academic knowledge in the fields of administration, public policy, and local community development. His professional and research path reflects a commitment to bridging theory and practice, as well as dedication to the development of local communities and the public sector.
