Former President of the Slovak Republic (1996 – 2004), Rudolph Schuster graduated in Civil Engineering, with a doctorate in ecology. He has been Vice-Chairman for economy and than Chairman at the Košice National City Council, Chairman of the East Slovak Regional National Council. After the “Velvet Revolution” in November 1989 he was elected Speaker of the Slovak National Council and then Ambassador of the CSFR to Canada. Between 1994 and 1999 he was elected Mayor of the City of Košice. In 1998 he became member of the Culture and Media Committee and of the Human Rights and Nationalities Committee of the Slovak Parliament. Elected President of the Slovak Republic in 1999, he has also received a number of awards and Honoris Causa degrees and is the author more of 32 books and director and cameraman of several TV travel films.