LinkedIn profile of Tessza Udvarhelyi Tessza Udvarhelyi

A Hungarian cultural anthropologist, environmental psychologist and activist who demonstrates that participatory democracy can work even in a challenging political climate. As Deputy Mayor of Józsefváros, Budapest’s 8th District, she is responsible for social policy and community relations. Previously, as a public servant, she headed the Office of Community Participation, which engages residents in decision-making through participatory budgeting, public consultations and forums. She also helped establish the Office of Equal Opportunities. Both were the first offices of their kind in Hungary.

She co-founded the housing rights group The City is for All and the School of Public Life, an organisation that promotes civic engagement and participation. She is an Ashoka Fellow and was an Obama Scholar at Columbia University. At the 2026 Athens Democracy Forum, she was inducted into the Politicians’ Hall of Fame for Democratic Innovators of the 21st Century in recognition of her work on participatory local government.