Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre Board
Museum Staff
Anna Muhka
Chairperson
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, she later studied at the Münster Latvian Gymnasium and went on to study economics and marketing in Münster. She was actively involved in the Latvian exile community’s public and civic life. Since 1992, she has lived in Latvia and has worked at the newspaper Diena, the Riga 2014 – European Capital of Culture project, and the National Library of Latvia.
She has supported the museum in various ways, including giving interviews and donating items to the museum’s collection. She has been a member of the board of the association “Latvians Worldwide – Museum and Research Centre” since 2025.
E-mail: anna.mukha@lapamuzejs.lv
Vita Anda Tērauda
Board member
Born in Washington, D.C., USA, she led the American Latvian Youth Association. For five years, she worked as a journalist for the Latvian Service of Voice of America radio. She earned a master’s degree in Soviet politics and international economics from Johns Hopkins University.
Since 1990, she has lived in Latvia and devoted her knowledge and experience to helping shape Latvia into an independent, democratic, and open country in many different ways. She has served as a civil servant, a minister, and a member of parliament. She headed the Soros Foundation–Latvia and founded the Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS. She has created, supported, and led various Latvian non-governmental organizations. She is currently the director of the Latvian Fund for Nature.
Ieva Vītola
Board Member
Born in Latvia, she is a descendant of Bashkirian Latvians. She studied traditional culture and folklore, as well as cultural theory and history, earning a Doctor of Arts degree in the humanities (Dr. art.) in 2007.
She has carried out numerous cultural, educational, and research projects in both the public and non-governmental sectors, including at the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Turaida Museum Reserve, the interdisciplinary arts group SERDE, the Krimulda Association of Friends of History, and the Vidzeme Planning Region. She is the author and editor of scholarly and popular science publications.
A member of the museum since 2009, and has served on its board twice (2009–2014, 2020–2025).
Anita Batarags
Board Member
An active representative of the Latvian diaspora in USA with experience in civic engagement. Anita has been involved in Latvian community organizations and supported initiatives related to the preservation of cultural heritage and public participation.
Uldis Dimiševskis
Board member
Uldis has spent a number of years in Ottawa, Canada where he lived, studied and worked. He was an active member of the Ottawa Latvian community. He is a graduate of the Latvian Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany and studied art history at McGill and Queen’s Universities in Canada. He gained experience working at the Art and Photography Section of the Canadian National Archives.
After extensive work in the Latvian cinema environment and at the National Cinema Centre, Uldis now works as the Latvians Abroad Museum Collection Manager, participating in the development of the Museum collections, object registration, handling and digitisation.
E-mail: uldis.dimisevskis@lapamuzejs.lv
Uldis Dimiševskis
Executive director
Uldis has spent a number of years in Ottawa, Canada where he lived, studied and worked. He was an active member of the Ottawa Latvian community. He is a graduate of the Latvian Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany and studied art history at McGill and Queen’s Universities in Canada. He gained experience working at the Art and Photography Section of the Canadian National Archives.
After extensive work in the Latvian cinema environment and at the National Cinema Centre, Uldis now works as the Latvians Abroad Museum Collection Manager, participating in the development of the Museum collections, object registration, handling and digitisation.
E-mail: uldis.dimisevskis@lapamuzejs.lv
Marianna Auliciema
Collection Curator
Born in Toronto, Canada, Marianna grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Since 2001 she has lived with her family in Riga. Marianna holds a degree in anthropology and museology and has worked as curator in museums in Queensland and Victoria, Australia. She has a special interest in life story collections and their use in interpreting historical objects.
She is the author and creator of several Latvians Abroad projects and exhibition ideas. Founding member of the Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre association, board member 2007-2011; 2013-2018; 2020-…
E-mail: marianna.auliciema@lapamuzejs.lv
Guna Dancīte
Head Collection Manager
Studied history and archaeology at the University of Latvia. Participated in various archaeological excavations in Latvia, Sweden, Nicaragua. Worked at school and in several Latvian museums, maintaining an interest in history and human stories. Actively participated in the student corporation for several years.
Works at the museum “Latvians Abroad” since 2019. Currently responsible of the collection, taking care of all museum items, their documentation and digitization.
E-mail: guna.dancite@lapamuzejs.lv
Danute Grīnfelde
Museum Educator and Communication Specialist
Master of History with experience in implementing diverse cultural heritage education projects. She began her career as a history teacher and continued in the Education Department of the Latvian Occupation Museum, later creating educational programs for other museums.
Danute began working with the museum “Latvians in the World” in 2019, helping to coordinate the escape room and exhibition Refugee Paths and the orientation game Riga 1944. Since July 2022, she has been responsible for the education and communications of the museum.
Jūlija Madara Apse
Assistant Curator
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada. For many years, Jūlija has been actively involved in the Latvian community in North America: she has danced Latvian folk dances and attended Latvian schools and summer camps, including Tērvete Children’s Camp, the Catskills Summer Camp, and Gaŗezers Summer High School.
Since 2021, Jūlija has lived in Riga. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Latvia. In her free time, she is actively involved in Latvian folk dancing.
E-mail: julija.apse@lapamuzejs.lv
Brigita Tamuža
Historian, Librarian
As a graduate from the Faculty of History and Philosophy of the Latvian State University Brigita has worked as a history teacher, journalist, personnel specialist, and project manager. From 2000 to 2017, she was Chair of the Board of the Association of Friends of Latvians in Brazil.
Since 2009 collaborates with the museum, researching the cultural archive of South American Latvians in Brazil, producing a documentary film about the Vārpa colony, and taking part in research expeditions .
Serves as the museum’s librarian in a voluntary capacity.
Brigita Eihmane
Staff Member
Born in Riga, Latvia Brigita graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry at Riga Technical University .
Brigita has lived and worked in several European and North American countries, where she actively participated in Latvian diaspora community life.
After returning to Latvia in 2018, a happy coincidence brought her to the museum “Latvians Abroad,” where she began as a volunteer working with the museum collection. A member of the museum “Latvians Abroad” since 2019.
E-mail: brigita.eihmane@lapamuzejs.lv
Authors of the Museum Idea
Maija (Veinbergs) Hinkle
Author of the Museum Idea
Born in Latvia, grew up in Washington DC, and currently resides in the USA. She has a PhD in biophysics, taught for 15 years at Cornell University in the USA, and is the author of articles on neurobiology.
Since 1989 Maija has devoted herself to gathering, organising, using and promoting oral history and life stories in the USA and Latvia. She is the initiator and manager of the American Latvian Association’s Oral History project, and the initiator and co-manager of volunteer oral history gathering expeditions in Latvia (1995-2003). Maija has organised the oral history and history of diaspora sections at 3×3 camps for many years (main topics: ethnic identity and feeling of belonging for Latvians living abroad). She is the owner and manager of Mežābele publishing, and author of many presentations and articles published in popular and professional forums. She is the co-compiler of several books.
Maija is the initiator and founder of the Latvians Abroad Museum and was chair of the board 2007-2013, 2014-2020. Board member 2021-2025.
E-mail: maija.hinkle@lapamuzejs.lv
Ints Dzelzgalvis
Author of the Museum Idea
With a background in mathematics, Ints has made a career at IBM, managing computer system design projects. He has been a board member for the Latvian Foundation Inc. and the Latvian Cultural Organisation TILTS. He was the Latvians Abroad treasurer until 2013. He participated in setting up the Diaspora Latvian Museum Fund in the USA. Ints resides in the USA.