Mission Statement
Founded on December 1, 1968, at the first conference on Baltic Studies at the University of Maryland, the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) is an international educational and scholarly non-profit organization. It promotes research and education in Baltic Studies by sponsoring meetings and conferences, supporting publications, sustaining a program of scholarships, grants, and prizes, and disseminating news of current interest in Baltic Studies. Since 1991, it has been a constituent member of the American Council of Learned Societies.
Membership in the AABS is open to anyone wishing to support the scholarly purposes of the Association. AABS members receive a subscription to the quarterly Journal of Baltic Studies, reduced registration fees at AABS conferences, and an annual report of the association’s activities.
For information contact the Administrative Executive Director at the Executive Office:
University of Washington
Box 353420
Seattle WA 98195-3420
USA
aabs@uw.edu
Governing Rules & Documents
Board of Directors, 2010-2012

Ain Haas, President-Elect; Irena Blekys, Administrative Executive Director; Jordan Kuck, Student Representative; Tom Napa, Finance Commitee; Marc Hyman, Treasurer; Janis Chakars, Secretary; Vėjas Liulevičius, President; Terry Clark, JBS Editor; Guntis Šmidchens, Director-at-Large; Bradley Woodworth, VP Publications; Giedrius Subačius, VP Conferences; Olavi Arens, Academic Executive Director. Not pictured: Andres Kasekamp,VP Professional Development
- Administrative Executive Director: Irena Blekys
- Editor, Journal of Baltic Studies: Terry Clark, Creighton University
- Academic Executive Director: Olavi Arens, Armstrong Atlantic University
- Baltic Studies Finance Committee: Marc Hyman, AABS Board Treasurer; Tom Napa; Victor Raisys
- Australasian Committee: Dr. Uldis Ozolins, Treasurer; Delaney Skerrett, Representative
- Senior Advisor: Valters Nollendorfs, Riga
- Webmaster: Amanda Swain, University of Washington
Board of Directors, 2008-2010

- Guntis Smidchens, President
- Vejas Liulevicius, President-Elect
- Aldis Purs, Vice-President Conferences
- Daunis Auers, Vice-President Professional Development
- Bradley Woodworth, Vice-President Publications
- Laimonas Briedis, Secretary
- Kenneth Smith, Treasurer
- Amanda Swain, Student Representative
- Inta Carpenter, Director-at-Large
Board of Directors, 2006-2008

- Inta Gale Carpenter, Indiana University
President
- Guntis Šmidchens, University of Washington-Seattle
President-Elect
- Mara Lazda
Vice-President Conferences
- Daunis Auers, University of Latvia
Vice-President Professional Development
- Julija Šukys, McGill University
Vice-President Publications
- Laimonas Briedis, University of British Columbia
Secretary
- Kenneth Smith, Millersville University
Treasurer
- Piibi-Kai Kivik, Indiana University
Student Representative
- Thomas Salumets, University of British Columbia
Director-at Large
List of Past Presidents of the Association
The Baltic Studies Fund (BSF) is an endowment fund created to ensure the
future well-being of AABS; it also serves as the fundraising arm of the
Association. Contributions, bequests and gifts to AABS are credited to the
Baltic Studies Fund endowment; the income generated by the Fund is used
for the benefit of the Association as the Association's AABS Board of
Directors may direct. Also credited to BSF are any surplus funds which may
from time to time be realized from AABS operations. The endowment fund is
managed by the BSF Investment Committee which is appointed by the AABS
Board of Directors; the overall fundraising activities of BSF are guided
by its Board of Regents, which is appointed by the President of AABS.
BSF Board of Regents
- Juris Padegs, Esq., Chairman; Advisory Managing Director, Scudder
Kemper Investments, Inc., New York, NY
- Mr. Nicholas Berkholtz, Engineer (Retired), Minneapolis, MN
- Dr. Visvaldis Dzenis, President, Dzenis Laboratories, Inc. Bloomfield,
NJ
- Mr. Tiit Heinsoo, Managing Director (Retired), Montgomery Watson-Asia,
Sherwood, OR
- Vladas Kaupas, MD, Physician (Retired), Clearwater, FL
- Prof. Kristaps J. Keggi, President, Keggi Orthopaedic Foundation,
Waterbury, CT; Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yale University,
New Haven CT.
- Prof. Gundar J. King, Dean (Emeritus), School of Business, Pacific
Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
- Prof. Toivo Raun, Chairman, Uralic & Altaic Dept., Indiana
University, Bloomington, IN
- Roberts Rusis, Esq., Legal Advisor to the Chairman of the Executive
Board, Bank of Latvia; Managing Director, Latvian Juridical Training
Center, Riga, Latvia.
- Dr. Herbert Valdsaar, Research Associate (Retired), DuPont Co.,
Wilmington, DE
- Dr. Juris Viksnins, Professor of Economics, Georgetown University,
Washington, DC
- Mr. Vilis A. Vitols, Chairman of the Board, Maras Bank, Riga,
Latvia
BSF Contributions
Planning a gift to the Baltic Studies Fund? Contact:
AABS Executive Office
University of Washington
Box 353420
Seattle WA 98195-3420 USA
aabs@uw.edu
AABS Honorary Fellows :
- 1982: Czeslaw Milosz, University of California, Berkeley
- 1984: Algirdas J. Greimas, College de France
- 1986: Esko Hakli, University of Helsinki
- 1990: Donald W. Treadgold, University of Washington