Cultural Heritage Governance and Communication

Dagnija Baltiņa is the director of the Special Collections Department of the National Library of Latvia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Latvia and a Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage from Brandenburg University of Technology (Germany) and Deakin University (Australia).

Frans Brouwer lectures currently on cultural policy, arts management, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural economics at the Academy of Culture in Riga, the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Radboud University in Nijmegen. He conducts musicological research and supervises master students with their thesis research. Moreover, as a freelancer he is involved in various cultural projects, such as curator for the Christiansfeld Festival (Denmark, 2015), founder of the European Opera Academy (2014-2017) and consultancy work. This year (2023) he took the initiative to organise a Summer School Cultural Entrepreneurship & Leadership in Riga, for advanced students and professionals in the cultural sector. This Summer School is a cooperation between the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Latvian Academy of Culture.

Danute Grīnfelde holds a Master’s degree in history with experience in implementing diverse cultural heritage education projects. She started her career as a history teacher, then worked in the Education Department of the Latvian Occupation Museum, later developed educational programs for other museums and heritage institutions.

Gatis Kampernovs holds a Master’s degree in tourism. He is an entrepreneur in the field of tourism, who has visited more than 70 countries around the world, using relevant experience and examples in his teaching work.

Ullrich Kockel is currently Professor of Cultural Ecology and Sustainability at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, Visiting Professor in Social Anthropology at Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania, and Emeritus Professor of Ethnology at Ulster University, Northern Ireland. He was elected to the United Kingdom’s Academy of Social Sciences in 2003, and the Royal Irish Academy in 2012. During his time as President of SIEF, the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (2008-13), he established the SIEF Working Group on Place Wisdom, and from 2007 to 2018 he was editor-in-chief of the Anthropological Journal of European Cultures.

Anda Laķe, LAC professor, Doctor of sociology (Dr.sc.soc) is the Vice-Rector of the Academy in Scientific Work and the Head of the Scientific Research Center. She started working at the Latvian Academy of Culture in 1997 as a lecturer at the Department of Culture Sociology and Management. In 2004 - 2016 she was the Head of the Department, currently she is a Head of a sub-program “Culture Sociology of and Management” of the LAC academic Bachelor study program “Art”.

Rūta Muktupāvela, PhD in Theory of Culture, Rector of the Latvian Academy of Culture, Chairman of the Latvian Rectors’ Council, member of The Latvian Council of Science, head of the Latvian National Council of Culture, head of the Association of Art Universities of Latvia, representative of Latvia in UNESCO Intergovernmental Commitee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2017-2021), Professor at the Latvian Academy of Culture, author of more than 50 research publications in Latvia and abroad in the field of theory of culture, ethnology and folkloristics.

Vija Ozola has been working in the field of archives since 2006. Member of the Board of the Latvian Society of Archivists from 2009 – 2012. Previous work experience - State Notary of the Register of Enterprises and Assistant Judge of the Administrative District Court. Lawyer of the National Archives of Latvia since 2016, as well as the responsible specialist for personal data protection in the National Archives of Latvia since 2019. It will soon be 10 years since the adoption of the Archives Law, and V.

Anca Claudia Prodan, Ph.D., is a research consultant at the Institute Heritage Studies in Berlin. She holds degrees in Philosophy, Anthropology and (World) Heritage Studies, and she has been working as lecturer and researcher for more than ten years. She initiated academic research on the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme (MoW) and she is a corresponding member of the Sub-Committee on Education and Research of the MoW Programme.

Z. Šiliņa holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degree from the Academy (dissertation “The Idea of the New World in Rainis’ Dramaturgy”, 2007), she has been working at the Academy since 1996. In 2014, the Senate of the Academy elected Prof. Z. Šiliņa as the Vice-Rector of the Academy in academic work. She regularly participates in scientific conferences both in Latvia and abroad, has also participated in organizing several conferences.

Daina Teters, Doctor of Philosophy, started working at the Latvian Academy of Culture in the second half of the 1990s in parallel with her work at the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of History and Philosophy of the University of Latvia.

Kristīne Tjarve, Mg. paed., communication industry practitioner with more than 17 years of experience in various sectors, head of the company “C SMART”. Lecturer at several Latvian educational institutions, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Public Relations Association. Kristīne is convinced that lifelong learning is of great value; therefore she is constantly improving her knowledge and skills and is happy to share her experience with others.

Anita Vaivade, Dr. art., has been teaching at the Latvian Academy of Culture since 2006, when she started her doctoral studies after obtaining a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and Philosophy of Knowledge, University of Paris IV Sorbonne and a Master’s degree in Theory and history of law at the University of Latvia. In addition to her duties as Head of the Culture, Communication and Information Sector at the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO (2006–2012), Anita Vaivade defended her doctoral thesis on the topic “Conceptualizing Intangible Cultural Heritage in Law “(2011).

Linda Veliverronena teaches study courses related to traveler behavior, intercultural communication, qualitative research methods, forecasting at Vidzeme University College Tourism Studies division. She holds a doctoral degree in communication and media studies from the University of Tartu, a professional Master’s degree in business management from Vidzeme University College and a Master’s degree in arts from the Latvian Academy of Culture.

Director of the Master's Program in Cultural Heritage Governance and Communication Recipient of the "Outstanding Acceleration in Scientific Achievement 2023" Award from the Latvian Academy of Culture

Ieva Zemīte, Dr. oec., Business Administration and Management, General, is the director of the joint Master’s study program “Creative Industries and Growth Management” of the Latvian Academy of Culture and Riga Technical University.