Dagnija Lacis, one of the first tech entrepreneurs and the woman who helped modernize Latvia.
~A Memoir~
How a U.S. Tech Entrepreneur Broke the Glass Ceiling and Helped Modernize Latvia
The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises
Publication date: March 18, 2025
In 1950, at age seven, Dagnija came to America with her family as a refugee from Communist-ruled Latvia. How did it happen that in 1990 the Prime Minister of newly freed Latvia invited Dagnija back to her homeland as the first official visitor from the West?
“Dagnija Lacis’ memoir is a story of courage, upheaval, and persistence... Watching through her memoir, we see her tenacity and resilience when confronted with obstacles. The way she always finds a path forward is inspirational for us all.”
—Lynn Miller, author of Sweating Bullets, historical fiction
Meet Dagnija Lacis. Witness her journey, her stories and strategies, as she makes history in IT
REFUGEE
Dagnija and her family fled their beloved homeland when the communists occupied Latvia. She was seven years old in 1950 when they emigrated to Indianapolis after years in a displaced persons camp in Germany.
TRAILBLAZER
Dagnija graduated Butler University cum laude and then CRASHED GLASS CEILINGS in the male dominated IT industry, in a time and world when women colleagues were called girls:
The first woman programmer at Burroughs Corporation, the second-largest IT company in the world at the time.
The first female line vice president at Burroughs Corporation in 1984, when most men did not want or expect a woman as their boss.
WITNESS TO HISTORY
Dagnija was always on the front lines, experiencing three major world events:
The women's movement
Women in programming and in IT management
Latvia’s transition from communism to capitalism
FIRST OFFICIAL WESTERN VISITOR TO NEWLY FREED LATVIA
In 1990, Dagnija returned to her homeland at the request of the newly freed country's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, bringing technology experts, systems, and training that helped prepare Latvia for early acceptance into NATO and the EU following its independence. DAGNIJA HELPED MODERNIZE LATVIA.
TECH ENTREPRENEUR
Dagnija launched her own international IT firm in 1991, before the web was generally available; it was one of first firms to have remote employees.
Dagnija’s message throughout her life:
“Stick to your goals. When confronted with obstacles, don't give up.
Find another path forward!”
“As Dagnija Lacis was introducing the latest Western technology to Latvians, I often collaborated with Andris and Dagnija in Riga during the early 1990s. I was proud of our efforts, which resulted in the Latvian military meeting NATO standards and Latvia becoming a NATO member.”
—Major General E. Gordon Stump, Retired Adjutant General of the Michigan National Guard
