TO FURTHER AND PROMOTE

charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes.  To promote understanding and knowledge of arts, science, literature and Estonian language.

TO INCREASE CO-OPERATION

among artists, art students, craftsmen, and all others engaged in artistic activities; to hold competitions and exhibitions, and to promote the study and improvement of the arts.

TO ARRANGE

literary programs, theatrical and other entertainments; and to work for the intellectual, moral and social advancement.

TO EXTEND FINANCIAL AID

to such persons and organizations as are now and may hereafter be engaged in furthering the above said purposes.  All financial aid must be voluntary – without interest or charges.

THE CORPORATION SHALL HAVE POWER:

-To acquire by deed, devise, bequest, gift, purchase or otherwise real and personal property wheresoever situated, hold and dispose same.
-To solicit and accept donations.
-To disburse funds.

THE CORPORATION SHALL CONDUCT

its operations without profit to the officers, directors, and members thereof and shall be non-denominational and non-political and shall not influence or attempt to influence legislation.

Tiina Vaska

Chairman

Tiina Taagepera Vaska was born in Delaware and grew up in California where she participated in the LA choir and folk dance group performing in numerous West Coast Estonian Days and ESTO's.  She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelors of Architecture and became a licensed architect shortly thereafter.  Tiina worked in Helsinki for two years and took advantage of the opportunity to travel to Estonia multiple times.  After marrying she and her husband moved to New Jersey, where she is the founder and owner of Tiina Vaska Architecture, focused primarily on residential projects.  Tiina has been actively involved with the New York Estonian School, Long Island Estonian Children's Camp, New York Estonian Educational Society Board, and the Filiae Patriae sorority.

Merike Barborak

Vice-Chairman

Merike was born and raised in Tartu - the heart of Estonian culture and education. After graduating from Tartu University with a BA in Educational Sciences, she continued her studies at Montclair State University and received an MA in Education. Merike has been the principal of New York Estonian School since 2010, and also teaches Estonian courses at the Global School (Üleilmakool). She has been part of the New York Estonian Cultural Days organizing team for years. Her true passion lies in promoting Estonian culture and language within and outside of the Estonian community in the USA.

Arno Puskar

Treasurer

Ines Horton

ASSISTANT Treasurer

Ines Kirsimägi Horton was born in Tallinn and attended primary school at the Lycée Français of Tallinn until it was closed down by the Soviet regime in 1940. During the Soviet and German occupations her education continued at Tallinn’s VIII and XIV Primary Schools and Tallinn’s VIII High School. The Great Estonian Exodus of 1944 took her to Austria where she attended the Bregenzer Bundesgymnasium fuer Maedchen until emigrating to the United States in 1949. She earned a BA in social sciences from Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey, in 1953. She was active in Estonian academic organizations in New York and later served on the boards of various Estonian organizations, including, for ten years, as treasurer of the Nordic Press, Inc., publishers of “Vaba Eesti Sõna (The Free Estonian Word).” Presently she is serving as bookkeeper for the Estonian Archives in the USA and auditor for the Nordic Press.  Since 1988 she has been a member of the Audit Committee of the Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters, Inc. and since 2013 the Foundation’s treasurer.

Ave Kaegi

SECRETARY

Ave was born and raised in Võru, graduated from hotel school in Kuressaare and worked in Tallinn. She has always liked to travel: first because of sports; afterwards, her education and job opportunities allowed her to live in various places. After studying hotel management in Estonia and tourism in Norway and learning several languages, she worked in hospitality industry in different countries. Ultimately, her work for an American company in Cork, Ireland brought her to Austin TX, USA. She studied accounting in Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA and she has been in accounting and finance roles in her most recent jobs. Ave’s family has lived in France and in China. She was actively involved in founding the Estonian School in Atlanta, GA, and was its principal. She did volunteer-teaching in New York Estonian School.

Gerda Normet Vellore

COUNSELOR 

Gerda was born and raised in Kohila, Estonia. The opportunity took her to Washington DC just after high school graduation, and then to NYC where she has been for the last 2 decades. After graduating from Baruch College with B.A. in Finance and Investments, Gerda was a Co-founder of NYC Estonian Youth Club, and has been an active Estonian community member ever since.
Currently, Gerda works with startups in the talent industry while volunteering at Estonian School as a music teacher.
She is continuously working to promote Estonian Culture within her family, community, New York and beyond.

Heili Springsteen

Counselor

Heili Männik Springsteen was born in New Jersey and has grown up in both the New Jersey and New York Estonian communities. She graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mathematics and works in operations modeling and analytics. A member of folk dance group Saare Vikat and of the Esto-Atlantis choir, Heili is particularly passionate about connecting young Estonians across the globe through music, language, and the arts.

Jonas Tarm

Advisor

Estonian-born composer Jonas Tarm has been commissioned by several ensembles to write original music: ensembles include the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, New York Virtuoso Singers, among several others. His compositions have received awards including the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Award, and Black Nights Film Festival’s Music Meets Film Award. Jonas holds several music department credits in Hollywood films by directors such as Charlie Kaufman, and M. Night Shyamalan. In May 2022, Jonas co-organized the “Estonia Sings for Ukraine” project; thousands of singers performed Jonas’s arrangement of the Ukrainian tune “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” in order to raise funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

Marika Jõks

COUNSELOR

Karin Ashford

COUNSELOR

Karina York

events committee

Karina was born in the border town of Narva, but grew up in Tallinn. She is an art historian who since 2004 has divided her time living between New York and Tallinn. She graduated from the Tallinn Art Gymnasium and majored in foreign languages and business administration at the Estonian Business School, before transferring to Brooklyn College to complete her bachelor’s degree in art history. She’s worked for an antiquities dealer and ancient art gallery on the Upper East Side of New York, and served as the Head of Collections for the Estonian Healthcare Museum in Tallinn. She has also volunteered at the New York Estonian School as both an assistant principle and teacher.