San Carlos, CA 1959

I'm a third-generation Estonian-American. My grandpa-rents, Alice and Peeter Trei, emigrated to New York City in the 1920s. In 1990, I moved to Estonia to teach journalism at Tartu University and to work for The Estonian Independent. I planned to stay six months but I ended up living in Estonia for six years. I taught at Tartu, compiled Estonia's first handbook on investigative reporting, and reported on the re-emergence of the Baltic States for U.S. newspapers. After marrying a saarlane, we moved to California in 1996. I have worked at Stanford University for 25 years as a writer and communications manager.

I want to join the EANC because I have been involved with the Bay Area Estonian community for many years and now want to contribute at a national level. In 2017, I helped form the Estonian Community Choir of San Francisco with the goal of participating in the 2019 Laulupidu. We succeeded in that endeavor and our choir continues to practice and perform, with plans to audition for the 2025 Laulupidu. For several years, I have been a member of the board of the Estonian Society of San Francisco, which organizes and runs a range of community activities. In April 2022, I participated in Baltic Advocacy Days for the first time and enjoyed the experience. If elected to the EANC, I want to apply my skills as an experienced strategic communicator to strengthen Estonian and Baltic security and freedom.