Board of Trustees

Scandinavian Seminar Board of Trustees

Daphne L. Davidson, D.Phil., Chairman
Co-Chairman and Fellow, The American-Scandinavian Foundation; Dean’s Leadership Council, Harvard University; Former Attorney, Debevoise & Plimpton; A.B., Ed.M., J.D., Harvard University; D.Phil. in Old Norse, Oxford University; NEH Fellow; Danish Marshall Fellow.

Gard Holby
Attorney and mediator; Chairman of Board of Township Supervisors, Bridgeton Township, PA; Chairman, Ajiri Foundation – Georgetown University Law Center, St. Lawrence University; former Executive Director, Scandinavian Seminar; Scandinavian Seminar alumnus.

Robert Maass, Secretary
Photographer and documentary filmmaker; former contributing photographer for Newsweek magazine; author of ten books for children; contributor to numerous private and governmental publications; Scandinavian Seminar alum

William J. Kaufmann, Chairman Emeritus and Former Treasurer
Chairman, MBS Global consulting company; University of the Arctic Board
Fellow; former senior executive at Chase Manhattan Bank; former Chairman/CEO of CERC (Connecticut economic development consulting firm); formerly chief executive and board member of various private sector and non-profit institutions.

Peter Andresén, Ph.D., Treasurer
Director, Risk Integrated consulting company; former Executive at Campbell Alliance; Research Scientist at Northwestern University, Ph.D. from The Technical University of Denmark & Université Libre de Bruxelles, M.S. from University of Copenhagen.

David H. Brown, Ph.D
Dean of Students, Vassar College; former Director of Counseling, Chaminade University of Honolulu; awarded grant from Svenska Institute for research in Stockholm; Elderhostel group leader in Norway, Sweden and Denmark; Ph.D. from Cornell University; MA from Colgate University

Bruce E. Buxton
Chief Executive, Scandinavian Seminar; Headmaster Emeritus, Falmouth Academy; Ethan Allen Institute – member of Commission on Rebalancing Education Cost and Value; Trustee of St. Johnsbury Academy, St Johnsbury Academy Jeju (South Korea), Wilbraham and Monson Academy, and Boston Preparatory Charter School Foundation.

Aili Flint, Ph.D.
Research scholar, Columbia University; former head of Finnish Studies at Columbia University; American Scandinavian Foundation board member and fellow; producer of Finnish cultural, literature, film and theater events; decorated by Finnish President as Knight First Class of the Lion of Finland; member of Kalevala Society

Holly Howery, CPC, ACC
Consultant and Coach, Leadership & Change, Howery Coaching and Consulting; Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, Charter Oak State College; Adjunct Professor, Charter Oak State College; Board Member, Charter Oak Alumni Association; Former Regent (2016-2023), Board of Regents for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.

Eugene V. Kokot
Attorney; Retired Partner at Katsky Korins LLP, NY; Co-Chair American Scandinavian Foundation (2019-23); Thomas J. Watson Traveling Fellowship (1970-71) based in northern Sweden; former Vice Chair and former Secretary of Scandinavian Seminar; Union College; Columbia Law School.

Susan Larson, Ph.D.
Linguistic, educational advisor to U.S. Department of Defense; former Executive Director, Swedish Council of America; founder of Finnish Studies at University of California, Berkley; founder and Director of Center for Scandinavian Studies at University of Minnesota; Scandinavian Seminar Alum

Col. John Norton, USA, Ret.
Swedish Council 2010 Swedish American of the Year; U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer (retired); Knox College; University of Minnesota (MA); University of Stockholm, International Graduate School; Scandinavian Seminar Alum

Rune Ryden, Ph.D.
Former member of Swedish Parliament 1976-1998; Fulbright Scholar; former Chairman of Swedish Association of Parliamentarians and Scientists; delegate to the United Nations; Former President of FP-AP, 2018-2022 (Former members of Parliament of the member countries of Council of Europe.) Former member of the Board of Lund University and Former Chairman of Membership and Nominations Committee of University of the Arctic.