Immigrant of the Day: Alma Adamkienė (Lithuania)

Alma Adamkienė (born February 10, 1927) is the wife of the President of Lithuania. She also holds U.S. citizenship.

In 1944, when the Soviet Army returned to Lithuania, Alma Nutautaitė fled with her family to the West. She finished high school in Germany and later studied Philology at Erlangen University in Nuremberg.

Alma Nutautaitė emigrated to the United States in 1949. She first worked as a laboratory assistant at a steel factory. Later, she took a position with an insurance company. She also organized and participated in Lithuanian émigré activities. Alma Nutautaitė married Valdas Adamkus in 1951, and took her husband's surname (she is known as Alma Adamkus in the United States).

During the Presidential election held in Lithuania in 1997, Valdas Adamkus campaigned for the

Presidency and won. After Adamkus became President, Alma Adamkienė became involved in various Lithuanian social programs. She opened a foundation called the “Alma Adamkienė Charity and Support Fund” in 1999. It is an activity in which she is still currently involved.

KJ