Timed for Women’s History Month (March 2025)
How a refugee became one of the first women tech entrepreneurs and helped modernize Latvia
THE WALL FALLS, A WOMAN RISES, A Memoir
By DAGNIJA LACIS
In 1950, at age seven, Dagnija Lacis came to America with her parents as a refugee from Communist-ruled Latvia. How did it happen that the Prime Minister of newly freed Latvia would invite Dagnija back to her homeland in 1990 as the first official visitor from the West?
THE WALL FALLS, A WOMAN RISES, A Memoir: How a U. S. Tech Entrepreneur Broke the Glass Ceiling and Helped Modernize Latvia (OakTreeBear Publishing, March 18, 2025; $28.95 Hardcover; ISBN: 979-8-9904890-0-4) is the story of this trailblazer, Dagnija Lacis:
- The first woman programmer at the 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.
- A refugee who fled Latvia in her mother’s arms in 1944 as the Communists took over and went on to become a leading IT executive. In 1990, she returned to her homeland at the request of the newly freed country’s prime minister. She brought with her technology experts, systems, and training that helped prepare Latvia for early acceptance into NATO and the EU following its independence.
- The entrepreneur who launched an international technology company in 1991 and was one of the first to employ remote workers—several years before the World Wide Web was available.
- A woman on the front lines, experiencing THREE major world events
Dagnija Lacis shares her insights and strategic thinking as she recounts her journey of breaking through the glass ceilings in the male-dominated IT industry. She tells how she introduced the most advanced IT systems to her newly liberated homeland, Latvia, enabling the country to engage in business with the West. Her memoir features over 150 photographs and illustrates how Dagnija and the team she assembled utilized strategy, intelligence, energy, expertise, and passion to modernize Latvia’s technology. Additionally, it details her experience launching her own international IT company in 1991.
Dagnija’s message was and is: “Stick to your goals. When confronted with obstacles, don’t give up. Find another path forward!”
Learn more at www.dagnijalacis.com