Richard E. Oldenburg and Bernt Reitan elected Board of Trustees Co-Chairmen of American-Scandinavian Foundation

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Richard E. Oldenburg and Bernt Reitan were elected Co-Chairmen of the Board of The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) at its recent Annual Meeting. They succeed Bård E. Bunaes, who served as Chairman from 2006 to 2009

ASF President Edward P. Gallagher commented that “As we look toward our centennial year in 2011, the ASF is enormously fortunate that two outstanding leaders have agreed to share the responsibility for guiding us into our second century. These men each bring outstanding accomplishments and skills in the areas of business, management, the arts, and public service.”

About the Chairmen

Mr. Oldenburg has been an Executive Trustee of the ASF since 1996 and has chaired its Art and Program Committee since its inception in 2000 with the opening of Scandinavia House. He served as Deputy Chairman of the ASF from 2007-2009 and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2007. A recipient of the ASF Cultural Award in 1996, Mr. Oldenburg was Director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, from 1972-1994, and continues his association with the museum as Director Emeritus and an Honorary Trustee. From 1995 through 2000, he was Chairman of Sotheby’s North and South America, subsequently becoming Honorary Chairman, and presently a Consultant to Sotheby’s. Born in Sweden, Mr. Oldenburg came to the United States as a child when his father was appointed Consul General of Sweden in Chicago. A graduate of Harvard College, Mr. Oldenburg has also served as a member and President of the University’s Board of Overseers.

Mr. Reitan was elected an Executive Trustee of the ASF in 2004, and has served as a member its Audit Committee. He has also served numerous times as Corporate Chair for the annual ASF Gala Dinner. Mr. Reitan is currently the Executive VP & President Global Primary Products of aluminum industry leader Alcoa. Before joining the Alcoa management team in 2000, he was a member of corporate management at Elkem ASA in Norway for more than a decade. Over the years Mr. Reitan has served on various boards, most recently the board of directors of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in the USA and Yara in Norway. He is also a member of the board of IAI (International Aluminum Institute) and has served on the board of other industry associations. Born in Norway, Mr. Reitan earned his master’s degree in civil engineering from Technical University Trondheim in 1971.

Also Elected

The Board also elected Bente Svensen Frantz to the position of Deputy Chair. An Executive Trustee of the ASF since 1998, Mrs. Frantz has served on the Executive Committee since 2001, as Vice Chair for Norway from 2003-2009, and as Chair of the Scandinavia House Operations Committee since 2006. She was a Co-Chair of the ASF Norway Centennial Ball in 2005. Mrs. Frantz currently serves on the boards of Girls Incorporated of New York City, The Spence School, and The Shelter Island Educational Foundation. A native of Norway, Mrs. Frantz received her bachelor’s degree from Mt. Holyoke College.

Other officers elected or re-elected at the Annual Meeting are: Edward P. Gallagher, President; Edward E. Elson, Vice Chairman for Denmark; Linda Nordberg, Vice Chairman for Finland; Kristján T. Ragnarsson, MD, Vice Chairman for Iceland; Bård E. Bunaes, Vice Chairman for Norway; Lena Biörck Kaplan, Vice Chairman for Sweden; Robin Chandler Duke, Vice Chairman for the United States; Christian R. Sonne, Treasurer; and Lynn Carter, Executive Vice President and Secretary.

Also at the ASF Annual Meeting, eight new members of the Board of Trustees were elected. Those based in the U.S. are Magnus Gustafsson, President, Atlantika, Inc. and Consul General of Iceland to the U.S. from 2005-2008; Lisa Resling Halpern, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Euro-Center USA; Jesper Bo Hansen, President, TORM USA LLC; Hans Christian Kjelsrud, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nordea Bank, New York Branch; and Hon. Michael M. Wood, Chair, Redwood Investments and U.S. Ambassador to Sweden from 2006-2009. New Trustees based in Scandinavia are Pontus Bonnier, Vice Chairman of the Board, Bonnier AB, and President, Boninvest, Sweden; Jonas Kleberg, Chief Executive Officer, Soya Group, Sweden; and Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen, Chairman of the Board, AWILHELMSEN Management AS, Norway.

The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is a publicly supported nonprofit organization committed to promoting educational, cultural and professional exchange between the United States and the Nordic countries-Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The ASF offers fellowships and cultural grants, professional internships/traineeships, publications, exhibitions, and other public programs reinforcing the strong relationships between the two regions, honoring their shared values, and appreciating their differences. Nearly 30,000 Scandinavians and Americans have participated in its exchange programs since 1910.

Scandinavia House is a public forum presenting a wide range of exhibitions, films, concerts, lectures, symposia, family programs, The Shop @ Scandinavia House, and Smörgås Chef Restaurant. It also houses the headquarters of The American-Scandinavian Foundation.