Chicago: The Most American of Cities, the Most Diverse of Cities; Viktor Sidabras, US Embassy

Come learn more about one of America’s most diverse cities: Chicago! Our speaker will be Chicago-area native Viktor Sidabras, Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow since October 2009. Mr. Sidabras joined the Foreign Service in 1984 and has served abroad in Belgium, Germany, Liberia, Norway, and Sweden. In Washington, he has served in positions related to Central Asia and the Caucasus, East Asia, and economic, energy and business affairs. He helped open the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania and served as Public Affairs Officer there 1992-95. On July 6, 2002, Mr. Sidabras received the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, the Cross of the Knight, from Lithuanian President Adamkus at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius for his work promoting American-Lithuanian relations. Viktor Sidabras was born in Hammond, Indiana, and graduated magna cum laude from Dominican University (River Forest, Illinois) with joint BA-MA degrees in European History. He also completed additional studies at the University of Chicago. Mr. Sidabras is fluent in Lithuanian; he also speaks German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, and is learning Russian.