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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, discover how Dagnija Lacis, a trailblazing U.S. tech entrepreneur, shattered glass ceilings and modernized Latvia in her inspiring memoir, The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises.
The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises, A Memoir
In her memoir The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises (OakTreeBear Publishing, March 18, 2025; Hardcover; ISBN: 979-8-9904890-0-4), Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis delivers a powerful narrative of resilience, ambition, and innovation. This compelling story chronicles her ascent through the male-dominated IT industry in the United States, her groundbreaking role in shattering glass ceilings, and her pivotal contributions to modernizing her ancestral homeland of Latvia after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Lacis’ journey is not just a personal triumph—it’s a testament to the transformative power of determination and strategic thinking, making this memoir a must-read for fans of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In and anyone inspired by women in STEM, international business, and Eastern European history.
From Refugee to Tech Pioneer
Lacis’ story begins in the shadow of World War II. Born in Latvia, she fled the Communist takeover as an infant with her family, enduring five years in a displaced persons camp in Germany before immigrating to Indianapolis in 1950. This early experience of upheaval instilled in her a tenacity that would define her life. After graduating from Butler University in 1964 with a degree in math and chemistry—fields then deemed unconventional for women—she stepped boldly into the tech world, a realm even less welcoming to “girls.”
Her first breakthrough came at Burroughs Corporation, the second-largest computer company in the world at the time, where she became the first female programmer. Undeterred by a culture that sidelined women, Lacis excelled, laying the foundation for a career that would repeatedly defy expectations. By 1984, she had risen to become the first female line vice president at Unisys, a successor to Burroughs, smashing yet another glass ceiling: women in management. For two decades, she held her own among the “boys,” navigating a corporate landscape with few female peers, all while raising a family without the support of paid maternity leave—a testament to her ability to challenge stereotypes about women’s roles in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.
A Call to Modernize Latvia
Lacis’ story takes a dramatic turn in 1978, when she visited Latvia with her husband and his father. Under Soviet control, the country’s systems were stagnant, trapped in a technological time warp. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Latvia regained its independence, opportunity knocked. In 1990, during a luncheon in Washington, D.C., Lacis met Latvia’s newly elected prime minister and foreign minister. Recognizing her expertise, they enlisted her to bring modern technology to the foreign ministry, sparking a mission to connect Latvia to the West.
With strategy, expertise, and unrelenting energy, Lacis and her team introduced cutting-edge IT systems that revolutionized Latvia’s infrastructure. Among her achievements were the implementation of SWIFT, enabling Western companies to conduct business with Latvian firms; the Global Transport and Trade System (GTTS); and the modernization of Latvian shipping.
Her work didn’t stop there. She founded Baltic Technology Group (BTG), becoming an international IT entrepreneur and launching the first woman-owned company in Europe to develop a Western retail banking system. Major General E. Gordon Stump (Ret.), Adjutant General of the Michigan National Guard, who collaborated with Lacis in Riga during the early 1990s, praised her efforts: “I was proud of our work, which resulted in the Latvian military meeting NATO standards and Latvia becoming a NATO member.”
A Legacy of Breaking Barriers
Lacis’ memoir is more than a recounting of milestones—it’s a masterclass in perseverance. “Stick to your goals,” she advises. “When confronted with obstacles, don’t give up, find another path forward.” Her strategies resonate with readers interested in women’s leadership, from her early days defying convention as a programmer to her later years building bridges between East and West. Her poignant reflections on leaving Latvia as a child add emotional depth, while her professional triumphs highlight her as a pioneer for women in STEM and international business.
The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises is a gripping tale of one woman’s rise against the odds, a celebration of resilience, and a vital chapter in the modernization of Eastern Europe. For anyone inspired by women who lead, innovate, and transform, Dagnija Lacis’ memoir is an essential read.
Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis
Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis is a pioneering tech entrepreneur and author of The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises. Born in Latvia in 1943, she fled the Communist takeover with her family in 1944, spending five years in a displaced persons camp in Germany before settling in Indianapolis in 1950. A cum laude graduate of Butler University with a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics, Lacis broke barriers as the first female programmer at Burroughs Corporation—then the world’s second-largest IT company—and later became its first female line vice president at Unisys.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Latvia’s newly elected leaders tapped her expertise to modernize the nation’s technology, connecting it to the West through innovations like SWIFT and the Global Transport and Trade System. In 1991, she founded the Baltic Technology Group (BTG), a woman-led IT firm with offices in the U.S. and Latvia, where she remains active. Lacis resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with her husband, Andris, Latvia’s Honorary Consul for Michigan, and together they have raised two children.
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