Coffee with the ambassador: Anniken Huitfeldt, diplomat for the people

The Seattle Nordic community welcomed Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt to Seattle as grand marshal for its 2025 17th of May celebration.

This year’s Norwegian Constitution Day celebration in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, the 17th of May, was filled with highlights, and, hands down, everyone would agree that one of them was the visit of the Norway’s ambassador to the United States, Anniken Huitfeldt. She was this year’s grand marshal for the biggest Norwegian party of the year, and from all reports, she was a big hit with everyone she met.

Huitfeldt has served as the Norwegian ambassador in Washington, D.C. since August 2024, the second woman to hold this position, following Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, who also served as grand marshal for the 17th of May Seattle event in 2023.

The new ambassador brought an incredible resume to the job. A member of the Labor Party, Huitfeldt served as minister of children and equality from 2008 to 2009, minister of culture from 2009 to 2012, and minister of labor and social inclusion from 2012 to 2013 under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. More recently, she served as minister of foreign affairs in Jonas Gahr Støre’s government.

Yet, with her amazing slate of achievements, what is perhaps most impressive is Huitfeldt’s ability to connect with people: to make them feel comfortable, to listen to them, and to make them feel they are being heard. “Gregarious” and “gracious” were two words that we heard time and again from those who got to meet her.

Honorary Norwegian Counsel Viggo Førde, was Ambassador; Huitfeldt's official guide and host for the week.

A third descriptor that should be added is “energetic.” While Honorary Norwegian Counsel Viggo Førde had for days taken her on a whirlwind tour of the region with an agenda packed with meetings, the ambassador still found the time to sit down and chat with a group that had gathered at the Freya Cafe at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard.

Among those there for an informal chat over a cup of coffee or a cocktail was a group of women, all deeply engaged in the Norwegian community in Seattle.

To open the conversation, the ambassador wanted to hear about our backgrounds and how we are involved in the Norwegian community.

We explained that some of us have direct roots to Norway, while others of us connect with Norway via personal or professional interests. That said, we soon landed on two topics that seemed to spark everyone’s interest: international educational and cultural exchange. A close third was fashion, as clothing is a way that many of us express ourselves.

With fond memories, I talked about my days at the University of Washington Department of Scandinavian Studies in the 1970s. Back then, I came in contact with many students from Norway, resulting in lifetime friendships. Most of these friends went on to leading positions in Norwegian business and industry, an for them, studying in the United States was a key to success. In recent times, however, the number of exchange students from Norway has dwindled with the high cost of tuition and living expenses here. We agreed that there is much work to be done on both sides of the Atlantic to remedy this situation.

Katrina Svasand, who has a 12-year-old daughter, talked about challenges in primary and secondary education, especially for children with special needs. As a mother, she sees the importance of parents being closely involved in their children’s educations and shared how our system allows for homeschooling to fit the needs of some of those who don’t do well in a conventional classroom. Svasand understands that a good education matters. She is also immediate past president of the Norwegian Commercial Club, which awards scholarships for young people to further their studies, both in Norway and the United States.

Katrina Svasand (center) poses with her daughter, Elise, and mother, Laila Sharpe, at the 2025 17th of May parade in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. Svasand is a strong proponent of education and is immediate past president of the Norwegian Commercial Club, which offers a generous scholarship program. Photo courtesy of Katrina Svasand.

But, as is the case with higher education, high school exchanges between Norway and the United States have declined. The ambassador commented on the changing roles of men and women in society, with more mothers working outside the home, which, in turn, gives parents less capacity to take on foreign student inside their homes. I underlined the highly structured curricula and strict graduation requirements in our schools that make spending a year abroad more difficult. Yet, the programs of the past were life-changing for many, and more thought and creativity needs to be put into how programs can be developed to encourage more youth exchange.

Huitfeldt emphasized that cultural exchange in general is also an important part of soft diplomacy. She was happy to hear about the many transatlantic musical collaborations the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) has had over the years, including a collaborative production that filled up one of Bergen’s largest churches. She was also happy to learn about the work of the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society and the many concerts planned for the bicentennial year as well as the many folk musicians and dancers in the region.

Then the conversation turned all those beautiful bunads, the colorful traditional Norwegian costumes we wear here in Seattle—not unimpressive to the Norwegian ambassador. We explained how regional identity plays into connecting us with our roots. And while I don’t own a bunad, I have a collection of Oleana sweaters, in part because of the SBSCA’s efforts to promote the Bergen-based business here. I explained how wearing a Norwegian sweater can serve the same purpose as a bunad for those who don’t have a strong connection to any one region in Norway or haven’t been able to make a larger investment.

There is an abundance of bunads in Seattle, and at the 17th of May luncheon at the National Nordic Museum, Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt gathered everyone for group photo.

We also talked about the SBSCA’s work to introduce the Voss-based company Sylvsmidja, maker of both traditional and modern jewelry, to the local market. We are are looking forward to the new Crossings collection for the commemoration of 200 years of organized Norwegian emigration to North America. And it’s not just about the old. Norway is a very fashion-forward country, and the designs in the new Crossings collection are a reflection of that.

For everyone, business is an important part of keeping the connection between Seattle and Norway alive, and here in Seattle, big businesses and small businesses play an equally important role. And while we were all excited that SAS was starting up its Seattle-Copenhagen route again, we were equally excited that we could do our 17th of May shopping for Norwegian hotdogs, Solo soda, and other Norwegian delights at our local Scandinavian Specialties store, a business started by Anne-Lise Berger.

Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt (left) is pictured with Anne-Lise Berger (right) at a reception following our coffee hour at the National Nordic Museum. Berger understands the importance of food in keeping a culture alive and was the founder of Ballard's popular Scandinavian Specialties store. Berger wears one of the Oleana sweaters so popular in the Seattle Norwegian-American community.

Berger has served on the board at the National Nordic Museum and is currently president of Ballard’s Sons of Norway Leif Erikson Lodge. Scandinavian Specialties is now owned and run by her son, Bjørn Ruud. Both understand the importance that food has played in keeping our Nordic community alive on a day-to-day basis and as we celebrate holidays throughout the year.

Finally, it was fun and informative to talk about how we stay connected to our family and friends in Norway and how our love for Norway is being passed down to new generations. Today, travel is more accessible than in the past, and the internet and social media provide opportunities to make new connections and to stay in touch, something we explored with many successes during the pandemic.

Mari-Ann Kind Jackson (right) poses for a photo at Bergen Place park in Ballard with her granddaughter Maya Jackson and Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss. The Jackson family is proud of their Norwegian heritage, which has been passed down from generation to generation.

And last but not least, the National Nordic Museum plays a pivotal role in the Greater Seattle region as a living monument with a commitment to the future. Mari-Ann Kind Jackson mentioned the museum’s oral history project she has been involved with for many years. She and her granddaughter Maya sat there in the café with us as living proof that something is working across the generations. Both are members of the 17th of May Seattle Committee and are deeply committed to the Norwegian community here.

An hour goes by quickly when you are having a good time, but looking back, so much was accomplished in our short visit with the ambassador. She came to us as a true diplomat for the people. We learned a lot about her goals, and we were able to share some of our firsthand experiences in the Nordic community here.

Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association President Lori Ann Reinhall (left) and Norwegian Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt (right) both understand the importance of people-to-people diplomacy and were happy to forge new friendships during the 17th of May celebration in Seattle.

But most of all, as we women sat there together, an incredible connection was made, a type of personal bonding that never happens in a more formal setting or over the internet. The atmosphere was warm, open, friendly, positive, and productive. It’s what people-to-people exchange is all about and at the heart of the mission of Sister Cities International. We can all be very proud to be part of it.

All photos by Bruce Johnson / Rowland Studio unless otherwise indicated.