Exhibit Opening: Why Estonia? The 30-year Journey from the USSR to e-Estonia
CREEES Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies
Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC)
557 Escondido Mall, Stanford, CA 94305
Join us for an engaging conversation with former Estonian Government CIO Luukas Ilves and Andrew Grotto (CISAC) to celebrate the opening of the temporary exhibit in Green Library:
"Why Estonia? The 30-Year Journey from the USSR to e-Estonia"
Despite a population of fewer than 1.5 million, Estonia has emerged as a global leader in e-governance. From ID cards and digital voting to online tax declarations and thriving tech startups, Estonia’s remarkable digital evolution is a testament to visionary decisions and strategic leadership.
This transformation wasn’t inevitable. After regaining independence in the early 1990s, Estonia faced the challenges of rebuilding after 50 years of Soviet occupation. The exhibit, a collaboration between the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom and Stanford Libraries, explores Estonia’s journey from its historical roots to its digital success, highlighting achievements and challenges along the way.
The exhibit opening features a talk, “What America and DOGE can learn from 30 years of digital government success in Estonia?” by former Estonian Government CIO Luukas Ilves, kicking off a series of three talks on e-Estonia hosted by Stanford Libraries in April-May.
Luukas Ilves is an advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on questions of AI and digital transformation and a non-resident fellow at the International Center for Defence Studies (Tallinn, Estonia).
From 2022–2024, Luukas was Government CIO and Undersecretary for Digital Transformation of Estonia. He previously held various roles with the Government of Estonia and the European Commission, has worked for the cryptography deep tech Guardtime, and as deputy director and senior fellow at the Lisbon Council (a Brussels-based thinktank).
Luukas is a recipient of the Estonian Order of the White Star and President Zelensky’s Ukraine Peace Prize. He is a graduate of Stanford University.
Opening remarks will be delivered by Michael Keller (Stanford Libraries) and Ivo Lille (Vabamu), with Andrew Grotto (CISAC) moderating the discussion.
A guided tour of the exhibit will follow the event.
Free and open to the public. Registration is requested.