Barbro Osher

Barbro Osher is Consul General of Sweden in California. For many years, she also was owner and publisher of Vestkusten, one of the few Swedish-American newspapers in the United States, established in 1886 as a source of news from Sweden on politics, business, and sports as well as information on the active Swedish-American community in the West. A native of Stockholm and a graduate of Stockholm University with a degree in languages and political science, Osher pursued a career in publishing and advertising in Sweden before moving to the United States in the early 1980s. Her first visit to America in 1962 was to Maine where she participated as a student in the Experiment in International Living program. Over the years, she has represented both the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Swedish Tourist Board. Barbro Osher is the founder of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) chapter in San Francisco and was president of Positive Sweden/North America, an organization furthering the image of Sweden through educational activities in the United States. She serves on the Boards of the University of California (Berkeley) Foundation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation Among numerous recognitions, including several American honorary degrees, Osher received the Eliason Award from the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles in 1999. She was a recipient of His Majesty the King’s Medal in 2002. In 2004 Barbro Osher was named SWEA International’s Woman of the Year, and in October, 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in art from Göteborg University, Sweden. In 2010, she was recognized by the American-Scandinavian Foundation with its Award for Distinguished Public Service. Barbro Osher is chair of The Bernard Osher Foundation and president of The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation. The Pro Suecia Foundation supports Swedish-related cultural and educational projects in North America and Sweden. Among the Foundation’s grantees are several American universities, including the University of California (Berkeley), Gustavus Adolphus University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Washington, whose programs advance understanding of Swedish culture and tradition both in Sweden and in America. She also is an active member of the Consular Corps of San Francisco, an avid reader in six languages, and an enthusiastic skier.