Amanda grew up in Denver, Colorado, USA and has Czech ancestors. She fell in love with Moravia while volunteering at the CNT working party on our project in Zdislavice. After she finished her studies she moved to Zlín and offered CNT her help. Amanda earned a BA in Art and History of Architecture from the Metropolitan University of Denver and a Historic Preservation Master from the University of Oregon. Amanda will lead our volunteer activities and will jointly manage our key project of the tomb and chapel of Maria von Ebner-Eschenbach in Zdislavice.  

Her first visit to Europe was a typical college student’s trip, with nothing but a backpack, a two-week timeline, and a plan to see as much as possible. After her visit, she was inspired by the vast history of architecture in the European capitals and this is what pushed her to apply for the master’s program in Oregon. During her master’s studies she again visited Europe, this time to Kroměříž, in cooperation with the Czech National Trust as a work-study experience.

It was during this summer working holiday that she fell in love with Czech history and culture. Her family ancestry also stems from Bohemia, so her connection with this land has deep roots. She quickly decided that her goal would be to move to the Czech Republic and fully experience all it had to offer. She achieved that goal and moved there in 2017. She currently lives in Zlín among the functionalist architecture of Tomáš Baťa.

After getting settled into life in a foreign country, she refocused her attention on involvement with the historic landscape of the Czech Republic and again reached out to CNT. After reconnecting with the organization, she was offered the opportunity to manage and organize the volunteer work at the CNT flagship project on the Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach family tomb. She is motivated and enthusiastic to help carry on the legacy of the organization that helped to bring her halfway around the world.