Mrs. Ira Unamboowe (1939-2015) served as Executive Director of the American Institute for Lankan Studies (AILS) from 2004 until her death in December 2015. She came to AILS with a BA from the University of Peradeniya and an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Previous to her AILS service, she had also had a successful career at the Industrial Development Board and Export Development Board, and had taken on many management and industrial development consultancies outside Sri Lanka, including stints in six African countries and in Austria. It was under Mrs. Unamboowe’s leadership that AILS developed its library and research workshop programs. She also carried out JSTOR training sessions at universities around the island. Above all, she provided warm and practical support to foreign and local researchers. Her mentoring was especially important for students and scholars coming to Sri Lanka for the first time. Her untimely passing was mourned not only in Sri Lanka, but around the world.
