Bridging Cultures, Building Friendships

Founded in 1894, the American Women’s Club of Berlin (AWC Berlin) is a social and cultural network with a charitable calling. The AWC Berlin provides a forum for women to share information and experiences, to meet new friends and engage in inspiring and fun activities, all while helping and empowering others along the way. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan.

Read our 2024_AWC BERLIN HISTORY BOOKLET, produced in 2024 on the occasion of the 130th Anniversary of the club.

Meet our Board of Directors

My-Linh Kunst, President

My-Linh Kunst is a university lecturer, photographer, and advocate for women’s rights. A native of Vietnam, My-Linh emigrated to the US at the end of the Vietnam War (1975). She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Wharton School. She spent nearly two decades in management consulting, with her last post as Managing Director of a German consulting firm. She then worked in non-profits, culminating in her two-term Presidency of FAWCO, a United Nations accredited NGO with ECOSOC consultative status.

Parallel to her business career, My-Linh is a published and exhibited portrait photographer. Her books: Beyond Borders (2008) featured inspiring American women living overseas and Hope is a Thing of Feathers (2016) portrays human trafficking survivors and change makers.

Alex Kinney

First Vice President

Nelly Heidbrink

Second Vice President

Karen Huber-Guida

Secretary

Barbara Irigoyen

Treasurer

Our history

1894

The American Women’s Club, formerly known as the American Girls Club, began its existence in the fall of 1894 as a branch of the American Woman’s Aid association which had then been organized less than two years before. An article from August 12th, 1905, lauded the AWC as the ‘first women’s club ever organized in the Kaiser’s realm.’ The club occupied three floors in a grand building on Kleiststraße.

1931

AWC Berlin was invited to London by Mrs. Caroline Curtis Brown (of AWC London) to be one of the seven founding clubs of the Federation of American Women’s Clubs in Europe. In 1932, AWC Berlin hosted the first official conference of the Federation.

1946

After WWII, when the US military established a long-term presence in Berlin, the American Women’s Club was refounded to support the wives of the American officers and civilians.

1994

AWC Berlin e.V. was officially founded. Reams of red tape needed to be cut through to establish such an organization, including a thorough check by the “Staatspolizei” because the AWC was considered a “foreign” club. Many women connected with the military, the embassy, and the expatriate American community immediately joined the “new” AWC.

2004

We began volunteering at the Ronald McDonald Haus in Wedding (a project where English speakers could easily volunteer) and have been loyal supporters ever since.

2015

American Women’s Club of Berlin was relaunched. The Constitution was modified to open up the club to “women of all nationalities who embrace the American Spirit.” It was previously open only to US citizens and their spouses. Our membership quickly grew from 5 to 92 by the end of 2015.

2024

American Women’s Club of Berlin celebrated its 130th Anniversary. We now have over 320 members from 30+ different countries.