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Anna Maria Anders is both a Senator and a Minister in the Republic of Poland. She is Secretary of State in the government of Poland’s Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, where she is the Plenipotentiary for International Dialogue. In March 2016 she was elected to Poland’s Senate in a by-election and represents Poland’s eastern flank which includes: Lomża, Augustów and Suwałki. In addition she represents Poland in the WIP (Women in Parliaments) Global Forum, a global network of female parliamentarians that supports greater participation of women in politics and promotes equal rights of women worldwide.

Senator Anders is the daughter of the legendary World War II Commander of the Polish Forces at the Battle of Monte Cassino, General Wladyslaw Anders and his wife the well-known singer and actress Irena Renata Anders, also known as Renata Bogdanska. She was born in London, England and graduated from Bristol University with an Honors Degree in Modern Languages. She also has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Boston University in the United States. In 1986 Anna Maria Anders married United States Army Colonel Robert Alexander Costa with whom she has a son Robert Wladyslaw Costa who is also an officer in the US Army.

After graduating from Bristol University, Anna Maria Anders worked as an Account Executive at a financial PR and advertising firm in the City of London. In the late ‘70’s she moved to Paris, France where she worked in the communications department of UNESCO. In 1980 she joined Rezayat, Paris, a branch office of an international conglomerate with investments and joint ventures in the Middle East, Europe, USA and Asia. Based in Paris, her position as personal assistant to the Chairman of the Company involved extensive travel worldwide.

In 1994 Anna Maria Anders relocated to the United States with her family where she worked in residential real estate for a number of years. Following the death of her mother in 2010 she took over her mother’s role and began traveling to Poland on a regular basis visiting schools and attending military and government ceremonies.

For her services to Polish veterans in the United Kingdom and popularising the exploits of the 2nd Polish Corps during World War II she was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish President Bronisław Komorowski. In 2015 she was presented the Honorary Badge of the Association of Siberian Deportees. Since 2015, Senator Anders has been an Honorary Member of the Reserve Officers Association of Poland.

In her present position Senator Anders often represents Poland abroad. The fact that she was born in the United Kingdom, has lived in several European countries and resided full time in the USA for 20 years, means that she has many international contacts and is closely associated with Polish nationals living all over the world. She frequently focuses on promoting a favorable image of Poland around the world. She believes that this is important in order to encourage foreign investments in Poland, thereby stimulating the economy. She has a close working relationship with the Polish American Congress in the United States and with numerous Polish institutions and schools all over the world. She is a particularly strong supporter of the Military and Veterans Affairs.