Vlada Von Shats (b.1964). A Russian Ukrainian American entrepreneur and CEO of the Russian Samovar, a restaurant in the Broadway District of New York City known for its literary and diplomatic intelligentsia. (See Russian Americans)
Von Shats began her career in the U.S. working for studios such as MGM and Paramount, as well as ABC. Von Shats was born in St. Petersberg, Russia in 1964 — then a part of the Soviet Union — and immigrated to New York City in 1978, where she lives with her four children.
Von Shats was 12 years old when she arrived in the U.S. and quickly adapted to the vibrant pace of life in America, and by 21, she found herself deeply involved in Russian Samovar, a historic restaurant and piano bar in Manhattan’s Theater District.
Von Shats has a strong commitment to community and has sat on the boards of It Ends Today, an Anti Bullying Organization, and Gay American Heroes. Her contributions to society include her desire to build a better world by educating young minds about bullying and its impact. She is a long-term friend and ally of the gay and lesbian community.
Von Shats is also a licensed clergy and married Bix and Jim Luce at the J. Luce Foundation‘s Summer Leadership Awards Dinner on Roosevelt Island, New York City in 2017. She has served as Senior Global Advisor to this foundation for over a decade.
See: Vlada Von Shats: Russian Samovar Proprietor and Our Global Advisor (June 17, 2023)