In the open competition announced by the Ministry of Culture for the position of Board Member for Development and Cooperation at the state-owned limited liability company Latvian National Opera and Ballet (LNOB), the strongest candidate among 13 applicants was recognized as Astra Irmeja-Šēfere, the current Head of the Artistic Planning Department at LNOB.

Irmeja-Šēfere has been involved in artistic planning, production, international cooperation, and the development of the company at LNOB for 18 years. She began her professional career in 1997 as an assistant to the Director of the Latvian National Opera, later working as a producer of educational projects, dedicating a total of 23 years to Latvian opera and ballet. She has also worked as an admissions and career coordinator for master's and doctoral students at two universities in the United States (USA).