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Infusion of Experience And Enthusiasm at ANCA-WR Headquarters
http://asbarez.com/110139/infusion-of-experience-and-enthusiasm-at-anca-wr-headquarters/
Friday, May 17th, 2013
Newly-appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan
GLENDALE - Major changes have occurred at the ANCA-Western Region
headquarters over the past 10 days with the appointment of Elen
Asatryan as Executive Director, the addition of Haig Baghdassarian as
Legislative Affairs Director, and the promotion of Tereza Yerimyan to
Government Relations Director.
`We are very excited to announce our new ANCA-WR staff and division of
responsibilities, and we are extremely confident that our team will
successfully take the organization to even higher levels,' stated Nora
Hovsepian, co-Chair of the ANCA-WR. `Our former Executive Director
William Bairamian laid the groundwork in the office upon which our new
Executive Director Elen Asatryan can build to new heights. We wish
William well in his future endeavors and are sure that by working
together, our entire ANCA-WR Board, staff, committees and local
chapters will make significant strides toward advancing the Armenian
Cause,' added Hovsepian.
Elen Asatryan is no stranger to the ANCA family as she has served as
the Executive Director the ANCA Glendale Chapter since 2006 and more
recently, since 2011, has divided her time between the Glendale
Chapter, ANCA-WR, and the Hye Votes Campaign.
As the Executive Director of ANCA Glendale, Asatryan was instrumental
in many positive developments for the organization and the community
at large. For more than six years, she was the face and voice of the
organization, and was responsible for policy development and
day-to-day operations. Her countless accomplishments during her tenure
included the creation and expansion of many programs for the community
which were achieved by the fostering of closer relations with city
officials and community based organizations. Such programs included
internship and mentorship programs for high school and college
students, the Path to College Program, the Parent/Student Assistance
Hotline, the ANCA Glendale Youth Activist Scholarship Fund, the
Glendale Free Legal Clinics, community education workshops and forums,
voter registration, and annual food and toy distributions to the
Glendale community amongst policy related initiatives proposed in
various city departments and at GUSD.
As Field Director of the ANCA-WR, Asatryan was responsible for
developing chapters' structures, strategic plans, as well as the
promotion and development of new chapters in the Western Region of the
United States.
`The ANCA-WR is a unique energetic organization with a rich history in
the Armenian community and we are confident that Elen will carry that
same passion for our Cause,' stated ANCA-WR co-Chair Chris Guldjian.
`We are very pleased and proud to have someone with Elen's background
and dedication lead our team and are confident that she can take us to
the next level,' added Guldjian.
Prior to her tenure as ANCA-Glendale Executive Director, Asatryan
worked on local, state, and federal campaigns. Her commitment to
Armenian issues dates back to her activist days at Hoover High School,
then as an officer and advisor of the UCLA's Armenian Students'
Association, and later as an intern of the ANCA-WR. Asatryan is a
graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she
studied Political Science with concentrations in American Politics and
International Relations.
In early January 2013, Asatryan had taken a leave of absence from her
position in order to manage the successful campaign of Glendale City
Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan.
`I am honored to join the passionate and dedicated directors, staff,
and volunteers that make up the ANCA-WR team in this new capacity,'
stated newly appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. `I am
confident that through our collaborative efforts we will reach even
higher levels of distinction as we continue to build on previous
successes of serving our community and representing its voice and its
needs within respective legislative bodies,' added Asatryan.
The addition of Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian is
noteworthy, in that it represents the first time that the ANCA-WR has
hired an employee who is based outside of the organization's
headquarters in Glendale. Baghdassarian is a practicing attorney who
has lived in in San Francisco since 1998. Previously, he resided in
Glendale and Burbank, during which time he first became involved with
the ANCA, initially as a Leo Sarkisian Intern in Washington, then as a
member of the ANCA-WR Governmental Affairs Committee, and later as a
Board Member of the ANCA-Burbank Chapter.
Following his graduation from UCLA, Baghdassarian relocated to San
Francisco to attend law school at UC Hastings, and shortly thereafter,
he became an active member of the SF Bay Area Chapter of the ANCA
where continues to serve on its Executive Board. Over the years, his
involvement within the Armenian-American communities have not been
limited to the ANCA family, as he has also been active with the
Armenian Youth Federation, the UCLA Armenian Students Association, the
Land & Culture Organization, the Genocide Education Project's oral
history documentation activities, and the Armenian Bar Association.
Prior to Baghdassarian's graduation from law school, he became the
first Armenian-American to be appointed as a San Francisco Human
Rights Commissioner. He was sworn in by then-Mayor Willie Brown on
April 24, 2001, and he held the office through 2004. Following his
graduation from law school, he worked as Deputy City Attorney in San
Francisco, and as a labor and employment attorney for two law firms
specializing in state and municipal legal affairs.
`Given the current political landscape, it's more important than ever
before for our community to develop lasting relations with Members of
the California state legislature and their staff,' said Hovsepian.
`The addition of Haig to our team will ensure that we develop a higher
profile in Sacramento, and his wealth of experience will serve our
community well,' she added.
Since 2012, UCLA graduate, Tereza Yerimyan has served as External
Affairs Deputy, working with elected offices and various community
organizations. Tereza Yerimyan's new post as Government Affairs
Director is well deserved given her contributions to the organization
and eagerness to continue developing the legislative agenda of the
organization.
`I am humbled by the organization's confidence in me and look forward
to developing our community's relations with their elected officials
through this new position,' stated Yerimyan.
In 2010 Yerimyan first became involved with ANCA through the ANCA-WR
Internship/Externship program where she became acquainted with the
array of issues that the addressed by the organization. She later
became a staffer for the CA State Affairs Committee of the Western
Region where she assisted in the organization of the annual Advocacy
Day.
Yerimian spent the following summer in Washington, D.C. as a Leo
Sarkisian intern with the ANCA. She was a part of the summer intern
class that helped pass H.Res 306: The Return of Churches resolution
demanding that the government of Turkey return confiscated church
properties.
In 2012 Yerimyan was elected to the East Hollywood Neighborhood
Council representing District 5 for the council. She is also a
volunteer member of the ANCA Hollywood Board.
`Tereza is a natural fit in her new position as she has already
displayed a deep commitment for governmental and legislative affairs.
We are confident that she too will be an ideal representative for our
region and look forward to introducing our new staff to the
community,' explained Guldjian.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.
http://asbarez.com/110139/infusion-of-experience-and-enthusiasm-at-anca-wr-headquarters/
Friday, May 17th, 2013
Newly-appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan
GLENDALE - Major changes have occurred at the ANCA-Western Region
headquarters over the past 10 days with the appointment of Elen
Asatryan as Executive Director, the addition of Haig Baghdassarian as
Legislative Affairs Director, and the promotion of Tereza Yerimyan to
Government Relations Director.
`We are very excited to announce our new ANCA-WR staff and division of
responsibilities, and we are extremely confident that our team will
successfully take the organization to even higher levels,' stated Nora
Hovsepian, co-Chair of the ANCA-WR. `Our former Executive Director
William Bairamian laid the groundwork in the office upon which our new
Executive Director Elen Asatryan can build to new heights. We wish
William well in his future endeavors and are sure that by working
together, our entire ANCA-WR Board, staff, committees and local
chapters will make significant strides toward advancing the Armenian
Cause,' added Hovsepian.
Elen Asatryan is no stranger to the ANCA family as she has served as
the Executive Director the ANCA Glendale Chapter since 2006 and more
recently, since 2011, has divided her time between the Glendale
Chapter, ANCA-WR, and the Hye Votes Campaign.
As the Executive Director of ANCA Glendale, Asatryan was instrumental
in many positive developments for the organization and the community
at large. For more than six years, she was the face and voice of the
organization, and was responsible for policy development and
day-to-day operations. Her countless accomplishments during her tenure
included the creation and expansion of many programs for the community
which were achieved by the fostering of closer relations with city
officials and community based organizations. Such programs included
internship and mentorship programs for high school and college
students, the Path to College Program, the Parent/Student Assistance
Hotline, the ANCA Glendale Youth Activist Scholarship Fund, the
Glendale Free Legal Clinics, community education workshops and forums,
voter registration, and annual food and toy distributions to the
Glendale community amongst policy related initiatives proposed in
various city departments and at GUSD.
As Field Director of the ANCA-WR, Asatryan was responsible for
developing chapters' structures, strategic plans, as well as the
promotion and development of new chapters in the Western Region of the
United States.
`The ANCA-WR is a unique energetic organization with a rich history in
the Armenian community and we are confident that Elen will carry that
same passion for our Cause,' stated ANCA-WR co-Chair Chris Guldjian.
`We are very pleased and proud to have someone with Elen's background
and dedication lead our team and are confident that she can take us to
the next level,' added Guldjian.
Prior to her tenure as ANCA-Glendale Executive Director, Asatryan
worked on local, state, and federal campaigns. Her commitment to
Armenian issues dates back to her activist days at Hoover High School,
then as an officer and advisor of the UCLA's Armenian Students'
Association, and later as an intern of the ANCA-WR. Asatryan is a
graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she
studied Political Science with concentrations in American Politics and
International Relations.
In early January 2013, Asatryan had taken a leave of absence from her
position in order to manage the successful campaign of Glendale City
Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan.
`I am honored to join the passionate and dedicated directors, staff,
and volunteers that make up the ANCA-WR team in this new capacity,'
stated newly appointed ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan. `I am
confident that through our collaborative efforts we will reach even
higher levels of distinction as we continue to build on previous
successes of serving our community and representing its voice and its
needs within respective legislative bodies,' added Asatryan.
The addition of Legislative Affairs Director Haig Baghdassarian is
noteworthy, in that it represents the first time that the ANCA-WR has
hired an employee who is based outside of the organization's
headquarters in Glendale. Baghdassarian is a practicing attorney who
has lived in in San Francisco since 1998. Previously, he resided in
Glendale and Burbank, during which time he first became involved with
the ANCA, initially as a Leo Sarkisian Intern in Washington, then as a
member of the ANCA-WR Governmental Affairs Committee, and later as a
Board Member of the ANCA-Burbank Chapter.
Following his graduation from UCLA, Baghdassarian relocated to San
Francisco to attend law school at UC Hastings, and shortly thereafter,
he became an active member of the SF Bay Area Chapter of the ANCA
where continues to serve on its Executive Board. Over the years, his
involvement within the Armenian-American communities have not been
limited to the ANCA family, as he has also been active with the
Armenian Youth Federation, the UCLA Armenian Students Association, the
Land & Culture Organization, the Genocide Education Project's oral
history documentation activities, and the Armenian Bar Association.
Prior to Baghdassarian's graduation from law school, he became the
first Armenian-American to be appointed as a San Francisco Human
Rights Commissioner. He was sworn in by then-Mayor Willie Brown on
April 24, 2001, and he held the office through 2004. Following his
graduation from law school, he worked as Deputy City Attorney in San
Francisco, and as a labor and employment attorney for two law firms
specializing in state and municipal legal affairs.
`Given the current political landscape, it's more important than ever
before for our community to develop lasting relations with Members of
the California state legislature and their staff,' said Hovsepian.
`The addition of Haig to our team will ensure that we develop a higher
profile in Sacramento, and his wealth of experience will serve our
community well,' she added.
Since 2012, UCLA graduate, Tereza Yerimyan has served as External
Affairs Deputy, working with elected offices and various community
organizations. Tereza Yerimyan's new post as Government Affairs
Director is well deserved given her contributions to the organization
and eagerness to continue developing the legislative agenda of the
organization.
`I am humbled by the organization's confidence in me and look forward
to developing our community's relations with their elected officials
through this new position,' stated Yerimyan.
In 2010 Yerimyan first became involved with ANCA through the ANCA-WR
Internship/Externship program where she became acquainted with the
array of issues that the addressed by the organization. She later
became a staffer for the CA State Affairs Committee of the Western
Region where she assisted in the organization of the annual Advocacy
Day.
Yerimian spent the following summer in Washington, D.C. as a Leo
Sarkisian intern with the ANCA. She was a part of the summer intern
class that helped pass H.Res 306: The Return of Churches resolution
demanding that the government of Turkey return confiscated church
properties.
In 2012 Yerimyan was elected to the East Hollywood Neighborhood
Council representing District 5 for the council. She is also a
volunteer member of the ANCA Hollywood Board.
`Tereza is a natural fit in her new position as she has already
displayed a deep commitment for governmental and legislative affairs.
We are confident that she too will be an ideal representative for our
region and look forward to introducing our new staff to the
community,' explained Guldjian.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.