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Los Angeles, CA - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) will honor Professors Richard Hovannisian and Dennis Papazian, two prominent leaders of the Assembly, with its Distinguished Humanitarian Award, while Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, Ambassador Nina Hachigian, will be the recipient of the Assembly’s George Deukmejian Public Service Award, during the Assembly’s 50th Anniversary Gala on Sunday evening, June 5, 2022 at the Los Angeles Jonathan Club's outdoor "Great Lawn."
Dr. Richard Hovanissian
As the first holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, Dr. Richard Hovannisian elevated the quality and breadth of scholarship on modern Armenian history to new heights over a 60-year tenure of teaching, research, and publishing.
A member of the UCLA faculty since the 1960s, he organized both undergraduate and graduate programs in Armenian History. Selected as a prestigious Guggenheim Fellow, he has published more than 30 books, including Armenia on the Road to Independence and The Republic of Armenia (in 4 volumes and in Armenian, Russian, and Farsi translations); 6 volumes on the Armenian Genocide; and 15 volumes on Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces in the Ottoman Empire.
Dr. Hovannisian was a member of the initial steering committee of the Armenian Assembly of America, six-time president of the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS), Chairman of the Board of the Armenian Monument Council in Montebello, California, and Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies. He has received many honors for his scholarship, civic activities, and support of individual and collective human rights.
Dr. Dennis Papazian
As the founding director of the Armenian Research Center (ARC) at the University of Michigan, Dearborn in 1985, Dr. Dennis Papazian has done a tremendous service to academia by facilitating research and publications on all aspects of Armenian history, literature, and culture. ARC’s rich depository of documentation, publications, periodicals, audio-visual collections, and oral histories of Armenian Genocide survivors is first-rate, and serves as an international center for scholars and students focused on the research, dissemination, and publication of all things Armenian.
In addition to his role as an educator and scholar, Dr. Papazian served as Co-Chairman of the Armenian Assembly of America and directed the Washington office in the late 1970s. He has traveled extensively, presenting papers and delivering lectures in several countries. He conducted research on the USSR and personally worked with the U.S. Department of State to coordinate an exchange between the University of Michigan and Moscow State University. In 1976, he received an award from the State Department honoring his work as a scholar and diplomat, which was followed by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1977, and an award from the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1978.
In addition to honoring Dr. Hovanissian and Dr. Papazian, the Assembly will recognize the distinguished service of former U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and current City of Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, the Honorable Nina L. Hachigian, with the Assembly’s Deukmejian Award for Public Service, named in honor of the late California Governor George Deukmejian.
Ambassador Nina Hachigian
Ambassador Hachigian’s decades of experience and expertise in diplomacy and national security led to her recent appointment by the Biden Administration to the prestigious Defense Policy Board, a federal advisory committee to the U.S. Department of Defense. The Assembly is thankful to Ambassador Hachigian for assisting in the advancement of U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Artsakh relations to qualitatively higher levels.
The Assembly’s 50th Anniversary Gala will highlight five decades of the Assembly's influential achievements in advocacy, education, and awareness on Armenian issues. By representing Armenian American interests in the U.S. and advancing the U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Artsakh relationships, the Assembly has created a lasting and positive impact.
The Gala will also feature special guest speaker Arturo Sarukhán, the former Ambassador of Mexico to the United States. Anita Vogel, a national news correspondent, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Tickets and sponsorships to the 50th Anniversary Gala are available for secure purchase here.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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