April 4, 2025

Present

• Gassia Apkarian
• Paul Boghossian
• Mark Chenian
• Al Eisaian
• Nina Hovnanian
• Lucineh Kassarjian (ED Armenia)
• Artak Melkonyan
• Mary Papazian
• Vatche Sahakian (ED USA)

Abscent

• Ani Aprahamian
• Diane Barber
• Vicken Cheterian
• Adam Kablanian
• Karnig Kerkonian
• Oshin Peroomian
• Anoush Fraser Terjanian
• Nerses Yeritsyan

Meeting opened at 8:30am U.S. Pacific time

Meeting closed at 10:30am U.S. Pacific time

Regular updates

Membership

Financials

• Current balances
• Donations from Feb 21 to Mar 30

Updates (40 minutes)

• Lucineh (10 minutes): Dilijan conference updates

  ASOF @ Dilijan 2025 - Draft Program

  Lucineh updated the conference draft agenda, mentioning 70-80% confirmation and upcoming networking sessions.

• Ani/Vatche (5 minutes): USC Conference on April 5

  https://asof.am/activities/meetings/usc-2025-conference/

  The conference is set for tomorrow at 9 am; ARCS contributing $15k.

• Vatche (5-10 minutes): Armenia Fund & ARCS

  $175,000 donation for ARCS; thanks to Adam for establishing contact.

• Nina/Vatche (5 minutes): Challenges with funding cultural heritage

  • The team discussed the challenges of funding cultural heritage, with a focus on developing a strategy for fundraising and awareness.
  • Gassia shared insights from internal documents, emphasizing the need for a proactive response to cultural heritage threats.
  • The board agreed on the need for a 20-year strategy in response to the perceived threat.
  • We will need to follow up at the next meeting

• Mary (5 minutes): New law on higher education and science (update)

  No updates from the Ministry

• Call for ASOF Quarterly articles by Board members

• Vatche (5 minutes): Health and Life Sciences update

  A new group forming to develop a possible project tin this direction.