Present: Ani Aprahamian (Chair), Deana Arsenian, Bruce Boghosian, Paul Boghossian, Mark Chenian, Rachel Goshgarian, Nina Hovnanian, Karnig Kerkonian, Artak Melkonyan, Mary Papazian (Vice-Chair), Vatche Sahakian (Secretary, Treasurer).

Quorum was established.

Absent: Vicken Cheterian, Adam Kablanian, Nerses Yeritsyan.

Approved new Fellows of the Society:

Jacob Bedrossian: Mathematics Professor at the University of Maryland

Mark Goulian: Professor in Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania

Alex Eskandarian: Assistant Researcher UC San Francisco in engineering, biophysics and microbiology

Tamara Babayan: Computer Science Professor at Bentley College

Harut Avagyan: Physicist, Scientific Staff, Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory, Nuclear Physics

Mariam Manoukian: Internal Medicine, Stanford University Hospital

Jerry Manoukian: Internal Medicine, Stanford University Hospital

Diane Barber: Professor, Step 9 Cell & Tissue Biology UC San Francisco

Sergio LaPorta: Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at CSU Fresno

Melanie Tanielian: Director of the Center for Armenian Studies, Associate Professor of History at University of Michigan

Taner Akçam: Professor of History, Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, Promise Armenian Institute director

Levon Chookaszian: UNESCO Chair of Armenian Art History at Yerevan State University

Ara Guzelimian: Dean and provost of The Juilliard School

Constantine Orbelian: Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York City Opera

Minas Lourian: Director of Center on Armenian Culture in Italy, President of MUSICAM

Vatche will reach out to all these in the next month.

Venice Conference

$10,000 budget for Venice conference approved

Vatche will send conference invite to Board members

Armenia registration

Armenia registration to proceed as a Հիմնադրամ (himnatram): Ani and Nina will help, expected timeline up to 2 months.

NGO option considered but deemed not workable for the Society.

Friends and Partners of the Society

We want to establish new category of Friends and Partners of the Society, for individuals and organizations respectively.

Vatche will prepare a motion for electronic voting based on the discussion in the Board:

Basic criteria:

Two categories: Friends for individuals, Partners for organizations

No voting rights

Can include non-academic entities, including industry and high-tech

Based on a contribution that the entity has or would bring to the work of the Society

Association should include a specific project or an area of collaboration

Proposed process

Recommendations come either from a task force or a committee

Simple Board majority needed to admit a Friend of the Society (individuals)

Two-third needed for engaging with an organization as a Partner of the Society.

Announcement and outreach

Vatche and Ani will prepare press release and outreach package

This material would be distributed to the Board for review

In two weeks, it would be send to Christopher Atamian for suggestions and a plan of action.

Christopher’s plan would be send to the Board for comments and approval

Vatche will look into and register Twitter, Linked-In, and possibly Facebook accounts for ASOF.

Legal framework of engagements and MOUs with institutions in Armenia

General support for this direction once specific ideas of engagement take shape within the task forces.

Karnig will guide as we proceed.

Possible entities of interest: AUA, Yerphi, Yerevan State, Artsakh State.