Armen Orujyan Ph.D., Appointed As Co-Chairman of the UN-GAID

On Tuesday, March 13, 2012, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Armen Orujyan Ph.D., as co-Chairman of the UN Global Alliance for Information Communication Technology and Development (GAID).

The Alliance responds to the need and demand for an inclusive global forum and platform for cross-sectoral policy dialogue on the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for enhancing the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, notably the reduction of poverty.

Dr. Orujyan is Founder and Chairman of the Board of Athgo Corporation, a US nonprofit organization since 1999. For over a decade, Armen has been developing and providing technology driven entrepreneurial platforms for young people around the world and powering individuals by creating opportunities to self-organize and succeed with minimal resources and options.

Focusing on his expertise in entrepreneurship and his proprietary Four Pillars to Success enterprise development methodology, Armen has built support among the Fortune 100 firms and cultivated partnerships with leading academic institutions, governments, and the United Nations system to advance entrepreneurial opportunity for young people around the world. Under his leadership, Athgo has developed and is managing a strong network of over 100,000 young people from over 100 countries, built programs that have directly enriched over 4,000 students and young entrepreneurs, and has been awarded consultative statuses with the UN Economic and Social Council and the UN Department of Public Information.

Dr. Orujyan has served as a consultant for various US political campaigns, including Presidential, and remains involved in many national and international contests.

Dr. Orujyan is frequently invited to present at international conferences on issues involving sustainability through constructive entrepreneurship, gender equality in socio-economic development, and ICT in UN MDGs. An avid chess player, Armen earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Political Science from UCLA and received his Master of Arts degree as well as PhD from School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University in California.