Dr. Nazareth Darakjian Elected New President of the AMAA Board

PARAMUS, NJ — On December 5, the Board of Directors of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), in accordance with the association’s established policies and procedures, elected its new officers as follows: Nazareth Darakjian, M.D., President; Michael Voskian, D.M.D., Vice President; Thomas Momjian Esq. and Arsine Phillips, Esq., Recording Secretaries; and Nurhan Helvacian, Ph.D., Treasurer.

Dr. Darakjian was born in Aleppo, Syria. At the age of 13 his family moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where he graduated from the Armenian Evangelical College. He continued his education at the American University of Beirut (AUB), receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in 1974 before entering the AUB Medical School. In 1976, escalations in the civil war in Lebanon forced him and his family to emigrate to Chicago. There, he continued his medical education at Loyola University School of Medicine and received his M.D. Cum Laude in 1978. He was also inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society. He further carried out his postgraduate studies in Ophthalmology, again at Loyola University of Chicago. In 1982 Dr. Darakjian moved to Southern California, where he started a private practice specializing in diseases and surgery of the eye.

Dr. Darakjian is an active member of the United Armenian Congregational Church, Los Angeles. For many years he has served on the Board of Directors of the Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School of Sherman Oaks, CA as Treasurer. Currently he is the Chairman of the Dilijan Chamber Music Series, associated with the Lark Musical Society of Glendale, CA. Dr. Darakjian has been serving on the AMAA Board for several year, most recently as its Vice President. He is also a member of several AMAA Committees.

Dr. Nazareth Darakjian is married to Dr. Ani Darakjian and they have two sons, Haig and Ara.

The AMAA was founded in Worcester, Mass. in 1918 and incorporated in New York in 1920 with the purpose of strengthening and supporting the Armenian people in their Christian faith and to encourage religious education as well as literary and philanthropic work. Since its founding, the AMAA has expanded its programs of educational, evangelistic, relief, social services, church, and child care ministries to 24 countries around the world.

For more information about the AMAA ministries, visit www.amaa.org or call the AMAA headquarters at (201) 265-2607.