Dr. Armen Baibourtian, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, & Mr. Mark Malkasian Join Armenian National Institute Board Of Governors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian National Institute (ANI) announced the election of new members to its Board of Governors. Chairman of the ANI Board, Van Z. Krikorian, welcomed Dr. Armen Baibourtian, Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, and Mr. Mark Malkasian, who are joining the current serving members including Carolyn Mugar, Annie Totah, Bianka Kadian Dodov, and chairman emeritus Aram Kaloosdian.

“ANI is fortunate to add such distinguished individuals to its Board,” stated Krikorian. “From the start, our Institute understood that the worst chapters of Armenian history could repeat themselves. The addition of expertise reflected by our new board members will not only advance the educational mission of ANI, but also contribute to our efforts at genocide prevention.”

Dr. Baibourtian, who holds a doctorate in history and another in international relations, filled several posts around the world and in the United States in increasingly important assignments in his capacity as ambassador and consul general for the Republic of Armenia. He also served on the faculty of Yerevan State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Having completed his diplomatic service with the rank of ambassador, Dr. Baibourtian is now working in the United States.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, who also holds a doctorate in history and historiography and is working on a second on the canon law of the Armenian Church, has been the long-serving Diocesan Legate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America in Washington, DC. In his capacity as Ecumenical Director of the Eastern Diocese, he was elected to several offices in the World Council of Churches and to the presidency of the National Council of Churches in the United States. He is presently the vice-moderator of the central committee of the World Council of Churches.

Mr. Mark Malkasian is the author of a number of important works on modern Armenian history, including Gha-ra-bagh!: The Emergence of the National Democratic Movement in Armenia. An educator and curriculum developer, Malkasian is also a web developer who has served as the ANI webmaster from the very beginning and contributed immensely to strengthening the online presence of the Institute whose websites have long been leading references on the subject of the Armenian Genocide.

The ANI website on the Armenian Genocide has generated millions of hits annually over the past many years and is relied upon by multiple academic and media sources. Translated versions of the ANI website are also available in Turkish, Spanish, and Arabic. The vast catalogue of affirmation documents from around the world collected by the Institute, and posted on its website, is a unique feature that has served as a ready resource for community efforts to secure international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Dr. Rouben Adalian, who has served as the director of ANI since its founding in 1997 was joined last year by Mr. Robert Arzoumanian, who has been assisting in maintaining and expanding the Institute’s online resources and social media handle. Besides its own extensive website, ANI also maintains the online Armenian Genocide Museum of America, which has served as another important and popular educational resource for teachers and students.