 biographies of panelists sylva natalie manoogian  specializes in information institutions resources and services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities in dispersion with particular focus on international librarianship armenian culture and identity subjects about which she has written and lectured extensively her global linkages varied professional experiences and innovative approaches to multilingual library and community services have been rewarded with several prestigious local regional national and international awards as an independent library consultant to armenian libraries in diaspora and the republic of armenia she has developed and utilized a distinctive practical and critical lens to initiate research contribute to scholarship and mentor future generations of information professionals mrs manoogian is the president and ceo of the shahan natalie family foundation a california public benefit corporation also registered in armenia to perpetuate the indomitable ideologue s national literary and public legacy through educational intellectual and humanitarian activism david a grigorian  is a senior economist at the international monetary fund s imf monetary and capital markets department in washington dc and a cofounder of and a senior fellow at policy forum armenia he received his phd in economics from the university of maryland at college park 2001 ma in economics central european university prague 1995 msc in industrial engineering from the american university of armenia yerevan 1994 and msc equivalent in systems engineering polytechnic institute of yerevan 1992 prior to joining the imf he worked at the world bank s europe and central asia region dr grigorian specializes in macroeconomics finance and development and has published refereed articles on growth and institutions prices and fiscal policy remittances capital markets and banking asbed kotchikian   phd boston university 2006 is a lecturer in political science at bentley university and a senior fellow at policy forum armenia before joining bentley he was the assistant director of international affairs program at florida state university where he taught courses in eurasian and middle eastern politics he spent two years 20002002 in armenia and georgia where he conducted research and was a visiting lecturer in political science and international relations at local universities prof kotchikian has written lectured and organized conferences and has delivered presentations on topics such as foreign policies of small and weak states national identity and regional developments in the middle east and eurasia within academic and public venues in the south caucasus middle east us and europe he is currently the editor of the academic peer reviewed journal armenian review seta melkonian  is a founder and president of the monte melkonian benevolent organization a nonprofit charity that helps the neediest of the needy in armenia and nagorno karabagh she holds a phd in armenian literature from yerevan state university armenia for several years she taught armenian language at university of michigan summer program and at uc berkeley she has translated edited and published several writings by monte melkonian with dr markar melkonian she coauthored the book my brother s road the life story of monte melkonian she resides in central california sara anjargolian  is a los angelesbased photographer and attorney she graduated summa cum laude from ucla with a ba in political science public policy and then went on to law school at uc berkeley s boalt hall graduating in 2000 with a juris doctor degree after admission to the california bar sara joined the justice department in washington dc where she served as a trial lawyer in 2002 sara moved to armenia on a fulbright scholarship sara served as associate professor and assistant dean at the american university of armenia law department where she focused on the changing role of women in postsoviet transitional societies she published her research in the book the state of law in the south caucasus a palgrave macmillan publication since her return to los angeles sara s photography has been featured in numerous exhibitions and presentations joseph a kéchichian  is the editor of the journal of the society for armenian studies and a syndicated columnist based at gulf news in dubai dr kéchichian received his phd in foreign affairs from the university of virginia in 1985 where he also taught 19861988 and assumed the assistant deanship in international studies 19881989 he is an author of ten books most recent of which include faysal saudi arabia s king for all seasons 2008 power and succession in arab monarchies 2008 and political participation and stability in the sultanate of oman 2005 the author of numerous chapters in edited books and in refereed journals his most recent essay is on armenia and the gulf states foreign policy fundamentals and choices in marat terterov ed russian and cis relations with the gulf states current trends and economic dynamics  