AGBU-UN SIG

Established in October 2007, AGBU is proud to announce the creation of the AGBU-United Nations (UN) Special Interest Group (SIG) based in New York.

Committed to promoting the mission of AGBU at the UN, the AGBU-UN SIG consists of the following members:

Kim Yacoubian Kim served as AGBU’s Main Representative to the United Nations from 2006-2008 and founded AGBU-UN SIG in September 2007. She holds a degree in Business Administration with a minor in French from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Prior to joining AGBU, Kim pursued a career in the financial services industry for over ten years working for Merrill Lynch and UBS. Originally hired by the Press Office, Kim has worked for AGBU in New York since January 2005. Kim is AGBU’s Director of Community Program Development, which includes overseeing AGBU’s worldwide Young Professionals Network.

Viktoria Grigorian Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Viktoria is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration at New York University. She is also a graduate of Fordham University with degrees in Philosophy and Political Science. Prior to joining AGBU, she interned for UN Radio and the International League of Human Rights. Viktoria currently serves as AGBU’s Main Representative to the United Nations.

Yelena Ambartsumian Yelena currently serves as AGBU’s Alternate Representative to the United Nations, after serving as Main Representative in 2009. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan and raised in the United States, Yelena is a student in the Honors Program of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, where she double majors in Political Science and Spanish Language with a minor in Theology. Yelena will begin law school in the Fall of 2010.

Lilit Abrahamyan Born in Russia, Lilit immigrated from Yerevan, Armenia in 2009. She is a graduate of the American University of Armenia with a degree in Political Science and International Affairs in addition to a degree in Commerce from the Yerevan State Economic Institute. While in Yerevan, Lilit interned as a Policy Assistant with EDRC through her participation in the UNDP Youth Career Trail Project; UN-SIG’s first major collaborative program sponsorship.

Emma Asatoorian Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Emma immigrated to the United States in 1999. Emma holds her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Yerevan State Linguistic University, majoring in English/German languages. She will be attending Columbia University for her second Master’s in International Relations, concentrating on Human Rights and Economical and Political Development.

Irina Hovhannisyan Irina immigrated from Armenia in 2006. She is a graduate of the American University of Armenia with a degree in Comparative Legal Studies and from Yerevan State University with a degree in Criminal Law. Currently, Irina is a Legal Assistant at an immigration law firm and is pursuing her 3rd Master’s degree from Pace Law School.

Lusiné Kerobyan Lusiné was born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia. She has earned a Bachelor’s in International Development and Political Economy at the University of Washington in Seattle. Lusiné is currently the Academic Marketing and Foreign Rights Associate at The New Press, a not-for-profit publishing house based in New York City.

Isabel Ohanian A native of Albany, NY, Isabel studied Political Science and French at Siena College and obtained her Masters in International Boundary Studies from the University of London – King’s College. She currently works for the Anti-Money Laundering Unit at HSBC. In addition to AGBU-UN SIG, Isabel enjoys giving back to the Armenian community by volunteering for the Armenian Youth Federation and the Armenian National Committee. Isabel was born in Beirut, Lebanon.

Michael Yetemian Michael was born and raised in Queens, New York. He is a double alumnus of St. John’s University in New York, holding his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a Business Administration minor and a Masters of Business Administration. Michael is a Second Vice President within the Financial Services Department and also serves as Website Administrator for multi-bank holding company New York Community Bancorp, Inc.