Haik Grigoryan
Co-President Haik Grigoryan was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2008 with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a licensed CPA and has over 14 years of accounting and auditing experience in various industries. Haik is passionate about helping others and giving back to the community. Prior to joining APS, Haik volunteered at the Burbank Animal Shelter and the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR). In his spare time, he enjoys salsa dancing, cycling, traveling, and playing the piano.
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Ani Petrosyan
Co-President Ani was born and raised in Fresno, CA. She moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where she graduated with honors and earned a B.A. in English and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Post-graduation, Ani worked as a program manager for UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Executive Education department by day and attended Loyola Law School by night. During law school, Ani took on leadership roles as Vice President and President of the Evening Students Bar Association, as well as Student Ambassador for the Admissions Office. Today, Ani is an Associate Attorney at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles. In her spare time, Ani loves reading, traveling, and playing card games with her very competitive relatives.
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Sevak Kazaryan
Secretary Sevak Kazaryan was born in Simferopol, Ukraine and grew up in Armenia, immigrating to the United States at the age of six. He attended California State University, Northridge, earning a B.S. in Finance. Sevak is a managing partner at an accounting firm, working primarily with small businesses. He has been an APS member since 2019, joining to meet and network with Armenian professionals. He joined the board to directly support the organization’s causes and help expand its reach. In his spare time, Sevak enjoys working out, hiking, and attending concerts.
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Rafi Boyadjian
Finance Director Rafi was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2020, where he earned his B.S. in Financial Analysis. During that time, he participated in the 2018 AGBU Global Leadership Program in New York and held numerous leadership roles on campus, such as President of the Student Finance Association. He began his career as a Credit Risk Analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York within the Corporate Lending division. He currently works at City National Bank in Beverly Hills as a Credit Officer Associate within the Entertainment Banking division. He is also a mentor to high school students through Big Brothers Big Sisters Los Angeles and expanded his community involvement by joining APS. In his spare time, he enjoys learning about the music business through UCLA Extension, attending live events, and traveling.
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Marissa Bazikian
Membership Director Marissa was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She attended the University of California, San Diego for her undergraduate studies, earning a B.A. in Communications and minor in Theatre Arts. Afterwards, she completed her graduate education at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, earning a Master's in Communication Management. She is currently a Communications Specialist at City National Bank, where she writes communication on behalf of senior leaders and executives and supports the bank's overarching communication goals and strategy. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching live shows, and swimming.
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Elizabeth Zardaryan
Mentorship Director Elizabeth was born in Armenia and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of four. Growing up in Glendale, CA, Elizabeth aspired to be an elementary school teacher. However, a high school part-time job in the banking Industry turned into a 20+ year career, primarily with Union Bank. During her tenure with the bank, Elizabeth led and managed the Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, and Beverly Hills offices. She subsequently achieved the role of Regional Manager of the South Orange County Market, and was recognized for outstanding performance in Employee Engagement, Partner Engagement and Client Experience. Elizabeth graduated from the CBA Executive Banking School in 2021, accelerating her professional growth as a retail bank leader through an immersive learning experience focusing on finance, risk, and strategic leadership. Following the recent US Bank acquisition, Elizabeth transitioned back to the Los Angeles Market, joining the bank’s Performance Excellence Team. The new role allows her to advocate for branch teams, elevate their voice to subject matter experts, and enable consistency of execution which promotes performance growth. Elizabeth’s advocacy and purpose-driven focus is demonstrated through her collaboration with various business lines, team members, and community organizations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, hiking and traveling. Elizabeth joined APS to give back to the community and support the career growth of Armenian professionals.
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Daniel Essayan
Graduate Student Director Daniel was born in Bethesda, MD and grew up in Oak Park, CA. He obtained his A.B. in Chemistry with Honors at Occidental College, completing over 2 years of undergraduate research in the Cannon Laboratory and a summer internship in the Cravatt Laboratory at Scripps. Daniel is currently an Organic Chemistry PhD Candidate in the Pronin Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine, where he conducts research on metal catalysis and natural product/analogue synthesis. Daniel joined the APS Executive Board to extend his professional involvement into the Armenian academic community via gaining experience with grant/scholarship construction and review, and further expanding a pipeline of top-level applicants for the program. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys long-distance running and cooking.
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Lori Yogurtian
Events Director Lori was raised in Boston, MA. She obtained dual degrees of B.S. in Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Suffolk University. She started her career working in Social Media Marketing at agencies such as Pandemic Labs, Softline Solutions and BCV, where she worked on global brands such as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and GAP INT, along with a number of both global and small business brands, helping them reach their customers through social media marketing. Lori has been involved in leadership positions at a number of Armenian community organizations since she was young, including the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, AGBU Global Leadership Program (Boston & Yerevan), Armenian Students Association (Greater Boston,) and held the position of president of AGBU YP Boston after serving on the board for 3 years. She currently works as an independent contractor, and founded a boutique Social Media Marketing Agency, Kezzi Marketing. In her spare time, Lori enjoys reading, archery, digital illustration, and spending quality time with family and friends.
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Melanis Stepanian
Events Director Melanis was born in Los Angeles, CA. Growing up in an urban area, she became passionate about environmental topics, such as water quality and waste management. Melanis obtained her B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning emphasizing Resiliency, Sustainability, and the Environment from Cal Poly Pomona. During her undergraduate studies, Melanis was active on her college campus, holding leadership positions in various organizations such as the Armenian Students' Association, the American Planning Students' Association, and University Housing Services. She has served several professional positions including a Sustainability Internship in the City of Glendale, Water Conservation & Sustainability Internship in the City of South Pasadena, and an Environmental Engineering Internship at the Disneyland Resort. Today, Melanis works at the City of South Pasadena's Public Works department as the Management Assistant where she continues working on environmental and engineering projects. In her free time, Melanis loves going on adventures, meeting new dogs, cooking, and playing soccer.
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Narek Kazarian
Events Director Narek was born and raised in Pasadena, CA. He attended Cal Poly Pomona, where he obtained his B.S. in Computer Science. He had his first exposure to the field of STEM through a joint internship program with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he worked on a project in conjunction with the Planetary Science department. Shortly after graduation, Narek assimilated into the world of Software Engineering and proceeded to work for multiple startup firms to expand his knowledge base and sharpen his skill sets. Narek currently works in a Senior DevOps Engineer role at a technology firm called Spokeo, where he has honed in his proficiency to focus on engineering of systems and the cloud. When he is not writing code or automating things, Narek enjoys following the stock market, reading a wide variety of genres, going on scenic hiking, and traveling.
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Elen Sahakyan
Outreach & Fundraising Director Elen was born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia. She attended the American University of Armenia for her B.S. in Business and Economics, as well as her Master’s degree in Management. Her industry experience includes consulting and financial services, where she previously held roles as a data analyst and advisor. Elen has experience in academic research and teaching and is published for her microeconomic analysis of decreasing birth rates. Elen is currently pursuing her Master’s in Business Analytics degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is focusing on Data Science and Advanced Analytics. As an APS Scholarship recipient, Elen joined the APS board to contribute to raising awareness and engagement in advancing academic opportunities for Armenian students. In her free time, Elen enjoys sports, including tennis, skiing, and swimming.
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Natalie Shirinian
Outreach & Fundraising Director Natalie Shirinian was born in Los Angeles, CA. She received her B.S. in Biology from Haigazan University in Lebanon. She then received her Master’s in Healthcare from California State University, Los Angeles. When she moved to California, she felt the importance to connect with her Armenian roots and establish valuable relationships with like-minded Armenians in the diaspora. She joined APS with the mission to contribute to the Armenian community. Natalie enjoys outdoor activities, spending time with family, and cooking.
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