Thirty-Third Annual Meeting

On November 4-5, 2022 Armenian Bar Association will have its Thirty-Third Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

General Membership and Board of Governors Meetings

Speakers:
Claire Evans worked in the US House of Representatives from 2013-2017, where her portfolio specifically focused on international religious freedom (among other tangent policy issues). She has worked with International Christian Concern since 2017, initially focusing on the Middle East / North Africa region but now works as the Senior Assistance Manager with a global humanitarian assistance focus. She is currently pursuing her masters in Forced Migration and her research has been cited by multiple media and governmental outlets.  She is the author of the reports: The Anatomy of Genocide: Karabakh’s Forty-Four Day War and Nagorno-Karabakh: A Humanitarian Perspective.

Adam T. Smith is Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Anthropology at Cornell University and the Director of the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies. Smith began studying the archaeology of Armenia in 1992. In 1998, he co-founded Project ArAGATS, a two-decade long program of investigations in the Aragatsotn region. This work was supported by grants and fellowships from a range of institutions, including the National Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the Guggenheim Foundation and formed the basis for numerous books and articles, including The Political Landscape (2003) and The Political Machine (2015). In 2020, he co-founded Caucasus Heritage Watch with Lori Khatchadourian and Ian Lindsay. Their work uses satellite imagery to document attacks on cultural heritage. In addition to monitoring Armenian heritage now at risk in Nagorno-Karabakh, this fall, they released a 430 page report entitled “Silent Erasure: A Satellite Investigation of the Destruction of Armenian Cultural Heritage in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan.”

Moderator:
A past Chair of the Armenian Bar Association, Sonya Nersessian is a tax attorney (LLM, Boston University School of Law) who concentrates her law practice in estate planning and administration, tax planning for succession of family businesses, and establishment and administration of charitable organizations and foundations. Her current interest is to prevent cultural genocide in the areas of Artsakh now under Azerbaijani control.

Speakers:
Annie Boyajian is Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at Freedom House and leads Freedom House’s engagement with the US government and collaboration with American human rights groups. She contributes to Freedom House publications including Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, Freedom of the Press, and The Battle for China’s Spirit and authored Democratic Crisis in Hong Kong: Recommendations for Policymakers.

Annie has testified before the US Congress and Canadian parliament and regularly advises policymakers and staff. She has served as a guest lecturer at George Mason University, Georgetown University, and the Harvard Kennedy School and has provided interviews and commentary for outlets including BBC World, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Radio Free Asia, The Economist, Fox News, The Bulwark, The Globe and Mail, The Diplomat, International Policy Digest, and The Hill.

Prior to joining Freedom House, she spent seven years on Capitol Hill, working in both the Senate and the House, serving most recently as a Legislative Director and focusing on foreign policy, human rights, and appropriations issues.

Annie holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs: US Foreign Policy from American University’s School of International Service. Her Master’s research project focused on China’s influence on African media. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, former member of the Hong Kong Democracy Council Board of Directors, and former congressional fellow at the Partnership for a Secure America.

Scott Johnston is a sanctions investigator at the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control where he focuses on investigations relating to human rights abuses and acts of corruption, and serves as a coordinator for civil society engagement. Before joining Treasury, Scott was the Staff Attorney for Human Rights Accountability at Human Rights First, where he helped NGOs submit more than 100 sanctions recommendations to the U.S. government. He has a law degree from Columbia Law School and a sociology degree from Harvard University.

As Supervising Staff Attorney for Accountability at Human Rights First, Amanda Strayer coordinates the Targeted Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Sanctions Coalition, a group of more than 330 NGOs using the Global Magnitsky Act and other legal authorities to hold human rights abusers and corrupt actors accountable. In this role, she serves as the primary liaison with U.S. government personnel and assists NGOs and pro bono attorneys working to produce recommendations for sanctions in Africa, the Near East, and Europe and Eurasia.

Previously, Amanda worked with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights as the Dale and James J. Pinto Fellow focused on human rights advocacy in South and Southeast Asia. She received her juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center and a Certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies. During her time at Georgetown, she co-authored a report on violence and discrimination against LGBT persons in Guyana as part of the Human Rights Fact-Finding Practicum. She prepared a strategic litigation case to challenge child marriage laws in Botswana with the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic and participated in the Guantanamo Observers Program. During her summers, Amanda worked with the South African Human Rights Commission in Johannesburg and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Prior to law school, Amanda worked with Women for Women International on communications and advocacy focused on challenges faced by women in conflict-affected countries. She has a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and a minor in French from the University of Virginia.

Moderator:
Greg Demirchyan advises technology startups and other early-stage companies. His expertise spans an array of corporate issues, including business structure, finance, venture capital, asset valuation, securities regulation, executive compensation, and intellectual property. Greg regularly writes and teaches on topics relating to venture finance, corporate responsibility, computer fraud, crowdfunding, and the law of the European Union.

Before joining Emergent, Greg worked internationally as an expert on anti-corruption and legal development efforts, including with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative. In that capacity, he collaborated with entrepreneurs, government officials, and non-governmental organizations to create a better environment for new businesses. Greg also spent time researching corruption and economic development as a visiting scholar at the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Greg completed a J.D. at Berkeley and received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Cornell University. At Cornell, he specialized in political philosophy and wrote his dissertation on the economics of globalization. Greg is admitted to practice law in California. He is a fluent Russian speaker.

Ticket Levels

All Access Pass for Members – $250
Includes Friday Night Welcome Reception; Panel Discussions; Gala Luncheon and Awards Ceremony for 20 Under 40 Rising Stars

All Access Pass for Young Lawyers (practicing less than five years) – $200
Includes Friday Night Welcome Reception; Panel Discussions; Gala Luncheon and Awards Ceremony for 20 Under 40 Rising Stars

All Access Pass for Law Students $100
Includes Friday Night Welcome Reception; Panel Discussions; Gala Luncheon and Awards Ceremony for 20 Under 40 Rising Stars

Friday Night Welcome Reception only – $65

Gala Luncheon – $150

View past Rising Stars Award recipients.

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