Public Servants Dinner – 2026
April 23, 2026, New York, NY — The Armenian Bar Association hosted its annual Public Servants Dinner at the historic Yale Club of New York City, honoring the courage, endeavors, and sacrifices of all public servants. This year’s Public Servants Honorees were the prominent civil rights attorney, Armen H. Merjian, and the Administrative Judge of the New York State Unified Court System, Hon. Joseph A. Zayas. The event brought together the leadership of the New York Courts, administrative and supervising judges, appellate and trial court judges, members of the federal judiciary, distinguished public servants, leaders of bar associations, and prominent attorneys.
Click Here to Read the Press Release
Click Here to Watch – 2026 PSD – Armen Merjian Remarks
Click Here to Watch – 2026 PSD – Musical Intermission
Click Here to Watch – 2026 PSD – Robert Tembeckjian PSD 2026
Click Here to Watch – 2026 PSD – Hon. Deborah Karalunas
Click Here to Watch – 2026 PSD – Hon. Jenny Rivera
2026 PSD – Remarks of Hon. Joseph A. Zayas
Public Servants Dinner – 2025
NY Governor Hochul Proclaims April 24 Armenian Remembrance Day at Armenian Bar Association’s Public Servants Dinner
Public Servants Dinner – 2024
BERGE SETRAKIAN
A proud native of Lebanon, Berge Setrakian attended the Collège du Sacré Coeur and the
International College in Beirut. He continued his studies at the Law School of the Université
Saint-Joseph, graduating with a J.D. in Lebanese and French Law, respectively, in 1972. He
holds master’s degrees in French Law and Comparative Law (1973). After launching his career
as an attorney in Beirut, he immigrated to the United States with his wife Vera but never lost his
connection to his beloved country.
As a young, aspiring lawyer, Mr. Setrakian, joined the law firm of Whitman & Ransom in New
York in 1976, where he grew his practice in international corporate law. As a result of the wave
of mergers in the profession, he has been a partner in various law firms for more than 45 years.
His educational background and upbringing gave him a unique footing in the New York legal
arena, where he established himself by representing U.S. and foreign clients, mainly in Europe
and the Middle East, involving cross-border representations. He served as the chairman of
Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan from 1997 to 2000, when the firm merged with Winston &
Strawn. He continues to practice today as a partner at DLA Piper, providing legal and strategic
advice to clients who draw on his combined experience in cross-border transactions, corporate
law, banking, white-collar crime investigations, and litigation.
In addition to his thriving legal practice Mr. Setrakian has held seats on the boards of a diverse
range of companies in the United States and Europe. Of equal importance to him has been his
civic engagement, giving back to his Lebanese and Armenian communities, and in particular to
the Armenian Church. Mr. Setrakian is passionate about his roots, working to strengthen both his
homeland and motherland. As a young leader growing up in Beirut, he was the head of the
“Scouts du Liban,” the largest youth movement at the time in the country. He often cites this
experience as having embedded in him a lifelong drive for community service. He later served as
president of his law school’s student government, and he actively supports the university as an
alumnus. He has remained committed to various Lebanese and Armenian community initiatives
in social and humanitarian spheres in the US.
For more than two decades Mr. Setrakian has served as the president of the Armenian General
Benevolent Union, the largest international Armenian organization outside of the Republic of
Armenia, with a presence in more than 36 countries, and as a member of its board for more than
47 years. He also serves on the board of directors of other educational and humanitarian
organizations, including the American University of Armenia and the Foundation of Université
Saint-Joseph. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1999).
Mr. Setrakian is married to Vera Nazarian, with whom he has two daughters, Ani and Lara, and
four grandchildren. They remain his true pride as they carry on the tradition of community
engagement in the next generation.
Click here for the acceptance speech transcript.
Click here for the acceptance speech video.
CHIEF JUDGE ROWAN D. WILSON
The Honorable Rowan D. Wilson, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, was born in Pomona, California, and grew up in Berkeley, California. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard College in 1981, and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1984. He was admitted to the bar of the State of California in 1985, and the bar of the State of New York in 1987. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, California. In 1986, he joined the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City as an associate, and was elected to partnership there in 1991, in which position he continued until February 2017. His practice encompassed a wide variety of matters, including antitrust, intellectual property, securities and common-law fraud, contract, labor and employment, civil rights and first amendment issues. On January 15, 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo nominated Judge Wilson to serve as an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, and the New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on February 6, 2017. On April 10, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Judge Wilson to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York. The New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on April 18, 2023. While in private practice, Judge Wilson served on the boards of several charitable and not-for-profit organizations and handled numerous pro bono matters.
Click here for the acceptance speech transcript
Public Servants Dinner – 2023
PETER M. KOUGASIAN (POSTHUMOUSLY)
For almost 40 years, Peter Kougasian worked tirelessly to protect the safety and security of New York City, and to assure that our legal process was fair and equitable. Peter held an array of positions in the Manhattan, District Attorney‘s Office, the Office of the, Special Narcotics Prosecutor, and the New York City Bar Association. Appointed as a New York County Assistant District Attorney in 1979, Peter began his career as a Trial Division, Assistant, and conducted more than 40 jury trials to verdict. He also served as Director of Training and was the founder and co-manager of an office-wide diversity program. Peter joined the Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office in 1996 as a Trial Bureau, Chief, was appointed to the Executive Staff as Special Assistant in 2011 and ultimately, served as Counsel, assisting the Special Narcotics Prosecutor in shaping legislation and policy. As an active member of the New York City, Bar Association, Peter served as Vice-President, Chair of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and chaired several other standing committees. He also served as a member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association. Peter attended Princeton University where he earned a Phi Beta Kappa key, and an undergraduate degree with high honors before graduating from Yale Law School. He had a passion for education and directed among other initiatives, the Office’s Trial Advocacy Program and implemented a program to assist aspiring lawyers preparing for the bar exam. Peter’s contribution in training hundreds of young prosecutors was acknowledged in 2019, when the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office named its litigation teaching facility in his honor. Confounding colleagues, family and friends, Peter led a double life: prosecutor by day and professional comedy-magician by night, dazzling audiences in NYC night clubs for decades as his alter-ego “Uncle Pete.“ His two worlds merged when many of the City’s luminaries would rely on Peter’s wit and wisdom in crafting letters to the editor, testimony or roast speeches. Complementing Peter’s unwavering commitment to criminal justice was his devotion to faith and family. Proud of his Armenian heritage, Peter served multiple terms as Moderator of the Armenian Evangelical Church of New York and was a Board Member and Vice President of the Armenian Missionary Association of America. On September 6, 2021, surrounded by loving family and friends, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) took Peter’s life, but not his indomitable spirit.
Peter M. Kougasian award presented by Hon. Sonia Sotomayor.
SARAH LEE WHITSON
Sarah Leah Whitson is the Executive Director of DAWN. Previously, she served as executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division from 2004 – 2020, overseeing the work of the division in 19 countries, with staff located in 10 countries. Whitson has led dozens of advocacy and investigative missions throughout the region, focusing on issues of armed conflict, accountability, legal reform, migrant workers, and human rights. She has published widely on human rights and foreign policy in the Middle East in international and regional media, including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and The Los Angeles Times. She appears regularly on Al-Jazeera, BBC, NPR, MSNBC, and CNN. Previously, Whitson worked in New York for Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. Whitson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is on the boards of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Freedom Forward, ALQST for Human Rights, and Sinai Foundation for Human Rights. She speaks Armenian and Arabic
Public Servants Dinner – 2019
THE HONORABLE ROBERT H. TEMBECKJIAN
Robert H. Tembeckjian has been Administrator and Counsel to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct since 2003 and has been on the Commission’s staff since 1976. He received an AB from Syracuse University, a JD from the Fordham University School of Law, and an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mr. Tembeckjian was a Fulbright Scholar to Armenia in 1994, teaching constitutional law and ethics at the American University of Armenia and Yerevan State University. He also advised Parliament on its adoption of a new constitution after Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union.
Mr. Tembeckjian served as an advisor to the American Bar Association when it rewrote the Model Code of Judicial Conduct from 2003 to 2007. He has also served on the editorial board of the Justice System Journal, a publication of the National Center for State Courts; on various ethics committees of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations; and on the boards of the Armenian General Benevolent Union of America, the Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel, the Westwood Mutual Funds, the United Nations International School, and the Civic Education Project. He has also written numerous essays on judicial ethics for various news and professional publications.
THE HONORABLE ROD J. ROSENSTEIN
Rod J. Rosenstein is the 37th Deputy Attorney General of the United States. As Deputy Attorney General, he advises and assists the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Department of Justice policies and programs and in providing overall supervision to all organizational units of the Department of Justice. Mr. Rosenstein has spent over 27 years in government service. After graduating from the Wharton School of Business and Harvard Law School, Mr. Rosenstein started his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Rosenstein began his career with the Department as an attorney with the Attorney General’s Honors Program and previously served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland from 2005 to 2017.
Public Servants Dinner – 2018
THE HONORABLE ROBERT M. MORGENTHAU (1919-2019)
Hon. Robert Morgenthau is the former New York County District Attorney (1975-2009) and is the longest serving incumbent of that position. In his nine terms in office, his staff conducted about 3.5 million criminal prosecutions. During that period, homicides in Manhattan were reduced by over 90%. Mr. Morgenthau vigorously prosecuted white-collar criminals as well, becoming the nation’s leading proponent of the enforcement of state law to combat “crime in the suites.” Prior to that, Mr. Morgenthau was the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, from 1961, when he accepted President Kennedy’s appointment, until 1970. He attended Yale Law School and has a distinguished career in the Navy where he served during World War II.
Throughout several generations, the Morgenthau family has fought, at times at the risk of their own safety, for basic human rights and the cherished principles of humanity. His father, Henry Morgenthau Jr., was the United States Secretary of Treasury during the Jewish Holocaust and fought tirelessly to save Jews from the horrors of the Holocaust. His grandfather, Henry Morgenthau Sr., was the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and worked tirelessly to save Armenians from the horrors of the Genocide, raising the voice of humanity to let the world know that “[a] campaign of race extermination is in progress.”
Like his father and grandfather, Mr. Morgenthau continues to advocate for human rights and is one of the most prominent Americans to speak about the Armenian Genocide today. Recently, Mr. Morgenthau wrote a poignant letter to the editors of the Wall Street Journal, titled “Will Trump Tell the Truth About the Armenian Genocide.”
Robert Morgenthau’s voice regarding the historical truth and call for justice has continued throughout his life and it rings as true and loud today as ever, for this and future generations to follow.
THE HONORABLE CLAIRE C. CECCHI
Claire C. Cecchi serves as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey. She joined the Court as a United States Magistrate Judge in 2006, a position she held until her appointment in 2011. She has a substantial caseload of civil and criminal matters and is a designated judge in the patent pilot program, handling numerous high-profile patent cases. She is also actively managing a sizable multi-district litigation involving personal-injury claims arising from the use of proton-pump inhibitors.
Judge Cecchi is from Whitestone, Queens, New York and graduated from The Bronx High School of Science in 1982. She received her Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in 1986 from Barnard College, Columbia University, where she studied political science and history. She received her Juris Doctor in 1989 from Fordham University School of Law, where she was a recipient of the Gulbenkian Merit Scholarship.
Following her graduation from law school, Judge Cecchi served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Office of the Corporation Counsel, City of New York. Thereafter, she was an Associate at Robinson, St. John & Wayne from 1992 to 1996 and its successor firm, Robinson, Lapidus & Livelli in 1996. Subsequently, at the firm of Carpenter, Bennett & Morrissey she was an Associate from 1997 to 2001 and a Partner from 2001 to 2004. The firm later merged and became known as McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, where she was also a Partner. She specialized in complex litigation in federal and state courts of New Jersey and other jurisdictions.
The New Jersey Law Journal named Judge Cecchi one of New Jersey’s “40 Under 40” in 2002. Among her other honors, she received the Fordham Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a Member of the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and a Master of the William J. Brennan, Jr./Arthur T. Vanderbilt American Inn of Court.
Judge Cecchi is actively involved in community outreach. She is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs, and was previously the director and moderator of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey Summer Intern/Law Clerk Education Program. Her efforts to interest younger people in the law include hosting the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey Take Your Child to Work Day, and sponsoring an annual mock trial for Essex Fells School sixth-graders.
THE HONORABLE DEBORAH H. KARALUNAS
The Honorable Deborah H. Karalunas obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1978 and graduated cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 1982. At the College of Law, Karalunas was a member of the International Law Review, Moot Court and Justinian Honor Society. Following law school, Karalunas clerked for United States District Court Judge Howard G. Munson in the Northern District of New York. In 1983, Karalunas joined the law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, New York where she later became a partner.
In 2002 Karalunas was elected to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in the 5th Judicial District. She presides over a panoply of civil cases including commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, intellectual property, constitutional and environmental. In 2007 Karalunas was appointed Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court, Commercial Division, Onondaga County, and in 2017 she was appointed to the New York State Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions. She is Chair of the 5th Judicial District Women in the Courts Committee and the 5th Judicial District Library Board.
Justice Karalunas is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Central New York Women’s Bar Association, the Onondaga County Bar Association, and the Armenian Bar Association. In addition to leading various committees and sections, Karalunas served on the Board of Directors of the Onondaga County Bar Association and the Central New York Women’s Bar Association. She was President of the Central New York Women’s Bar Association, Presiding Member of the Judicial Section of the New York State Bar Association, and Trustee of the Onondaga County Bar Foundation. Karalunas currently is President of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Karalunas teaches New York Civil Practice at Syracuse University College of Law. She is Editor of the Judicial Dispatch and author of a chapter in the treatise Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts. Karalunas also speaks frequently on many substantive law and trial practice topics. Justice Karalunas was the 2009 recipient of the Syracuse University College of Law Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, and the 2017 recipient of the Central New York Women’s Bar Association’s inaugural Karen DeCrow Award.
Karalunas lives in Jamesville, New York with her husband, George. They have three children, Sarah (Nick), Evan (Samantha) and Brian, and three grandchildren, Julian, Alina and Elliot.
THE HONORABLE RICHARD S. HARTUNIAN
Richard S. Hartunian is a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, having joined the firm in August, 2017 after a 20-year career with the Department of Justice. In 2010, after almost 13 years as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), where he prosecuted narcotics, violent crime and gang related cases, Rick was appointed and confirmed as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York (NDNY). In that role, he led an office of 45 AUSAs and 100 employees (with a $10 million budget) during times of fiscal challenge and significant staff changes. Notably, Rick reorganized the NDNY’s Civil Division to provide it with the resources and expertise to conduct affirmative civil enforcement investigations, including investigations into corporate fraud and wrongdoing.
During Rick’s tenure as U.S. Attorney, the Civil Division grew from four to ten AUSAs, with three dedicated prosecutors focusing on affirmative civil enforcement cases and routinely conducting investigations into government contracting, health care, and environmental fraud. Throughout his entire DOJ career, Rick worked closely with all federal investigative agencies and their task forces, in addition with many state and local law enforcement and administrative agencies.
During his term as U.S. Attorney, Rick was appointed and served for four years on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (the AGAC), providing counsel to Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. As a member, Vice Chair and Chair of the AGAC, Rick provided input on notable DOJ initiatives, such as the Individual Accountability policy in cases involving cooperation by corporations, the Civil Enforcement Cooperation policy, various DOJ discovery initiatives, and the Department’s response to the opioid crisis. On two occasions, Rick was asked to testify before Congress on behalf of the Department: on the challenges surrounding synthetic drug prosecutions, and on northern border security, an issue that Rick developed significant expertise in through his important work with U.S. and Canadian border security agencies and prosecutors.
In his new role as a Partner at Manatt, Rick defends companies against allegations of white collar crime, healthcare fraud and environmental violations, and advises on cross-border security and trade issues, as well as cyber-security and defense procurement matters. He also helps clients manage crises that result from litigation and government enforcement efforts, particularly when investigations involve multiple agencies and jurisdictions.
