Gay Rosenblum-Kumar
Gay Rosenblum-Kumar specializes in conflict prevention, conflict-sensitive development, peacebuilding, reconciliation and social cohesion, and conflict resolution.
Ms. Rosenblum-Kumar is an accomplished conflict transformation and peacebuilding practitioner with 25 years of experience designing and managing conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives for the United Nations and international NGOs.
Ms. Rosenblum-Kumar holds an MA from the School for International Training and has taught Peacebuilding and Development at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. Gay serves on the boards of the New York Peace Institute, the Free Yezidi Foundation, and the International Center for Assault Prevention.
Over her career, she has worked in approximately 40 countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, she represents two peacebuilding organizations, Nonviolent Peaceforce and Peace Direct, as their UN Representative.eace Direct, as their UN Representative.
Elia Yi Armstrong
Elia Yi Armstrong specializes in public service ethics and anti-corruption (conflicts of interest advice, financial disclosure, whistleblower protection, ethics training, anti-corruption initiatives); citizen engagement, internet governance, open government data, and civil service reform.
Ms. Armstrong has dedicated 25 years of service to the United Nations, holding prominent leadership roles throughout her career. She served as the Director of the UN Ethics Office from 2015 to 2023 and as the Director of the UNDP Ethics Office from 2008 to 2012. Beginning in 1999, Ms. Armstrong contributed to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, focusing on public administration initiatives.
Before her tenure with the United Nations, Ms. Armstrong gained valuable experience in social services and development NGOs. In 1993, she joined the Canadian public service, where she served at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office of Canada. She was also seconded to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), further expanding her expertise in public policy and governance.
Ms. Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics. An accomplished professional, Ms. Armstrong has co-authored numerous policy analysis reports, presented on public sector ethics at international conferences, and participated in various programming missions within the UN system.
Migran A. Shahzadeyan
Migran A. Shahzadeyan specializes in political science, socio-political research, and the philosophical and methodological issues of studying the consciousness and behavior of the masses.
M. A. Shahzadeyan is the chairman of the Armenian Association of Political Scientists. He teaches political science at the Yerevan branch of the Russian University of Economics. G.V. Plekhanov.
From 1989 to 1991, Mihran Shahzadeyan was the founding director of the Institute for Social and Political Studies and served as rector of the Yerevan Institute of Innovative Technologies from 1998 to 2009. From 1999 to 2002, he headed the Regional Center of MESI and later directed its Yerevan branch (2002–2009). A member of the Philosophical Society of Armenia since 1985, he founded the Armenian Association of Political Sciences in 1990 and joined the Soviet Association of Political Sciences in 1991, leading a section of the World Congress in Buenos Aires. In 2002, he became a full member of the International Academy of Open Education.
He played a pivotal role in establishing Armenia’s first virtual university and electronic textbooks in 2001, introduced the online LMS “Prometheus,” and organized numerous conferences and publications on integrating technology in education.
Author of over 40 scientific articles and the monograph Philosophical and Methodological Problems of Research into Everyday Practical Consciousness of the Masses, he is also a member of EuroTex (Belgium), promoting knowledge and technology transfer between the EU and ENP countries.
Frank Vram Zerunyan
Frank Vram Zerunyan, J.D. LL.D principal areas of expertise include governance, public- private partnerships, civic and ethical leadership, land use, medical regulation, negotiation, and executive education in civil-military topics. He lectures globally to build capacity and foster leadership among public executives worldwide.
Dr. Zerunyan is a Professor of the Practice of Governance at the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy (USC Price) and Director of Executive Education. Professor Zerunyan oversees USC’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) as the Director and University Liaison for the U.S. Air Force, Army, Naval Reserves ROTC, and Nautical Science Programs. He is the founding co-director of the USC SHIELD program on global missile defense and deterrence policy. He is also the Safe Communities Institute’s (SCI) Interim Director.
Professor Zerunyan is the author of several books, book chapters, and many short articles published nationally and internationally. He is often called upon as an expert on public administration at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Public Institutions and Digital Government Division.
For his influential advisory role in the Republic of Armenia, he was awarded LL.D. Doctor of Laws – Honoris Causa by the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia.
Professor Zerunyan designs curricula and teaches at the American University in Armenia, Yerevan State University, and the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University in Armenia. Professor Zerunyan earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence (Doctor of Laws) degree from Western State University College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Long Beach. He also completed his advanced legal education in Corporate Taxation at the University of Southern California Law Center (USC Gould). He is a California League of Cities Civic Leadership Institute graduate.
Professor Zerunyan, trained and practiced as a lawyer, is a four-term Mayor and Councilmember in the City of Rolling Hills Estates, California. He serves on several city, county, and regional policy boards and committees. He was also a gubernatorial appointee under Governor Schwarzenegger, serving 38 million medical consumers on the Medical Board of California.
Arthur Paronyan
Arthur Paronyan specializes in public policy, social research, organizational development, and sociopolitical analysis. He has a proven track record of analyzing complex social patterns and providing insights that guide decision-making, policy creation, and program development.
Mr. Paronyan graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sociology, and Psychology at Yerevan State University and later pursued further education at the University of Colorado Denver. Early in his career, he worked as a reporter and editor in Armenia. From 1995 to 1997, he served as a research officer in the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. From 2000 to 2023, he worked as a freelance researcher in the United States and later in Russia, conducting numerous sociological studies in diverse fields such as marketing, political campaigns, and social values across both Russia and Armenia.
Seda Kalantaryan
Seda Kalantaryan specializes in developing and implementing inclusive policies, procurement strategies, disaster risk management, and project execution, with a commitment to fostering sustainable and impactful solutions.
Born in the border region of Tavush, Ms. Kalantaryan witnessed and survived the war of the 1990s and its lasting consequences. These experiences instilled in her a deep commitment to staying in Armenia and contributing to its development in any way possible.
This year marks Ms. Kalantaryan’s 20th anniversary as a professional, having worked across diverse fields, including project management, procurement, economic collaboration, disaster risk management, and inclusive policies. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with international organizations such as UNDP, UNICEF, and the Embassy of Belgium in Armenia.
Seda Kalantaryan currently continue her work at the International Republican Institute, striving to make a meaningful impact through policy and development initiatives.