Mrs. Sheehan brings more than 30 years’ experience in the field of migration, including eight years with IOM in the Caucasus. From 1998-2002 she was the Chief of Mission in Yerevan, and from 1998-2002 she was the Regional Coordinator for the Caucasus based in Tbilisi. After a three year break from the region during which she opened the IOM office in Sri Lanka to provide emergency response and livelihood replacement for tsunami victims, Mrs. Sheehan returned to Tbilisi as Chief of Mission for the Georgia Office. She has also served as Deputy Director of Volunteer Programs to the Governor of California on issues related to the influx of Southeast Asians after the Vietnam war; Director of the International Catholic Migration Commission training program in Sudan for Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees involved in a U.S. resettlement program; and nine years in a law office dealing with immigration. She began her career with the United Farm Workers Union in California and Arizona, advocating for the rights to unionize and strike, on political campaigns and with voter registration.

Mr. Beebe-Center is President Emeritus of Eurasia Foundation, having retired in 2018 after 12 years as president and 25 years with the foundation. During his tenure with Eurasia Foundation under Mr. Beebe-Center’s leadership, special projects such as the economic education and research program and the small business lending program were launched. In addition to his association with the Europe Foundation, Eurasia Partnership Foundation and Caucasus Research Resource Centers in the South Caucasus, Mr. Beebe-Center sits on the boards of several organizations, including the Kyiv School of Economics in Ukraine, the European Humanities University in Lithuania, and Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia in Kazakhstan. Prior to joining Eurasia Foundation, Mr. Beebe-Center worked for several years on US-Soviet projects ranging from intergovernmental technical exchanges to commercial joint ventures. Mr. Beebe-Center holds a bachelor’s degree in Soviet Studies from Brown University and a master’s degree in Russian Studies from Harvard University.

Dr. Anna Ohanyan is the first recipient of Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professorship in Political Science and International Relations, and the Chair of Political Science and International Studies Department College. Her latest book is Networked Regionalism as Conflict Management published by Stanford University Press (2015). She also authored NGOs, IGOs, and Network Mechanism of Post-Conflict Global Governance in Microfinance with Palgrave Macmillan (2008). Her articles appeared in Wilson Quarterly, International Studies Review, Peace and Change, Conflict Resolution Quarterly and Global Society, among others journals.

Professor Ohanyan is a Fulbright Scholar and previously served as a doctoral fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Her research has been supported by IREX, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (USA), the German Marshall Fund, the U.S. State Department and Eurasia Foundation among others. Prof. Ohanyan has also consulted for numerous organizations such as the United Nations Foundation, the World Bank, the National Intelligence Council Project, the U.S. Department of State, the Carter Center, and USAID. Her work has taken her across the globe, from Northern Ireland to the Balkans and the South Caucasus.

She has been an invited speaker at Brown University (USA), European Geopolitics Forum (Brussels), The World Bank (USA), United Nations Foundation (USA), Armenian Business Network (USA), among others.

Daniel Tarschys is a distinguished professor of political science at Stockholm University. Dr. Tarschys is widely recognized for his role as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, a position he held from June 1994 to September 1999. During his tenure, he made history by facilitating the inclusion of countries like Russia into the Council of Europe. In 1972, Dr. Tarschys earned his PhD with a thesis titled “Beyond the State: The Future Polity in Classical and Soviet Marxism.” His academic journey led him to become a professor at Uppsala University and, subsequently, at Stockholm University.

Beyond his academic pursuits, Dr. Tarschys had a distinguished political career. He served as a member of the Swedish Parliament, representing the Liberal Party, and held pivotal committee positions. Additionally, he served as a State Secretary in the cabinet of Prime Minister Ola Ullsten.

Dr. Tarschys is also a prolific author, known for his contributions in the form of papers and reports․ In 2008 he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Daniel Tarschys continues to be a respected and influential figure in the field of political science, leaving an enduring legacy in both academia and public service.

William Hanlon is the Chief of Field Office for UNICEF in Sukhumi starting from September 2017. He holds an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in International Relations and International Economics as well as an MSc in Environmental Sciences from the Central European University. William Hanlon has worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Georgia and in Armenia. He finished his assignment as the Deputy Head of Office in Armenia but stays in the region.

Deana Arsenian, as vice president of the International Program, promotes the development of Carnegie Corporation’s grantmaking on international issues. She is also responsible for the Corporation’s work concerning Russia and Eurasia.

From 1983 to 1990, Ms. Arsenian worked as a program officer in the Corporation's Avoiding Nuclear War Program. In 1990, she left the Corporation to become the assistant director of the Center for Foreign Policy Development at Brown University, which later merged with the Watson Institute for International Studies. In 1997, Ms. Arsenian returned to the Corporation from the Watson Institute, where she was the assistant director for development and special projects.

Ms. Arsenian earned a BA in political science from Barnard College and an MA in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She is a former member of the board of directors of the Armenian Assembly and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Laurens Ayvazian has developed, directed, monitored and evaluated programs in local governance, rule of law, civil society, and market reform in the Eurasia region, Balkans and the Middle East for 23 years, including twelve years living and working in Russia and the South Caucasus.  From 2011-2016, he resided in Russia and directed the US-Russia Social Expertise Exchange, a program that encourages peer-to-peer cooperation in education, health, rule of law and ethics, protection of vulnerable groups, local entrepreneurship, environment, and media.  He also directed the US-Russia University Partnership Program, through which 33 universities cooperated in programs promoting advancement in exact and social sciences, mathematics, higher education, and linguistics.  He was the founding regional director of Eurasia Foundation’s offices in Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku in the 1990s and approved over 400 grants totaling $10M in support of NGO initiatives. 

He designed and launched Eurasia’s South Caucasus Regional Cooperation program that promoted partnerships across hostile borders in the South Caucasus through concrete work on joint projects and sharing of best practices. He also established the Eurasia Foundation Small Business Loan Program in Armenia. 

Mr. Ayvazian served as Director of Governmental Affairs for the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, DC, and was a key advocate for US ratification of the UN Genocide Convention.  He holds a degree in Russian language and literature from Princeton University and a law degree from Georgetown University and is a licensed attorney. 

Dr. Naira Avetisyan is an international expert in child development, disability, welfare and social protection with over 30 years of experience. She has Doctoral degree in Developmental Paediatrics and postdoctoral specialisation in Child Neurology, Clinical Genetics and Disability (Yerevan State Medical University, Harvard and Emory Medical Schools, USA).  In addition, she has postgraduate trainings in Public Policy, Advocacy and Partnerships for Children’s Rights (Maastricht School of Governance, Netherlands) and in Special Needs/Inclusive Education (Oslo University, Norway).

Naira has been in her current position of Chief of Child Protection Programme in UNICEF Ukraine since December 2017.  In the past, she worked with UNICEF from 1999 to end 2012 in Armenia, Moldova, Vietnam and Syria. In 2013, she joined the Council of Europe Office in Armenia as Deputy Head of the Office and left the organisation in mid- 2016 moving to UNICEF East Asia/Pacific Regional Office based in Bangkok as regional adviser. Throughout her career, Naira was engaged in the management of programmes in the field of child rights, human rights, social welfare/protection, rule of law and democracy. Prior to her international career, Naira was involved in clinical and academic programmes serving children.