Board Of Directors
Barry Garapedian
Barry Garapedian has been an adviser in the financial services industry. One of Barry’s favorite passions is mentoring college students during their transition from college to the business world. He currently serves as a career coach at Pepperdine University and has mentored numerous students in recent years. His other philanthropic involvements include serving as a board member of the Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara and as past president of the Pepperdine Crest Advisory Board.
Barry graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in public administration. Shortly thereafter he met his wife of 36 years, Sharon. They have two children, Missy and Scotland.
Andrea Marootian
Andrea Marootian is a group leader and organizer. This, and her desire to work with teenagers, led her to become a middle school educator. Her preparation for teaching included earning a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies for Teachers and a BA in Experimental Psychology at San Diego State University. She completed her teaching training with a credential at Cal State San Marcos. After student teaching in a rural suburb of San Diego, she was hired by the district and spent the next 25 years teaching English and History for 7th and 8th graders. She was the teacher of choice by the Special Education team, focusing on the individual needs of struggling students. Her students always had a challenging lesson that was innovative, interactive, and relevant. Through the years, she took on several leadership roles, Head of Department, Presenter at CLMS (California League of Middle Schools) and was part of the Teacher’s Union Negotiation Team. She was the National Junior Honor Society Advisor at her school and organized the group to lead large campus activities and competitions.
Being active in the Armenian community was always important to Andrea and her extended family. Through ACYO (Armenian Church Youth Organization) she was able to meet other Armenians her age and connect to Armenian culture. In college she took a month-long trip to Armenia with a group of students to learn about the country, culture, and churches. Her parents were very active in the Armenian community. They were early members of the Armenian Professional Society and Seda, was the recording secretary for over a decade. Her parents were also members of the AAA (Armenian Allied Arts), USC Friends of Armenian Music, and the Armenian Film Foundation. Her father, Martin Marootian, was the chief plaintiff in the New York Life Insurance case, which set precedents in Armenian Genocide reparations law.
Donald E. Miller
Donald E. Miller is a Firestone Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California. He is the Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC as well as a professor of religion and sociology.
Professor Miller is the author, editor or co-author of ten books including: Finding Faith: The Spiritual Quest of the Post-Boomer Generation (Rutgers University Press, 2008), Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement (University of California Press, 2007), Armenia: Portraits of Survival and Hope (University of California Press, 2003), GenX Religion (Routledge, 2000), Reinventing American Protestantism (University of California Press, 1997), Survivors: An Oral History of the Armenian Genocide (University of California Press, 1993), Homeless Families: The Struggle for Dignity (University of Illinois Press, 1993), Writing and Research in Religious Studies (Prentice Hall, 1992) and The Case for Liberal Christianity (Harper & Row, 1981). He has been very involved in several oral history projects in Rwanda with survivors of the genocide. His most recent book is Becoming Human Again An Oral History of the Rwanda Genocide against the Tutsi (University of California Press, 2020). In addition, he has studied religious NGOs in Armenia, Tanzania and Rwanda – which is the focus of his current research.
He is married to Lorna Miller, Director of the Office for Creative Connections at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. They have two children, Arpi, a doctoral student in sociology at UCLA, and Shont, an attorney practicing in Seattle.
Jerry Papazian
Jerry Papazian is the Managing Director of Fountainhead Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in organizational, financial, internal development and strategic growth advisory services.
He served as President of the USC Alumni Associate from 1995 to 1996 and as a member of the USC Board of Trustees from 1995 to 1999. He is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. He also serves as a member of the board of various non-profit foundations, including the Armenian Film Foundation.
Jerry received his B.A. in Economics from USC, and his JD and MBA from UCLA, where he was a member of the law review.