The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region announced that Paul Chaderjian and Vaché Thomassian will serve on the iZartonk panel at the ANCA Grassroots Conference, next weekend. The panel will discuss the importance of social media outlets and activism through the use of today’s multi-platform contemporary media in order to advance the Armenian Cause. The panel will be moderated by Aris Hovasapian, a member of the ANCA Grassroots Committee, and will be dedicated to the memory of long-time activists and agents of change, Allen Yekikian and Sosé Thomassian-Yekikian.

“We are excited to have Paul and Vaché headline the iZartonk panel this year and are eager to hear their thoughts on how we can promote change and reach out to a large interconnected worldwide community through various social media outlets. This discussion will include information attendees can take back with them and utilize for causes they care deeply about,” said Ara Khachatourian, Chair of the ANCA Grassroots Committee.

Paul Chaderjian is a broadcast journalist with Civilnet in Armenia. He has worked at ABC News in New York, at the ABC station in Hawaii, at NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates in Fresno and at Armenia TV in Yerevan. He also contributes regularly to the Asbarez Newspaper and Horizon Armenian TV.

Vaché Thomassian has been active on Armenian issues in the Diaspora for many years, holding leadership positions in several organizations. He is the Chairperson of Sosé & Allen’s Legacy Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating the lives and continuing the works of his sister Sosé and brother-in-law Allen Yekikian.

Thomassian is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). His area of concentration is Economic and Political Development with a specialization in International Conflict Resolution. Additionally, Thomassian holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Aris Hovasapian is an alumnus of the Armenian Youth Federation Crescenta Valley Zartonk Chapter and has served on the boards of the Crescenta Valley and Glendale ANCA Chapters. He was on the organizing committee for the first ANCA Western Region Grassroots Conference in 2011; he was the moderator for a panel called iConnect: Social Media and Messaging workshop. He is a graduate of UCLA and currently works as the Energy Program Manager at Los Angeles Unified School District.

The successful ANCA Grassroots Conference will return on Thanksgiving Weekend, this time in the heart of Hollywood at Loews Hotel. The event brings together academicians, artists, historians, legal experts and political officials who will make presentations about varied topics regarding the myriad aspects of the pursuit of Hye Tad.

The conference is open to the community, but requires registration. Register now by visiting itsmyseat.com /ANCAWR or by calling 818.500.1918. To obtain updates on the conference, like the ANCA Western Region Facebook page at Facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion or visit ancawr.org.

The ANCA Grassroots Conference will bookend the annual ANCA Gala Banquet, which will take place on Saturday, November 30 at the Roy Dolby Ballroom and will feature a special menu created for the banquet by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck.

This year’s honorees include, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Primate of Artsakh Archbishop Barkev Martirosyan, Legendary Coach Jerry Tarkanian, Lifelong Philanthropist Manas Boujikian, Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian, and Activist and Filmmaker Ara Soudjian.