AUA Distinguished Alumni Award
Each year, the American University of Armenia proudly honors one exceptional graduate whose achievements reflect the University’s values and inspire the broader community. The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize alumni who have made significant contributions to their profession, demonstrated leadership and public service, and shown a strong commitment to the University and society.
Purpose of the Award
The purpose of the Distinguished Alumni Awards is to recognize University alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored AUA’s legacy of excellence.
Nomination Process
Nominations are open to all members of the AUA community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff. The University Board of Directors, Executive Team members, and the Office of Alumni Relations may not nominate an alumnus for the award. To nominate an outstanding AUA graduate, submit the Award Nomination Form. Nominators are encouraged to submit any supporting materials that showcase the nominee’s achievements through the form, such as a CV, news articles, awards, or personal testimonials.
Nominations for 2025 are open. Nominees must be AUA alumni.
Selection Process
A Selection Committee is formed each year and includes: University College Deans, the previous two recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and one representative from the AUA Executive Team, Office of Communications, Office of Development, Office of Student Affairs, Student Council, and Office of Alumni Relations each. Representatives are nominated internally and selected based on availability and relevance to alumni engagement.
Each nominee is evaluated using a standardized internal rubric that scores candidates across three categories: 1) professional achievement and career distinction, 2) service to society, and 3) service and support to the American University of Armenia. The Selection Committee ultimately determines the nature of candidates’ achievements and contributions, and the extent to which they are worthy of recognition. The highest-scoring nominee based on Committee members’ evaluations is selected. In the event of a tie, a structured tie-breaking process is followed.
2024 Distinguished Alumna Anahit Ordyan, MBA, Class of 1993
Anahit Ordyan, AUA Assistant Vice President since 2015, has held various management positions at the University.
With a research track record in labor and industrial relations in the U.S. in connection with her participation in programs supported by IREX and Fulbright scholarships, Ordyan has introduced a number of best practices into the University operations. Her efforts in this domain have duly enhanced the effectiveness of the AUA administration, taking the effectiveness of operational processes to new heights.
In 2016, on the occasion of AUA’s 25th anniversary, she was awarded the prestigious Movses Khorenatsi medal by the President of the Republic of Armenia, an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of culture, art, literature, education, social sciences, and sports.
Thanks to her efforts and the enthusiasm of her classmates, the practice of alumni giving back to their alma mater was institutionalized and became a tradition over the years. These successful fundraising campaigns were particularly instrumental in the establishment of the Alumni Endowment Fund by the class of ‘93 earmarked for student scholarships and the sustained financial commitment of becoming one of AUA 100 pillars, as well as AUA ChangeMaker.
2022 Distinguished Alumna Karine Sarkissian, MBA, Class of 1993
Karine Sarkissian is the chief executive officer of the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen, commonly known as the 1000plus.am organization, established to provide compensation to promote the well-being of fallen, missing, or disabled Armenian soldiers and their families.
Sarkissian has enjoyed a rich career filled with notable milestones and accomplishments, all of which she proudly attributes to her AUA education. She has held key leadership positions with reputable companies in both the private and public sectors, including Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, the United Nations, the Austrian Development Agency, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia.
Sarkissian has demonstrated her profound dedication to AUA through her mentorship to students and serving as an invited panel presenter and speaker in classes, conferences, and seminars. She has also generously contributed to all fundraising campaigns at the 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th anniversary celebrations of her graduation.
2021 Distinguished Alumnus Artavazd Minasyan, MBA, Class of 2012
Artavazd Minasyan is a serial tech entrepreneur and the co-founder of two successful startups — Krisp, an AI-powered noise reduction technology, and 10Web, a platform for building, hosting, and managing WordPress. Led by Minasyan, Krisp conducts mentorship programs at the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center at AUA. Minasyan has been contributing to the creation of workplaces in Armenia, conducting mentorship and internship programs for students, and never failing to share his knowledge and expertise with the AUA community.
2019 Distinguished Alumnus David Akopyan, MBA, Class of 1993
David Akopyan is an international development professional with 26 years of service to the United Nations as Deputy Director of Development Programs, Country Director, and Resident Representative in several countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria. After retiring from the UN earlier this year, he joined the Artsakh government as the First Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of Artsakh and later as the Principal Advisor to the State Minister of Artsakh, helping to coordinate humanitarian and development assistance programs. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Yerevan State University and an MBA from the American University of Armenia.
2018 Distinguished Alumna Mane Tandilyan, MBA, Class of 2002
Mane Tandilyan held positions of Financial Analyst and Chief Accountant at Garni Investment and Development, Hovnanian International LLC, and Mentor Graphics Development Services. Mane worked as Deputy Financial Director at Synopsys Armenia for about 8 years. She became an active participant of “Դեմ եմ” (I’m Against) movement to prevent the adoption of the mandatory cumulative pension system. In 2015, she became a Co-founder of “Լուսավոր Հայաստան” (Bright Armenia) political party. She was the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs from May to October 2018, and worked hard to shape new policies in that important field, to initiate public discussions on vital social security issues, including but not limited to the cumulative pension system.
2017 Distinguished Alumnus Gagik Gyulbudaghyan, ME IESM, Class of 1994
Gagik Gyulbudaghyan was one of the Founders of KPMG Armenia. Then, he worked as Deputy Director, Partner and Managing Partner for Grant Thornton Armenia. Gagik is one of the Founders of Grant Thornton Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. He is a Licensed Valuator in Armenia. Currently, Gagik is a Member of the Board of Governors of Grant Thornton International and Honorary Consul of Denmark in Armenia.
2016 Distinguished Alumnus Hovhannes Avoyan, MPSIA, Class of 1995
Hovhannes Avoyan is the Founder and CEO of Sourcio, Monitis, and PicsArt. As a result, over 600 well-paying jobs were created in Armenia, tens of new companies were created or managed by his former employees. Mr. Avoyan invests in and advises several other startups. He also shares his knowledge by delivering lectures at universities in Armenia and abroad.