{"id":2709,"date":"2024-03-26T21:22:37","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T21:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/?page_id=2709"},"modified":"2025-12-23T19:28:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T19:28:42","slug":"team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/","title":{"rendered":"Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Meet Our Team\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n
\n\n \n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n
\n
\n

Shushan Karapetian<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Director<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shushan Karapetian sets the Institute\u2019s vision and leads research and scholarship initiatives, deepening integration with entities both on and off campus and expanding the scope of academic programming. She researches, teaches, and writes about the Armenian experience, particularly focusing on competing ideologies at the intersection of language and construction of transnational identity. Dr. Karapetian received a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from UCLA, where she taught Armenian Studies courses for more than 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her dissertation, \u201c\u2018How Do I Teach My Kids My Broken Armenian?\u2019: A Study of Eastern Armenian Heritage Language Speakers in Los Angeles,\u201d received the Society for Armenian Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2015. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Russ Campbell Young Scholar Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship in heritage language research. She is the host of the podcast \u201cLanguage Therapy with Dr. K\u201d and the <\/span>IG<\/a>\/<\/span>YouTube<\/a> series \u201cWord of the Day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Learn more \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

Maral Tavitian<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Managing Director<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maral Tavitian works with the Director to manage all aspects of program operations and develop a long-term strategy for the Institute\u2019s growth and impact. Tavitian received a JD from USC Gould School of Law and BA in Journalism from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She graduated as Annenberg\u2019s Outstanding Print and Digital Journalism Scholar, and was one of 10 students in the university\u2019s graduating class to receive the Renaissance Scholar Prize for exceptional scholarship in diverse fields of study.<\/span><\/p>\n

While in law school, she dedicated herself to public interest legal work for underserved communities in Los Angeles. She was a member of the USC Immigration Clinic, vice president of the Armenian Law Students\u2019 Association, and received the Order of Ar\u00e9te in recognition of her leadership and commitment to service. Tavitian previously worked in Armenia as a journalist for the media platform CivilNet, where she launched and hosted its flagship news program, \u201cThe Week in Armenia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Maral Tavitian \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

Margarita Baghdasaryan<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Associate Director<\/strong><\/p>\n

Margarita Baghdasaryan leads the Institute\u2019s local and global communication efforts, manages events, conferences, and symposia, and oversees the Institute\u2019s programming in Armenia. She holds an MSc in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from UCLA. In addition to her multidisciplinary academic background, Baghdasaryan brings years of work experience in government, advocacy, and nonprofit management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to joining the team, she served as an Advisor at the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs in Armenia, where she established the country\u2019s first Repatriation and Integration Center and worked on key programs and policies to promote Diaspora engagement and repatriation. Her expertise in strategic planning, communications, and stakeholder engagement underpins her impactful contributions to both local and international initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Learn more \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

Gegham Mughnetsyan<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Chitjian Researcher Archivist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gegham Mughnetsyan manages the Institute\u2019s Armenian diaspora archives and works on building its digital collections. Mughnetsyan leads the Institute’s \u201cDisplaced Persons Documentation Project\u201d and manages the \u201cUnderstanding Independence: Oral Histories of Armenia, 1988-1996\u201d project. He catalogs the Institute\u2019s library, which currently hosts more than 1,000 volumes spanning topics from Armenian literature to foreign policy and diaspora studies. He also produces educational content for the Institute\u2019s social media platforms. Mughnetsyan received his MA in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC, and his BA from UC Berkeley in Peace and Conflict Studies, where his research focused on Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Learn more \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

Lilit Keshishyan, Ph.D.<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Project Director<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lilit Keshishyan directs the Institute\u2019s \u201cCalifornia History Through Armenian Experiences\u201d oral history project and works on various aspects of the Digital Diaspora Initiative. She is a lecturer in the Writing Program at USC. <\/span>Dr. Keshishyan holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA, where she taught comparative literature and writing courses for more than 10 years. Her academic work has explored the intricacies and challenges posed by issues of identity, language, and place in the literature of the Armenian diaspora.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Learn more \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n

Manuk Avedikyan<\/h3>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Project Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n

Manuk Avedikyan manages the \u201cCalifornia History Through Armenian Experiences\u201d oral history project and Armen Aroyan Collection. Prior to joining the Institute, he managed the Armenian Genocide oral history collections at the USC Shoah Foundation, cataloging hundreds of survivor testimonies. Avedikyan holds an MA in Political Science and International Affairs from the American University of Armenia in Yerevan, focusing on non-Muslim minority issues and reforms in modern-day Turkey. He received a BA in History from California State University, Northridge.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n\n Learn more \n <\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Student Workers \n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Each year the Institute employs up to a dozen USC students who support the Institute\u2019s\u00a0 programs by transcribing interviews and digitizing documentation for various oral history projects; writing articles for community newspapers; expanding the Institute\u2019s network of global scholars; conducting research for Institute podcasts and programs; cataloging and maintaining the Institute\u2019s digital archives; producing podcast episodes and editing video\/audio content for media, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":3006,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2709","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTeam - Institute of Armenian Studies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Team - Institute of Armenian Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Institute of Armenian Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscarmenian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-23T19:28:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ArmenianStudies\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/\",\"name\":\"Team - Institute of Armenian Studies\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-26T21:22:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-23T19:28:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Team\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/\",\"name\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/\",\"description\":\"Research. Education. Heritage.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#organization\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/08\/IAS-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/08\/IAS-logo.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":220,\"caption\":\"USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscarmenian\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ArmenianStudies\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscarmenianstudies\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Team - Institute of Armenian Studies","description":"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Team - Institute of Armenian Studies","og_description":"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/","og_site_name":"Institute of Armenian Studies","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscarmenian","article_modified_time":"2025-12-23T19:28:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@ArmenianStudies","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/","name":"Team - Institute of Armenian Studies","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-03-26T21:22:37+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-23T19:28:42+00:00","description":"Meet the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies team members.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/05\/USC_DCLAS_Building_Details_Mudd_Hall_of_Philosophy_20221020_11-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/team\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Team"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/","name":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/","description":"Research. Education. Heritage.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#organization","name":"USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/08\/IAS-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2024\/08\/IAS-logo.png","width":800,"height":220,"caption":"USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscarmenian","https:\/\/x.com\/ArmenianStudies","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscarmenianstudies\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2709"}],"version-history":[{"count":119,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7593,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2709\/revisions\/7593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/armenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}