Armenian Network of America

Founded in 1984, the Armenian Network of America (ANA) is a professionally based, nonprofit community organization dedicated to promoting the interests of Armenian Americans and Armenians all over the world. The ANA provides a forum for Armenian American professionals to interact and advocate on behalf of the larger Armenian American and global Armenian community. The organization also creates a space for networking within the Armenian American community using a computer base; this computer-networking component sets the ANA apart from other Armenian American groups.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2010 that there were approximately 474,500 people of Armenian ancestry in America. The first main wave of immigrants from Armenia was in the late 19th and early 20th century as refugees fled the Ottoman Empire to escape persecution. The second wave was a result of violent military conflicts in the region that caused many more Armenians to relocate to the United States. As a result, there are large numbers of both recent immigrants and those Armenian Americans who come from families who settled in the United States generations ago. This cultural perspective gap within the Armenian American community is one of several that the Armenian Network of America strives to bridge. Ironically, the largest population of Armenian Americans is centered in the Los Angeles, California, area, which does not have a chapter of the ANA.

The Armenian Network of America was started by a group of four young Armenian American adults after they got together in August 1983 and determined that there was a need in their community that they could meet. This founding group comprised Levon Boyajian, Greg Postian, Edele Hovnanian, and Michael Kasparian. A central theme they sought to address was a perceived tension between being Armenian and being an American professional; the four founding members, who all had experience in the Armenian American community and in other Armenian cultural groups, envisioned the ANA helping reconcile this tension and help themselves and others like them.

At its inception, the ANA had one chapter located in New York City. Today there are two chapters, one in New York City and one in Washington, D.C., and a national board of directors, which manages the corporate business of the nonprofit. The current vision of the ANA has continued to embrace online relationships and networking and has expanded to promote a more generalized, global sense of Armenian American culture and cohesiveness.

Much of the ANA culture is social and collegial. Both the New York and Washington, D.C., chapters regularly sponsor mixers such as happy hours and picnics. At times the chapters host joint events such as baseball game outings when New York and D.C. teams meet on the field. There are also events with a more professional feel such as resumé-building seminars and more formal networking events. The ANA also sponsors Armenian cultural events, including book lectures by Armenian American authors, Armenian music concerts, and various guest speakers from the Armenian American community. The ANA periodically also spotlights through its Web site various member professionals.

The impact of the ANA on Armenian American culture is notable. One of the ANA's most important activities is its mentorship program. This program brings Armenian American students and business professionals together with other professionals and successful members of the Armenian American community so that they can grow their careers in tandem. The mentees in the program receive professional guidance, assistance with communication problems and the contacts, support, and advice from a more senior member of the Armenian American community. The mentors also benefit from the program in that they hone their leadership skills and develop as professional coaches while contributing to their community. Furthermore, more seasoned ANA members find in the group a forum for their guest speaker and publication events.

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