Staff

LOCAL STAFF

Country Director
Heghine Manasyan

Heghine Manasyan has a Doctor in Economics with broad experience in research, teaching and policy analysis. Her primary areas of expertise include economic growth and development, political economies of transition, labor markets, poverty and education, privatization and underground economies. Dr. Manasyan is an author of over one hundred publications and articles.

Prior to joining CRRC-Armenia Dr. Manasyan was actively involved in projects funded by international organizations (UNDP, WB, TACIS), implemented in Armenia and aimed at strengthening domestic capacity for high quality economic research and education. Dr. Manasyan’s educational background includes training at the Yerevan State University, State Academy of Management (Moscow), Central European University (Budapest) and Columbia University (New York).

E-mail: heghine@crrccenters.org

Program Manager for Data Initiative and MT
Yevgenya Paturyan

Jenny (Yevgenya) Paturyan received her PhD in Political Science from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany. Her educational background includes an MA in Integrated Social Sciences form Jacobs University Bremen, an MA in Political Science and International Affairs from American University of Armenia and a diploma in Philosophy from Yerevan State University. Her work experience includes a variety of tasks and projects she was involved in at AUA Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis, at Jacobs University Bremen and, recently, as a research fellow at CRRC.

E-mail: jenny.paturyan@crrccenters.org

Program Manager for Fellowship and CSLW
Anna Sarkissyan


Anna Sarkisyan joined the CRRC team in 2004. She is a post-graduate student at the Department of History of the Yerevan State University. Prior to joining CRRC-Armenia Ms. Sarkisyan worked as Office Assistant for the Eurasia Foundation Representative Office in Armenia.

E-mail: anna@crrccenters.org

Office Manager 
Hermine Mheryan

Hermine Mheryan graduated from Yerevan State University’s Department of History, and the Faculty of Social Professions (English Language) at the Armenian State Engineering University. Prior to joining the CRRC team, Ms. Mheryan has worked in a host of various governmental, private and international organizations, including the Emergency Management Administration, the Ararat Gold Recovery Company, the EU TACIS Program and Lanza LLC.

E-mail: era@crrccenters.org

Librarian/Information Specialist
Gohar Khachatryan

Gohar Khachatryan holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from American University of Armenia. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Yerevan State University of Economics. Prior to joining CRRC, Ms. Khachatryan has worked for NGO sector. During the last two years she has participated in several projects implemented by Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis at American University in Armenia (AUA). Her experience also includes Assistant Librarian’s position and Computer Lab Assistant’s work at AUA.

E-mail: gohar@crrccenters.org

IT Manager
Sergey Barkhudaryan

Sergey Barkhudaryan has a PhD in Computer Sciences. Prior to joining CRRC-Armenia Mr.Barkhudaryan worked in a number of IT organizations, both local and international. His areas of interests and expertise include network management, web development and maintenance, programming, etc.

E-mail: sergey@crrccenters.org

REGIONAL STAFF

Regional Director
Hans Gutbrod

Hans Gutbrod holds a Ph.D. and a B.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Originally from Germany, he is the author of a Handbook for Professional Communication, which has been published in Georgia, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Armenia and is currently being translated in other countries. His primary research interests are notions of judgment/evaluation across various disciplines, and within a transition context.

Prior to joining CRRC in 2006, Hans worked in the Caucasus region for several years. He has taught at Tbilisi State University and trained lecturers and higher education staff on methods. His experience includes helping to set up a Liberal Arts college in Berlin, working as a Long Term Election observer for OSCE, as well as teaching and training in various other institutions and organizations.

E-mail: hans@crrccenters.org

Regional Coordinator
Aaron Erlich

Aaron Erlich holds a B.A. in government from Dartmouth College and a M.A in European Studies and International Affairs from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.  Prior to joining CRRC, Aaron worked as a consultant and research assistant for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.  His current research interests revolve around questions of migration and citizenship policy in the NIS region.

From 2002-2004 Mr. Erlich conducted business trainings and taught English in Moscow and Bratislava.  He has also spent significant time studying and working in Latin America.

E-mail: aaron@crrccenters.org

Nana Papiashvili holds an MA. in International Relations and European Studies from Central European University (CEU), Hungary and a B.A.  in Humanities from Tbilisi State University of Economic Relations.  In 2003-2004, through a Freedom Support Act (FSA) exchange program, Nana studied International Relations at Wilson College in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Nana has also attended summer sessions at American University in Washington, D.C. in 2003 and passed courses in professional development at Bologna University in the summer of 2004.

Before joining CRRC, Nana worked on a variety of research project relating to external migration, ethnic conflicts and the autonomous regions of Georgia. During her studies, Nana served as an intern at National Democratic Institute of International Affairs (NDI) (Tbilisi Office), the Parliament of Georgia and the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce. Her research interests include Georgian ethnic conflicts and European integration. 

Email: nana@crrccenters.org

Regional Research Associate
Arpine Porsughyan

Arpine Porsughyan holds M.A. in Social Sciences form Tbilisi State University, Center for Social Sciences and diploma in Social Work and Social Policy from Yerevan State University. In 2008 she undertook a two-month internship at a Melbourne based consulting Verso. Arpine has also spent a year in the US as an exchange student under FSA/FLEX program in 1999-2000. Prior to joining CRRC, Arpine has worked with Save the Children, Armenia, Public Healthcare Reform Program and Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute. She is a board member of Armenia based NGO "Ajakits". Arpine's research interests include asset based community development and social capital in rural communities.

Email: arpine@crrccenters.org

Data Initiative Project Coordinator
Tinatin Zurabishvili

Dr. Tinatin Zurabishvili is the Project Coordinator for the CRRC Data Initiative. Since 1999, she has taught B.A. and M.A. courses in sociology, focusing on research methods, at Telavi State University and Tbilisi State University Center for Social Sciences, where she was a Civic Education Project (CEP) Local Faculty Fellow (2001-2003) and Academic Fellowship Program Returning Scholar (2005-2006). In the spring semesters between 2004 and 2007 she was an OSI Faculty Development Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Sociology. Her academic publications focus on social research methods, sociology of transition and sociology of the media.

Prior to teaching in Georgia, between1999 and 2001 Dr. Zurabishvili served as junior researcher for Yale University's project, Poverty, Ethnicity and Gender in Eastern Europe during the Market Transition. Dr. Zurabishvili also worked for five years as a sociologist at the Russian Center for Public Opinion and Market Research (now the Levada Center), where she worked on the Russian Public Opinion Monitor. Dr. Zurabishvili holds her Ph.D. in the sociology of journalism from Moscow M. Lomonosov State University (1999).

E-mail: tina@crrccenters.org

Interns

Monika Shahmenendyan

Monika Shahmenendyan holds a bachelor degree in Economics from Yerevan State University. Curently she is a first year MA student, specializing in  Management Information Systems at Economics department of YSU.

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