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 studies 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 Methodological Trainings
Arman Melkonyan

Mr. Arman Melkonyan joined CRRC team in June 2011. He received his Master's degree from Yerevan State University, Faculty of Sociology in 2008. Arman has honed his professional skills in different sociological surveys first as an interviewer (while a bachelor student during 1999-2002), then as fieldwork supervisor, focus group moderator, etc. Prior to joining CRRC-Armenia, from August 2008 to January 2011, Arman has worked as Data Manager at the Institute for Political and Sociological Consulting (IPSC) where he combined the work of questionnaire designer, statistician and reporting assistant. Arman also conducts SPSS training courses for students and researchers. Arman is interested in Sociology of Education, Political Sociology, Sociology of Army and Sociology of Knowledge.

E-mail: arman.melkonyan@crrccenters.org

Ms. Anna Sarkisyan joined the CRRC team in 2004. Working in different departments at CRRC-Armenia, Anna is currently the Program manager for Fellowships and CSLW. She is a post-graduate student at the Department of History of Yerevan State University. Her educational background includes BA in International Relation, MA in History at the Yerevan State University. Anna participated in a range of training courses to advance the knowledge on different aspects of political science, such as, early warning systems, political economy, etc. The most recent one was the executive training on International Relation and Foreign Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, USA.

E-mail: anna@crrccenters.org

Research Associate
Monika Shahmenendyan

Monika Shahmenendyan holds her bachelor degree in Economics from Yerevan State University and MA in Management Information Systems at the same University. Monica currently works at CRRC-Armenia as a research associate.

E-mail: monica@crrc.am

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
Veronika Grigoryan

Veronika Grigoryan has a Master’s Degree in Political Science and International Affairs from American University of Armenia and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Yerevan State University. Ms. Grigoryan joined CRRC-Armenia in June 2010. Previously she has been working as a Chief Financial Specialist at Public TV Company of Armenia. During her studies she had internships in the financial department of Marriott Hotel-Armenia and in the library of the American University of Armenia, as well as in the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

E-mail: veronica.grigoryan@crrccenters.org

IT Manager
Vahan Galstyan

Vahan Galstyan holds Masters Degree in Computer and Information Science from American University of Armenia and a diploma in Psychology from Yerevan State University.

Mr. Galstyan has an impressive employment record, which comes from various organizations he worked in, while holding both researcher’s and IT manager’s positions. Before joining CRRC, he worked as IT Manager at "Aither" LTD., served as Head Engineer at the Government of Armenia, held the position of Computer Specialist at the Association of English Language Teachers of Armenia (AELTA). Vahan also worked as Administrative and Research Assistant at the American University of Armenia, as well as in several other local and international organizations.

E-mail: vahan@crrccenters.org

Assistant
Iskuhi Mkrtchyan

Ms. Mkrtchyan holds bachelors and master’s degree from the Economic Department of YSU. Currently she is working as a lecturer of Econometrics, Statistics and SPSS at the Department of Statistics and Biometrics of the Armenian State Agrarian University and expecting for her PhD from the Yerevan State University. Recently (January-May, 2011) she passed the Junior Faculty Development Program, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA.

E-mail: iskuhi@crrc.am

Intern
Gevorg Aristakesian

Gevorg is a student at Armenian State University of Economics, currently studying at 4th course of International Economical Relationships faculty. After the graduation he will hold bachelor’s degree from Macroeconomics department. He is currently working on the analysis of Armenian State Budget for obtaining his B.A. degree.

Intern
Knarik Harutyunyan

Knarik is a sociologist, has graduated from Yerevan State University, the Department of Sociology. She studied social-administrative conflicts in Armenia. Knarik joined CRRC-Armenia team in October 2011.

Intern
Drew Loizeaux

Drew is M.A. Candidate for International Political Economy and Development at Fordham University. He has finished his course work for at Fordham University for an MA in the International Political Economy and Development graduate program with a concentration in international and development economics. He is in Armenia for one year with the US Boren Fellow Program where he will be studying Armenian as well as working with CRRC. Prior to graduate school he has worked in Cambodia, The Philippines and Uganda for US based microfinance funder, Kiva Microfunds. In the United States, Drew worked for the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Colchester, Vermont and Washington, DC. While there, he helped resettle and serve refugees from many parts of the world. Drew’s specific research interest is the role of civil society in Armenia in the political and economic development of Armenia.

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

Associate Regional Director
Robia Charles

Robia Charles is a California native and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a M.A. in Eurasian and Russian Studies from the European University of St. Petersburg, Russia and a M.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also earned a B.A. from the University of California, Davis where she studied Russian and Mathematics.

Prior to joining CRRC, Robia was employed as a Graduate Student Instructor at UC Berkeley for courses on Comparative Politics and Contemporary Russian Politics. She also worked as a community organizer in Northern California and as a limnological researcher in both Tanzania and Siberia. Robia specializes in comparative politics, post-communist politics and both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Her academic interests include nationalism and the intersection of politics and religion, especially in the post-Soviet region.

E-mail: robia@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

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