AGBU President Berge Setrakian retires; Central Board names Sam  Simonian successor

ArmInfo. Following a tenure of 22 years as President of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU)  with 47 years as Central Board member, Berge Setrakian will retire this fall from his position in accordance with the age limit requirements of the bylaws of AGBU.  

According to the Union's press service, on February 24, the AGBU  Central Board, with the approval of the AGBU Council of Trustees,  unanimously recommended the nomination of Sam Simonian as his  successor and the organization's eighth president.  

Simonian will be formally elected at AGBU's 93rd General Assembly to  be held in New York City on October 12, 2024 and Setrakian shall join  the Council of Trustees.  Simonian is currently a member of the AGBU  Council of Trustees following his service on the Central Board from  2000 to 2019. His active involvement with AGBU throughout his life  parallels his numerous accomplishments as a business entrepreneur,  engineering professional and philanthropist.  Both he and his wife  Sylva are graduates of AGBU's schools in Lebanon. They founded the  TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in Armenia-a breakthrough in  afterschool education that allows students to take charge of their  own learning in the tech and design space, thereby raising their  competitiveness quotient in the global economy.  Since launching the  flagship TUMO Center, the brand has reached the far corners of  Armenia and expanded to multiple cities around the world.  

After the vote on February 24 at the AGBU Central Office in New York,  President Setrakian reflected on the auspicious choice of Simonian.   "Without doubt, Sam Simonian is highly qualified to run an  organization of the size, scope and reach of AGBU. Sam respects the  AGBU legacy, passionately believes in its core mission, yet  recognizes that for a venerable institution like ours to thrive,  change must be embraced and harnessed responsibly and strategically.   I am sure that Sam, with the assistance of the Board, will lead AGBU  with the same boldness of action that he has exemplified throughout  his inspired career."