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Executive Team

 

Dr. Karin Markides, AUA President

Karin Markides

Dr. Markides has an impressive background that includes academic positions in top universities both in the U.S. and in Sweden.  She completed her doctorate in analytical chemistry at Stockholm University in 1984, after which she started her research career at Brigham Young University in Utah as a postdoctoral fellow then as a research assistant and associate director. She also served as a visiting professor at Stanford University. In May 1990, she returned to Sweden as a Chair Professor and Dean of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Uppsala University. Fourteen years later, in May 2004, she became Vice Director General of Vinnova, the Swedish innovation agency. Subsequently, Dr. Markides was selected as President of Chalmers University of Technology and, since 2015, she serves as the Chair of the Scientific Council for Sustainable Development under the Swedish government. She is a member of the Nobel Prize nomination committee and author of numerous articles and monographs.

 Dr. Randall Rhodes, Provost

rhodes

Dr. Randall Rhodes holds a Ph.D., MA, and a BA in Art History from the University of Chicago.   

His primary academic affiliation has been with Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland.  Dr. Rhodes has been Associate Provost at Frostburg State since 2012.  From 2009-2012 he was Assistant Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Rhodes has been a faculty member at Frostburg since 1996 and held the rank of Full Professor.  He has won Faculty Achievement Awards for Teaching and Service from Frostburg and an award for Academic Excellence in Higher Education Award, sponsored by Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce. His institutional service includes chairing the Faculty Senate, Academic Affairs Committee, University Undergraduate Curriculum Review Subcommittee; Evaluation Task Force; Visual Arts Department; Women’s Studies Program; President’s Advisory Council on Institutional Effectiveness; President’s Advisory Council on Diversity.

Prior to his academic work at Frostburg, he taught at the State University College, Buffalo, NY; State University of New York, Geneseo, NY; Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY; Nazareth College, Rochester, NY.    

Dr. Rhodes has significant involvement in museum and gallery administration including the Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY; Genesee Country Museum, Mumford, NY; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Rhodes has presented 22 academic papers at various conferences and proceedings.  He has published seven articles and catalogs on various aspects of art analysis.  He has exhibited art works at 15 art exhibitions.

 Ashot Ghazaryan, Vice President of Operations

Ashot Ghazarian comes to AUA after leading the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) in Armenia for nearly two decades. Ghazarian spent the last twenty years as Director of the AGBU Armenia.  During that time he also served as a member of the Republic of Armenia’s Committee on Humanitarian Projects, the Academic Council of the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts; the Board of Trustees of the World Bank-funded Social Investment Fund of Armenia; and Friends of the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra.  Prior to leading the AGBU, Ghazarian headed the Medical Cybernetics Laboratory of the Yerevan Surgical Institute, headed a Department in the Experimental Factory of the Yerevan Physics Institute, and worked as Head of the Supply Department of the Bridge Construction Company of the Armenian Highway Construction Ministry.  Ghazarian holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the State Engineering University of Armenia.

 Gevorg Goyunyan, Vice President of Finance

gevorg_goyunyan Gevorg Goyunyan has been with the University for more than 10 years, most recently as Controller and Director of Business Development. Goyunyan started with AUA in its Oakland office as its Financial Analyst and later held positions of Controller and Director of Business Development.  Prior to joining AUA, he worked in the consulting and banking sectors in Armenia.  Goyunyan holds multiple advanced degrees in Economics from Yerevan State University, an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the State University of New York in Binghamton and a BBA from Haigazian University in Beirut, Lebanon.