Establishes Endowed Internship in his Memory

 

Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly mourns the loss of Assembly Board of Trustees Member Peter Kezirian who passed away suddenly last week.  He was just 48.

 

"Peter was a dynamic, talented, dedicated individual who greatly contributed to the Assembly's ongoing work for the betterment of Armenia and Artsakh," stated Assembly Chairman Hirair Hovnanian and President Carolyn Mugar.  

 

"Peter represented the best and brightest of his generation and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Michelle, mother Marilyn, along with his four brothers, Michael, Eric, Stephen and Douglas, as well as with his extended family and friends," Hovnanian and Mugar added.

 

Peter's devotion to public service began early. As an undergraduate student at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Peter chaired the largest Model United Nations program in the world, with 3,200 participants and a multi-million dollar budget. Peter was also the first intern to work for U.S. Senator Pete Wilson (R-CA) and ultimately joined his staff as the Research Assistant for National Security. After completing law school at the University of Southern California, Peter joined the international law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton, where he practiced corporate and securities law.

 

Additionally, Peter served two California Governors.  He volunteered for George Deukmejian's California gubernatorial campaign in 1982 and was a member of his finance team for the Governor's re-election effort in 1986. Peter also worked for California Governor Pete Wilson, who appointed him as the General Counsel for the California Department of Corporations, the highest ranking position held by an Armenian-American in the Administration.

 

With the ratification of Armenia's constitution after independence, Peter participated on the seven-member faculty, headed by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for the 1995 Armenian Judiciary Conference in Yerevan on issues of constitutional interpretation. Peter was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Council and was a German Marshall Plan Fellow. 

 

Having enjoyed a successful career in law and public service, Peter also excelled in the business world rising to Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy & Strategic Development for the Cooperative of American Physicians based in Los Angeles.

 

Reflecting his deep commitment to America and Armenia, Peter, a fifth-generation Armenian-American, brought his considerable expertise in international relations, democracy-building and the rule of law to the Assembly as its State Chair in California, and quickly moved up to serving on the Assembly's Southern California Regional Council, as well as the national Board of Trustees. 

 

Peter was an integral part of the Assembly's leadership and spent countless hours on Capitol Hill advocating on key issues for the Armenian-American community. Most recently, Peter was Master of Ceremonies at the Assembly's 40th Anniversary Gala held in downtown Los Angeles this past September. Peter had the opportunity to connect with fellow Armenian-Americans with whom he had worked throughout his many years of public service. The Assembly family and the greater Armenian community lost a dear friend and tremendous advocate last week.

 

In recognition of Peter's service in the public sphere and his keen interest in politics and international relations, the Assembly Board of Trustees announced the endowment of a scholarship in his name for students participating in the Assembly's Terjenian-Thomas Summer Internship Program in Washington, DC. The eight-week summer program is designed to provide college students of Armenian descent the opportunity to intern in the nation's capital in congressional offices, think tanks, media outlets, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, while taking part in a full schedule of educational, social and cultural activities.

 

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.    

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