Garo Armenian and Paul Jamushian to Receive Lifetime Leadership Awards at ANCA Eastern Region Gala

Lifetime servants of Armenian advocacy to receive the 2025 Vahan Cardashian Award - ANCA Eastern Region’s highest honor

October 5, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) is proud to announce that Mr. Garo Armenian and Mr. Paul Jamushian will each be awarded the 2025 ANCA Eastern Region Vahan Cardashian Award at the 19th Annual ANCA Eastern Region Gala, to be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at Washington, DC’s Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004.

The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a reception, silent auction, and awards program. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at givergy.us/ancaer2025.

The Vahan Cardashian Award, named after the early 20th-century Armenian advocate who laid the groundwork for modern Armenian civic engagement in the United States, is the ANCA Eastern Region’s highest honor. It is presented each year to individuals whose lifelong dedication has helped advance the Armenian Cause, not only through institutional leadership but through service rooted in integrity, perseverance, and devotion to the Armenian Cause. In receiving this award, both Mr. Armenian and Mr. Jamushian have chosen to accept it on behalf of all those in the service of Hai Tahd – past and present – who have labored to secure justice for our people.

Garo Armenian is a former corporate executive in Washington, DC, and the first chairman of the ANCA’s National Board. His academic and professional journey took him from the Hamazkayin Nshan Palanjian Jemaran in Beirut to Boston University, to the Wharton School of Finance of the University of Pennsylvania, and to a variety of private sector initiatives in Washington’s policy community.

A former member of the ARF Bureau with specific engagement in international relations, Mr. Armenian led ANCA’s activities within Washington’s foreign policy community. His enduring efforts have helped elevate public awareness of issues of concern to Armenian Americans across generations.

Paul Jamushian, born in Providence, RI and raised in Fresno, CA, has been a lifelong servant of the Armenian Cause—at once a devoted member of the Church, a beloved mentor in the Armenian Youth Federation, and a tireless advocate in the ANCA. He grew up in the AYF Fresno Kevork Chavoush Chapter, and after earning a management degree from Fresno State, was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant. He later served for a decade as a civilian with the Air Staff at the Pentagon, followed by an additional ten years at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He earned honors for his work in Vietnam. He later completed a master’s degree in management at The George Washington University.

Since retiring in 1994, Jamushian has dedicated himself fully to the Armenian Cause—chairing the ARF Sebouh Gomideh in Washington, DC, and serving in leadership roles at Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of Fresno, and the Eastern Prelacy’s National Representative Assembly. For more than 20 years, he guided the AYF DC “Ani” Chapter as a beloved advisor and was honored in 1992 as AYF Olympics King, sharing the title with Col. Harry Sachaklian. A leading force in the ANC of Central California and Greater Washington, Jamushian has spent decades forging ties with lawmakers and advancing the cause of Armenian Genocide justice, Artsakh’s independence, and Armenia’s security and sovereignty.

“Garo Armenian and Paul Jamushian are not just veterans of the Cause – they are role models for our younger generations,” remarked Dr. Ara Chalian, Chair of the ANCA Eastern Region. “This award honors them, yes – but more than that, it honors all those who came before them and all those they’ve inspired, mentored, and empowered along the way.”

“We join with Armenians across America and around the world in recognizing the legacy of Garo Armenian and Paul Jamushian – in so many ways our teachers of modern-day Armenian advocacy,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Visionaries, they were the architects of the grassroots structures through which Armenian Americans give voice to the aspirations of our communities across the nation and worldwide – inspiring, organizing, aligning, and leveraging our collective voice – uplifting our spirits and raising our sights – ultimately helping our people generate the political force to be reckoned with.”

The ANCA Eastern Region Gala serves as both a celebration of civic engagement and a call to action—an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices of those who brought us here, and to recommit to building a stronger, safer, and freer Armenian homeland through the growth of our political voice in Washington and across the United States.

For more information, visit givergy.us/ancaer2025.

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