AGBU Western District to Honor Dr. Yervant Zorian at the 2017 Gala.

The AGBU Western District is proud to announce longtime AGBU supporter and Central Board member Dr. Yervant Zorian as the Honoree of the AGBU WD 2017 Gala.

Dr. Zorian, President of #SynopsisArmenia, is the founder of the AGBU Silicon Valley Chapter, as well as, the creator of #AGBU #ArmenianVirtualCollege.

Born in Aleppo, Syria, Dr. Zorian’s lifelong involvement with AGBU dates back three generations. His maternal grandfather, Mr. Aram Minassian, served as chair of the AGBU District Committee of Syria which was established in 1910. 
Mr. Minassian also helped establish the AGBU Lazar Najarian-Calouste Gulbenkian School in Aleppo. In 1931, with a keen interest in advocacy and education for the youth, Dr. Zorian’s paternal grandfather, Mr. Yervant Zorian, Sr., helped establish and develop the AGBU Armenian Youth Association.

Dr. Zorian attended AGBU High School in Aleppo and continued with his higher education in the United States and Montreal, Canada. Dr. Zorian holds a Master of Science Degree in Computer Engineering from University of Southern California, (#USC) a PhD in Electrical Engineering from#McGillUniversity, and an MBA from University of Pennsylvania’s #Wharton School of Business. Continuing his family’s legacy in establishing and promoting educational programs, Dr. Zorian founded the AGBU Armenian Virtual College (AVC), the world’s first online Armenian school. Launched in 2009, the #AVC is an accredited distance learning program “that aims to facilitate Armenian studies through new technologies.”

A global college with participants from 85 countries and offering classes in seven languages, the AVC’s primary focus is to educate individuals in Armenian heritage via online learning. Students are able to select courses in Armenian history, language, culture, and even chess. Students are also able to customize each category based upon their individual needs and enjoy access to information they would otherwise be unable to acquire. 

“The Armenian Virtual College has no boundaries. We are able to execute two important factors: Providing knowledge and to establish networking to Armenians globally—which is the strongest of its kind” stated
Dr. Zorian.

In addition to his involvement with AVC, Dr. Zorian continues to champion the Armenian presence in the tech industry through his role as Chief Architect at Synopsys, Inc. as well as President of Synopsys Armenia. Based in Silicon Valley, Synopsys Inc. develops semiconductor design software and pre-designed blocks and design-for-manufacturing solutions for semi-conductor chips.

Dr. Zorian currently resides in Silicon Valley. He holds 37 U.S. patents, has authored five books and has published over 350 papers, many of which have won distinguished awards. In 2005, he received the prestigious #IndustrialPioneer Award for his involvement in Built-In Self-Test (BIST). Dr. Zorian is the 2014 recipient of the Republic of Armenia’s National Medal of Science. 

The AGBU Western District is proud and humbled to honor Dr. Yervant Zorian at its upcoming 2017 Gala. The Gala will take place on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at the Globe Theatre, Universal Studios Hollywood. Outdoor reception will begin at 7 p.m., the program will follow at 8 p.m. For tickets and more information, contact the AGBU Gala Committee at 626-794-7942 or email gala@agbuca.org.