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The Northern CA chapter, our 4th chapter, became part of the SOAR family in July 2009. We are excited to bring them into the fold because of the significant Armenian population in this area. If you have any questions about how you can assist our efforts in Northern CA, please contact the Chapter President by email.
Board of Directors
 Elina Bakamjian
President
I am originally from Armenia. I was a recipient of an ACTR scholarship and came to US at the age of 19 to pursue a degree in Computer Information Systems. I graduated with BS in CIS/Business Administration from University of Nevada, Reno. In 2004 I moved to Los Angeles and have started working at Trover Solutions Inc. as a Regional Account Manager. I’ve been with the company over 5 years working with Healthcare Insurance companies in Cost Containment and Fraud Prevention. Shortly after my move I met my future husband, Berge Bakamjian DO, who works as a physician at the Long Beach VA Hospital. We have a 1 year old son Tyler, but we also seriously consider a possibility of adopting another child from Armenia. Besides English, I am fluent in Armenian and Russian and currently working on my Spanish.
My interests include travel, hiking, skiing, golf, scrapbooking and cooking. I also have done extensive volunteer work for hospices for many years in Reno, NV and Los Angeles, CA.
 Carol Torosian Valdez
Secretary
Carol Torosian Valdez has been involved in education for over 10 years where she began as an early childhood development teacher with the Port Townsend, Washington Pre-school. She went on to teach as a classroom educator for the Head Start Program as well as a Special Education Resource Specialist at the elementary, middle school and currently high school levels. Carol earned a Business degree from Peninsula College, a Paralegal Certificate from Eastern Washington University and a Liberal Studies degree from CSU-Monterey Bay. She grew up in the Fresno area and currently resides in Danville, California with her two boys, Jacob and Luke, dog, two cats and two hamsters.
 Kristina Garabedian
Treasurer
I was born and raised in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno, California. When I was 13, I decided to form my own non-profit orgnaization called ShoeBox Sharing which helps children in Armenia, India, Romania and the local Fresno area. I have traveled to Armenia 8 times spending anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks playing with children and handing out supplies. Pacific Lutheran University is where I earned my undergraduate degrees in Business, Global Studies and Chinese Studies. I plan on attending law school in the fall to obatin my JD. I currently work at Hope Lutheran Church in Fresno as the Director for Children's Ministry. With my spare time I serve on other committees and volunteer with orgnaizations that are working to develop youth leaders in our community. I love traveling to countries I haven't been to before and learning about other cultures. I look forward to my next adventure whereever it might be. The picture is of me and an archbishop that I work with in Armenia.
 Dan Riley
Dan is a Principal partner at Riley Design Associates, LLC a strategic design and marketing firm in San Ramon, California. With more than 24 years of design experience, Dan has created brand identities and campaigns for many national and international companies. His main focus is client relationships and strategic creative for such Fortune 500 companies as Adobe Systems, Cisco WebEx and Sun Microsystems. He graduated with honors from San Jose State University and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California with degrees in industrial design, graphic design, and business. Dan is an active community volunteer and started the non-profit CaringClothes.org in 2007. Caring Clothes helps orphans and institutional children and young adults in Armenia with clothes and shoes. SOAR is a natural extension of his volunteer work. Dan resides in Northern California, he has two daughters, and is active in St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco.
 Nancy Torosian Valdez
Nancy was born and raised in Fresno, Ca.and moved to the San Francisco Bay area over 20 years ago. While living in the Central Valley, she was employed for several years by the California Armenian Home. Since living in the Bay area, she has been involved in numerous community activities and has held a position on the Executive Board of Directors for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District PTSA. Over the past 15 years, Nancy has contributed her time to organizing fundraising events in her community. She currently resides in Danville,Ca. with her daughter, Rae and son, Nick.
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