Open Society Foundations-Armenia Announces Leadership Transition

After 21 years as executive director of Open Society Foundations-Armenia, Larisa Minasyan has announced she will be stepping down on April 16th.

Larisa has been an exceptional leader, building and implementing ambitious grant-making and advocacy initiatives that advanced Open Society’s mission in the country. During her tenure, the foundation has introduced important initiatives to improve access to palliative care, deinstitutionalize the mental health system, strengthen the rights of the accused in the criminal justice system, and bolster higher-education programs in science and the humanities, among others. After the financial crisis of 2008, the foundation helped over 65,000 Armenian families facing severe economic hardship by providing heating for homes, and transportation and health care services. This past year, the foundation supported Armenians hardest hit by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh—crucial work that continues today.

“It has been an incredible honor to lead this organization on this journey over the past two decades,” said Minasyan. “I am blessed to have worked alongside the dedicated staff and board and with our courageous partners through unique opportunities and incredible challenges over the years. The foundation’s work remains of critical importance today, perhaps now more than ever before. My commitment now at this critical juncture is to create space for leadership that will steer the course for the next twenty years. I am confident in the professional and personal capacities and qualities of my colleagues to implement impactful initiatives and assist Armenian civil society and people in their quest for a democratic and open society.”