Garo Paylan is a visiting scholar with the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. His research focuses on the South Caucasus and Türkiye.
He is a former member of the Turkish Parliament and a prominent human rights activist. He served in the Turkish Parliament from 2015-2023. Paylan is one of the leading advocates for minority rights in Türkiye. He has been a frequent commentator on politics and economy for Turkish and international media organizations.
He has also been a vocal advocate for normalization between Türkiye and Armenia and peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Michael A. Goorjian, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, is an Emmy Award-winning Armenian-American actor, filmmaker, and writer known for his roles as Justin in "Party of Five" (1994-2000) and Heroin Bob in the cult classic "SLC Punk!" (1998) and its sequel, “Punk’s Dead” (2016). Other credits include, “Newsies,” “Leaving Los Vegas,” “House,” “Lie to Me,” “Wizard of Lies” with Robert DeNiro, “Lucifer,” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
As a director, Michael made a notable entry with the movie "Illusion" (2004), featuring the legendary Kirk Douglas. In 2016, he debuted as a novelist with "What Lies Beyond the Stars".
Most recently, he wrote, directed, and starred in the film "Amerikatsi" (2022), which made history by being the first Armenian film to be shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Sheila Paylan is an international human rights lawyer and war crimes investigator with more than 15 years of experience advising the United Nations across countries and regions.
Now based in Yerevan, she frequently consults for various international organizations, NGOs, think tanks, and governments, employing her deep expertise in the complex field of human rights. She holds a B.Sc. in Psychology and a BCL/JD from McGill University, along with an LL.M. specializing in public international law from the University of London.
Her contributions to both academic discourse and mainstream media are extensive, marking her as a respected thought leader and an authoritative figure on human rights issues. She is the author behind the column “Unleashed” for EVN Report, and a seasoned public speaker including at TEDx events.

Cheryl Edison, a global business growth advisor acclaimed for catalyzing startup ecosystems across 76 countries and 65 industries, transforms complex systems into actionable frameworks that empower entrepreneurs to achieve measurable commercial success and nations to build self-sustaining innovation economies.
As a result of a recent 28-event speaking tour in Armenia, Edison has become an outspoken advocate for the country's tremendous people and untapped potential.