STAFF
Alexandra J. Lazar
(Executive Director)
Alexandra is the Executive Director at the Assyrian Studies Association. She is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of California, Davis where she is studying international security, political violence, and utilizes social network analysis as her methodological tool. She has also studied political economy, comparative politics, and voting behavior at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) where she earned her Master’s degree with high distinction. Prior to CSULA, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communications at the University of California, Davis. In addition, she has presented her research at the Western Political Science Association 2019 Conference and at the American Political Science Association 2019 Conference.
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An accomplished author, Alexandra has co-authored an article, "Active Learning and Interpersonal Skills Development among First-Generation College Students,"(International Studies Perspectives) that explores how active learning contributes to the building of cultural capital for first-generation college students and contributes to developing interpersonal skills for first-generation and second-generation college students. She has also co-authored a book chapter, "Chapter 6: An Extraordinary Set of Circumstances: Rouda vs. Rohrabacher in California's 48th Congressional District" in the book Cases in Congressional Campaigns Split Decision.
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Prior to joining the Assyrian Studies Association, she worked as the Foundation Relations & Senior Grant Coordinator at the Gary Sinise Foundation. When she is not working, Alexandra enjoys painting, traveling, and trivia nights, and spending time with family & friends.​​
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Ralph Griffith
(Advisor to the Board of Directors)
Ralph is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and business incubation, business planning, and commercialization expert, with dozens of company ideation and commercialization successes. He consults with universities and corporations on creativity, workforce development, incubation, and creating innovation within organizations. Ralph presents and researches entrepreneurship pedagogy and works to blend experiential work into the classroom setting.
Ralph is also a management and innovation consultant and has operated the Small Business Solutions Group for over a decade. In addition to consulting, Ralph is a WordPress developer and operates a number of privately held business ventures via BaseCampster.com
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Oriana B. Lazar
(Legal Council)
Oriana B. Lazar is an attorney and founding partner of OJ Attorney Services APC in San Diego, California.
Oriana’s work is centered on representing business owners and creatives, specializing in business formations,
mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, internet and media law. She spent the first few years of her
career as a Business Affairs Coordinator at the Gorfaine/Schwartz Talent Agency in Los Angeles representing
musicians and composers in deals with television and film studios. She later went on to specialize in internet,
media, and copyright law through a fellowship at New Media Rights in San Diego where she negotiated
contracts for authors, musicians, photographers, and artists of all kinds.
Oriana received her B.A. in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara in 2018 and completed her J.D at
California Western School of Law in 2022. During her college and law school years, she spent her spare time
taking on advocacy roles, lobbying and meeting with legislators in D.C. and Sacramento to discuss higher
education and immigration policies, working alongside the Assyrian Policy Institute to raise awareness on
Assyrian issues, and briefly serving as a volunteer international humanitarian law instructor and hosting
presentations for the American Red Cross.​​
Arbella Issa
(Communications Specialist)
Arbella is a dynamic communications professional with an M.A. in Communication Studies from
San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Communication Studies from California State
University, Stanislaus with an Emphasis in Mass Media. She specializes in health
communication and intercultural communication with a strong focus on the social dimensions of
health and illness, underscoring the significance of communication on the sociocultural and
organizational contexts of health care. Arbella also spearheads specialized promotional
campaigns across social media channels, leveraging data-driven insights to enhance
engagement.
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Working with cross-functional teams, Arbella fosters brand awareness and manages
multi-platform digital communities, demonstrated through her previous roles as a
Communications & Social Media Intern with the Stanislaus County Office of Education and The
California State University Entertainment Alliance, as well as in her current role as a Marketing
Associate with the California Jazz Conservatory. Arbella has also volunteered with the Assyrian
Policy Institute as an Advocacy Associate to provide legislative education about policy priorities
related to the human rights of Assyrians in the diaspora and in their native lands, a passion that
has led to continued collaboration with organizations such as the Assyrian Studies Association.
Heritage Archive Team
Ramsin Adam
Elvin Golpashin
Tomas Beth-Avdalla
Ruth Kambar
Julia Bajone Hallisy
Christy Shalitta
Ashley Errington
Esther Lang
Interns
Charles McGowan
