Los Angeles, CA – To kick-off the Armenian National Committee of America’s fundraising efforts for 2003, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian will be visiting California on January 18. The ANCA’s Executive Director, Aram Hamparian, will accompany Mr. Hachikian. The visit will include two fundraising events and will provide community leaders and activists the opportunity to meet with the Chairman personally to discuss the ANCA’s 2003 agenda from a national perspective. The ANCA is the largest grass-roots and most influential Armenian advocacy organization and is funded primarily through individual donations. Mr. Hachikian and Mr. Hamparian will use this opportunity to also discuss issues facing advancement of the Armenian issues in Congress during the coming year. Last year, the ANCA initiated and led the effort for a resolution in the United States Senate anticipating the anniversary of the adoption of the U.N. convention on the prevention of Genocides with specific mention of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Mr. Hachikian was appointed to his post last year and has during his tenure as Chairman successfully built on the effectiveness and efficiency of the ANCA’s operations in Washington, DC and around the country.

To welcome Mr. Hachikian to Los Angeles, a major fundraiser for the ANCA has been planned for the evening of January 18th at the Estate of Mr. Varoujan Karapetian in Beverly Hills. A second fundraiser for the ANCA will be held on Sunday, January 19th.

”The Chairman’s visits to the Western Region, is always exciting for the entire Armenian-American community in California. Mr. Hachikian is able to give us a broad view of what is going on with the Armenian Cause, not just in the West Coast but all over the nation. He articulates very clearly what is needed to elevate our efforts to the next level of advocacy and activism,” stated Ardashes Kassakhian, Director of Government Relations for the ANCA-Western Region.

Ken Hachikian graduated from Harvard College in 1971 magna cum laude with a BA in Economics and from Harvard Business School in 1973 with an MBA as a Baker Scholar. He worked at the Boston Consulting Group for nine years in the field of corporate strategy. He then started up a health care services company in 1983, growing it from a startup to over $60 million in revenue 7 years later.

In 1996, he became President of Belmont Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity firm focused on early stage companies. He serves on the Board of Directors of several of Belmont’s portfolio companies, including as non-executive Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Hachikian has been active in the community affairs as well, having served on his local school board in the Chicago area for six years, four as President. He has been a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and is currently a member of the World Presidents’ Organization.

Hachikian is married and has two sons.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.