Aurora Welcomes Dr. Eric Esrailian as Co-Founder to Advance Global Efforts
The Gratitude in Action newsletter provides the Aurora community with an exciting roundup of our latest milestones. From Dr. Eric Esrailian joining us as Co-Founder and the Initiative unveiling a powerful memorial to the women who inspired its name, to participating in thought-provoking discussions at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting and looking for nominations for the 2025 Aurora Prize, Aurora continues to drive impact. Scroll down for these updates and more.
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is proud to announce that Dr. Eric Esrailian has joined the organization as Co-Founder. Dr. Esrailian is a distinguished physician, Emmy-nominated film producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As an Aurora Board member and the Co-Chair of the 2024 Aurora Prize events in Los Angeles, Dr. Esrailian will bring his influence and leadership expertise across various domains including academia, industry, philanthropy, and human rights advocacy to this new role, helping to steward the organization toward its 10th anniversary year and beyond.
“I am honored to take on this role with Aurora, alongside my dear friend Noubar Afeyan, to shine a spotlight on those risking their lives to help others, and to expand the movement of humanitarians during this time of immense need.”
Dr. Eric Esrailian
The monument, located in the park area near the Komitas Museum-Institute, was envisioned and brought to life by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. Aurora Mardiganian was a young girl who escaped the horrors of the Armenian Genocide, moving to America, where she became a silent-era Hollywood star and a philanthropist. Her story inspired Noubar Afeyan, Vartan Gregorian, and Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founders of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, who named the Initiative in her honor. The Memorial also pays tribute to the 1.5 million canonized martyrs who perished during the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923.
On September 24, 2024, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative attended the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Meeting in New York City. The Initiative was represented in a session titled “Innovating in a Time of Crisis,” a segment focused on the exacerbating factors on vulnerable populations around the globe and new ideas to address these critical issues. The panel featured Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee; Armine Afeyan, Chief Executive Officer of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; and Dr. Iftikher Mahmood, Founder of HOPE Foundation for Women & Children of Bangladesh, who talked about the importance of empowering grassroots humanitarians and fostering global-local solutions in times of crisis.
领英推荐
The Aurora Dialogues panel discussion titled “Addressing Humanitarian Needs: From Global Strategies to Local Action” and held in partnership with the Community Sponsorship Hub, took place
in New York City on September 24, 2024. The event brought together global leaders to address critical humanitarian challenges both locally and globally. Notable speakers, including Armine Afeyan, Annie Nolte-Henning, Basma Alawee, Becca Heller, Josephine Kulea, and Dr. Iftikher Mahmood, shared their perspectives on prioritizing peace, security, and human dignity. The evening featured a live performance by Grammy-nominated artist Aloe Blacc, who sang his powerful anthem “SHINE,” inspired by the courage and commitment of Aurora Luminaries.
Join us in honoring those who are making a profound impact on the world through their extraordinary courage and commitment – put forward an inspiring candidate today!
World-renown experts and humanitarians gathered at the panel held during the Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum in Los Angeles on May 9, 2024, to discuss global educational inequalities and ways to eliminate them.