Northwest for Underrepresented Regions
FOR A BETTER WORLD
Meet Our Board of Directors
Jacob Taylor has served on the Board of Directors of NUR since its inception April 2013. He was born in Cali, Colombia and adopted by a family here in the Northwest. He has maintained a profound connection with Latin America through four trips back to Colombia, a grant to teach in coastal Ecuador, study abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico and Peace Corps service in Panama. Jacob holds a double B.A. in Hispanic Studies and Global Studies with an emphasis in development and social justice. He enjoys teaching Spanish, coaching soccer, writing and dancing and lives in Tacoma, WA.
Kristian Alcaide is co-founder and Vice President of NUR. She was born in Mexico and raised in Washington. Her travels across Latin America, particularly in Honduras, have given her the opportunity to work with groups that are most affected by poverty: children and women. She believes education is the most important tool for empowering children and women to claim their rights, build self-confidence and participate fully in the development process. In 2003, Ms. Alcaide received the President’s Award of Educational Achievement. This award led her to receive a full tuition academic scholarship to attend the University of Washington for her Bachelor's Degree. During her time at the University of Washington, Ms. Alcaide served in the Senate Committee for the University of Washington, where she focused on outreach programs for Hispanic youth to pursue higher education. In 2006, Ms. Alcaide was awarded the Seattle Jaycees Community Service Scholarship Award and the Hispanic Seafair Organization Scholarship Award for her work in strengthening educational opportunities in the Hispanic community. In 2011, Ms. Alcaide was recognized by the Washington State Bar Newsletter for dedicating 852 hours of pro bono work with the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington Spanish-English Legal Clinics. Ms. Alcaide is currently pursuing a Master's Degree at Seattle University, and at the same time working at one of the world’s leading investment and project management companies, Vulcan Inc. Other than English, Ms. Alcaide is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, enjoys surfing, traveling and playing soccer.
Armine Khachatryan is the President of NUR. She brought the board of directors together in 2013 to develop the outstanding mission of the organization. Her passion in helping the world comes from her experience of working with the communities in Gyumri, Armenia. Ms. Khachatryan was born and raised in Gyumri and, although her educational experience has been in the United States, she has maintained strong ties with Armenia by working closely with local communities and Diaspora to help the underprivileged in various regions of the country. Ms. Khachatryan is a recipient of FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) scholarship in 2003. Her leadership has been appreciated in many nonprofits and academic institutions. She is the former President of the International Student Organization at Tacoma Community College, and has numerous recognitions and awards from organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Health Center in Gyumri. Ms. Khachatryan holds multiple undergraduate degrees and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Seattle University. Ms. Khachatryan speaks four languages and, among other activities, enjoys working with youth, playing piano, traveling and learning about other cultures.
Vice President
Board Member
Tatyana Martynova has joined NUR as a secretary in April 2013. She was born in Russia and moved to the United States when she was nine years old. Tatyana has a Bachelor’s Degree in Self and Society and a minor in Applied Computing from the University of Washington Tacoma and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. She is affiliated with the local Russian speaking community where she has been involved in various activities. Tatyana is passionate about sociology and different cultures. She is fluent in Russian and is currently learning Spanish. She also enjoys drawing, painting, hiking and traveling.
Secretary
President
Albert Avanessov is a veteran Banker with practical application and knowledge of Federal Banking regulations. Albert graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Business Management and has used his degree and experience to launch a successful career at Chase, and has started his own businesses. Albert brings his in-depth understanding of banking and business acumen to Northwest for Underrepresented Regions that will assist with financial planning and cost analysis.
Treasurer