MEDFORD, Mass. — On October 28, the Fletcher School at Tufts University hosted a panel titled “Building Trust in Democratic Institutions: Perspectives from Law, Justice, and Public Service,” which offered timely perspectives for contemporary times. The event featured three Armenian-American public servants — Peter Koutoujian, Dr. Gabrielle Wolohojian and David Muradian — and was held at the Fletcher School as part of the Tavitian Scholars’ program, and co-hosted by the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA).
Both organizations have long histories of supporting common goals, including collaboration, grassroots organizing, and a belief in the importance of credible government institutions. The Tavitian Scholars program was established in 1999 through the Tavitian Foundation, with the goal of providing mid-career public servants in Armenia a multidisciplinary graduate education while in residence at Fletcher. Each year, sixteen scholars from Armenia spend the fall semester in the Boston area learning from Fletcher’s faculty about public policy and leadership with the intention of bringing their new knowledge home to Armenia. This year’s cohort includes representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Bank of Armenia, and Office of the Prime Minister.
CFYSCA was founded in 1987 by a group of Cambridge residents who believed connections between Americans and residents of the former USSR would be crucial to promoting world peace. The organization continues to promote friendship, mutual trust, and connections between Cambridge and Yerevan, with a particular focus on appreciating diversity in both communities.
The evening opened with a cocktail reception, followed by introductory remarks from Monica Toft, professor of international politics and director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School, CYSCA President Roxanne Etmekjian, and Tavitian Scholar Marine Avagyan, head of the Individual Complaints Analysis Division in the Constitutional Court of Armenia.
Nancy Kalajian, a CYSCA Advisor, then introduced the three panelists, representing all three branches of government: Peter Koutoujian, Sheriff of Middlesex County, MA (executive branch); Dr. Gabrielle Wolohojian, an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (judicial branch); and David Muradian, Representative of the 9th Worcester District in the Massachusetts state government (legislative branch).
Koutoujian recollected his experience inheriting a sheriff department that had been through significant turmoil, and reminded the audience that trust cannot be given; rather, it must be earned and modeled on a continuous basis. His reason for this approach is simple: that who and what public servants serve is more important than who they are.
