Board of Directors: Mr. Kevork Hovnanian, Honorary Chairman/Founder

Mr. Kevork Hovnanian helped found FAR after the 1988 earthquake and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for 17 years. Under his leadership, FAR has dispatched more than $260 million worth of humanitarian and technical assistance for the recovery and development of Armenia.

Mr. Hovnanian is a noted philanthropist and a prominent member of the Diaspora. Among his many contributions to the Armenian community, including building St. Stepanos Church in Elberon, NJ, Mr. Hovnanian donated a $1.5 million Manhattan townhouse to the Mission of Armenia to the United Nations. In May 2001, His Excellency Robert Kocharian, President of Armenia, awarded the St. Mesrob Mashtots Medal to Mr. Hovnanian in recognition of his services to Armenia. Mr. Hovnanian immigrated to the United States from Iraq in 1959 and founded a fledgling home building company with a $20,000 loan. Today, his company, "Hovnanian Enterprises," has become one of America's largest homebuilders, with a presence in 14 states.