Executive Committee

Gayane Khechoomian is an attorney licensed in California and Illinois. She is a consultant at the United Nations and investigates matters of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault under U.S. civil rights laws. As a practicing attorney, Ms. Khechoomian counseled foreign entities and non-governmental organizations and litigated under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Alien Tort Statute in U.S. federal courts.

Ms. Khechoomian’s international experience includes serving as a Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court in the Hague and clerking at the United Nations criminal tribunal prosecuting genocide and crimes against humanity in Cambodia. She also has experience in civil litigation and at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Los Angeles.

Ms. Khechoomian graduated from Loyola Law School with a concentration in international law. She has over a decade of journalism under her belt as a copy editor at Yerevan Magazine and co-founder of the Armenian Chronicles publication based out of UCLA, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree and taught journalism part-time.

Lara K. Zohrabian is a senior appellate court attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal of the State of California, under the direction of Division Eight’s Presiding Justice Maria E. Stratton. Ms. Zohrabian’s time at the Court of Appeal has afforded her with exposure to dozens of areas of substantive law.

Previously, Ms. Zohrabian practiced family law exclusively. During this time, she represented people from all walks of life, from high net-worth individuals to wage earners and career professionals and empowered them to navigate through the difficult experience of a divorce with dignity.

Ms. Zohrabian is admitted to the practice of law in California and before the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, where she was the recipient of “The Outstanding Brief” award during her first year, and a staff writer and articles editor for the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review during her second and third years, respectively. She also served as secretary, and later, vice president of the Armenian Law Students Association and was a founding member of the Armenian Alumni Chapter of Loyola Law School.

Ms. Zohrabian received a B.A. in Classics and Minor in Armenian Language and History Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she graduated cum laude.  During this time, she was the editor-in-chief of the Armenian Chronicles publication, served on the executive board of the Armenian Students Association, and was an active member of Sigma Alpha Lambda.

Elina Avakian is Associate General Counsel at Snap Inc. in Los Angeles, CA. She is a commercial attorney on the Platforms & Technology team and works on a broad range of transactions supporting Snap’s technology, products, partnerships, and monetization work, among others. Prior to joining Snap, Elina practiced law in Dublin, Ireland and Amsterdam, Netherlands.

In addition to ArmenianWBA, Elina sits on the Attorney Wellness Committee of the Association of Corporate Counsel and leads Snap’s Law in Tech Diversity Collaborative efforts.

Elina received her B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and her J.D. with a Business Law Specialization from UCLA School of Law. Elina is passionate about supporting women in law and technology, furthering DEI across all professions, and focusing on attorney wellness and minimizing burnout in the legal profession.

Susan Mavian is a Deputy City Attorney with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. She presently serves in the General Litigation Division of the Civil Litigation Branch. She litigates and tries civil tort matters which include wrongful death, roadway design, and other governmental immunities. She further represents the Los Angeles Police Department in personal injury matters.

Previously, Ms. Mavian was an associate at Hurrell Cantrall, LLP where she represented clients in a variety of matters, including toxic tort, product liability, and personal injury. She also represented governmental entities, with a focus on representing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in civil rights matters.

Prior to that, Ms. Mavian interned at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and clerked for both the Honorable Kevin C. Brazile and the Honorable B. Scott Silverman.

Amy Karnikian is a seasoned corporate lawyer licensed to practice law in California. She previously held the position of Senior Associate at White & Case LLP, where her practice focused on aircraft leasing, finance, restructuring, and a variety of other cross-border equipment transactions. Her clientele included aircraft leasing companies, financial institutions, and airlines. During her tenure at the firm, she led high-value financings and oversaw numerous aircraft lease transactions spanning various jurisdictions.

In addition to her work at the firm, Amy was seconded to Amazon, Inc’s cargo airline, Amazon Air. In this role, she skillfully negotiated maintenance, operating, and leasing agreements with airlines, maintenance providers, and lessors. She also provided legal counsel to various business units on a wide range of matters, such as cargo sales, fleet management, privacy issues, and software agreements.

Amy earned her J.D. with a Corporate Law Concentration from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles and her B.A. in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. At both institutions, she held leadership roles in the Armenian Student Associations. Prior to her legal career, she worked for a leading aircraft leasing company, where her passion for aviation took root.

Outside of her professional life, Amy enjoys spending her free time cooking, traveling, and attempting to complete home improvement projects.