Մասնակից:ShahenWasHere/Սեւագրութիւն

Background

The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies was founded in Yerevan, Armenia in 2011, with the first center opening on August 14. Serj Tankian of System of a Down performed a solo concert at the center's opening ceremony.

TUMO is a non-profit venture founded by Sam and Sylva Simonian, with funding fully provided through the pair's Simonian Educational Foundation.

Sam Simonian

Sam Simonian is an Armenian-American entrepreneur and telecommunications engineer, best known as the co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of INET, a Texas-based telecommunications technology company. He was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, and emigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s following the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War.

Simonian was educated at the AGBU Hovaguimian-Manougian Secondary School in Beirut and briefly attended the American University of Beirut before relocating to the United States at the age of 19. He later earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. After graduating, he worked at Electrospace Systems Inc., where he collaborated with engineers Elie Akilian and Mark Weinzierl on telecommunications systems.

In 1989, Simonian and his partners founded INET after leaving Electrospace Systems. INET’s first major product secured an early contract with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, marking the company’s commercial breakthrough. Throughout the early 1990s, INET experienced rapid growth, expanding its portfolio and client base to include companies such as AT&T, Sprint, Ericsson, and British Telecom. By 1993, INET had become the fastest-growing privately-owned company in the Dallas area, earning a top ranking on the Dallas 100 list.

Simonian was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the U.S. Southwest by Inc. magazine and Ernst & Young.

In addition to his business activities, he has supported educational and philanthropic initiatives, particularly through contributions to the Armenian General Benevolent Union and founding the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, citing the role of education in his own professional development.

Formerly a member of the AGBU Council of Trustees following his service on the Central Board from 2000 to 2019, Simonian was unanimously elected to be President of the Central Board of AGBU.

Simonian has received the distinguished Ellis Island Medal of Honor in May 2000 and was the recipient of Armenia’s highest award, the Anania Shirakatsi Medal, for his contribution to the preservation of the Armenian identity, services to the Motherland, as well as contributing to the friendship between Armenia and foreign states.

Leadership

TUMO is headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marie Lou Papazian and Chief Development Officer (CDO) Pegor Papazian. The two developed TUMO's educational program and led efforts to design and construct the center's first facility in Yerevan. The duo are married and have five children.

Marie Lou Papazian

Prior to running TUMO, Marie Lou Papazian headed the Education for Development Foundation, which brought together students from Armenia and the Diaspora through online education programs. Papazian holds a Master’s Degree in Computing in Education from Columbia University's Teachers College, another Master's Degree in Construction Management, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s General Management Program.

Marie Lou Papazian has previously founded the Narod Network Project and the Three Pomegranates Network, nonprofit, internet-based education initiatives connecting Armenian schoolchildren worldwide. She has also led the construction management of several renowned high rise buildings in New York, including he Marriott Hotel near New York City’s World Trade Center.

In 2018, Papazian received the Movses Khorenatsi Medal by the Armenian Government, "the nation’s highest cultural honor, granted for outstanding achievements in education, culture, and the arts."

In 2019, Papazian was awarded the rank of Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques. This distinction, granted by the French Republic, recognizes outstanding contributions to education, culture, and the advancement of knowledge. Papazian was nominated for the honor by Gilles Pécout, Rector of the Academy of Paris and the Île-de-France region, who is also a recipient of the same order. She received the award by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Pegor Papazian

Pegor Papazian holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the American University of Beirut, a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he worked on artificial intelligence and design automation at the MIT AI Lab, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Students at the TUMO Yerevan robotics lab, 2025.

Pegor Papazian has formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia (NCFA). In this role, he has overseen large-scale public–private initiatives aimed at improving Armenia’s economic competitiveness, with a focus on education, tourism, healthcare, and communications infrastructure. Among the projects is the Tatev Revival Project, including the Wings of Tatev aerial tramway, which gained international recognition as the world’s longest reversible aerial tramway and significantly improved access to the Tatev Monastery complex. Papazian has also founded Bazillion Beings, a platform for virtual agents.

Prior to joining NCFA, Papazian worked as Head of Project Development for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Armenia. He previously held senior leadership roles in the private sector, including Vice President of Strategy and Product Development at Prosum Technology Services in California and as a founding partner of Design Technologies Consulting in Barcelona, Spain.