Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural
Heritage (ARCH)
Arlington, Virginia, USA
USA
© 2024 ARCH International, All Rights Reserved
Irina Bokova was born in 1952 in Sofia, Bulgaria. She believes that her birthplace, at the crossroads between East and West, was formative to her deep interest in the interactions between cultures and communities. Bokova studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs, and the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She has received more than 40 honorary degrees from universities worldwide and was awarded the French Medal of Honor.
From 2009 to 2017, she served as Director of UNESCO, working with the Security Council to finalize two landmark Resolutions: 2199, on the illicit trafficking of antiquities and the financing of terrorism, and 2347 affirming the link between the protection of heritage and peace and security.
In 2016, the newspaper The Guardian described Ms. Bokova as “the woman standing between ISIS and world heritage,” a title meant to express her extraordinary outspokenness and engagement against the devastation occurring in Syria and Iraq. As she puts it, “The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime, which is used as a tactic of war, to disseminate fear and hatred. (…) Violent extremists target culture because they know it weakens the social fabric and damages the capacity for resistance.”
Yama Jewayni is a restaurateur and executive in Washington D.C. His hallmark is bridging cultures through food, music and design, as evidenced by some of the legendary food and drink destinations he has brought to that city: Eighteenth Street Lounge, the Gibson, Marvin, Daikaya and Bantam King. Some of these establishments are credited by the Washington Post as having significantly contributed to the transformation of formerly undeveloped neighborhoods into newly thriving urban centers. Yama joined ARCH because of his life-long interest in the intersection of history, art, and the exploration of cultures.
Zalmay Khalilzad hails from the ancient city of Mazar-i-Sharif, famous for its grand blue mosque. He has a B.A. and M.A from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and a PhD from the University of Chicago. He has been a research director, a university professor, a strategist and a diplomat. In the latter role, he served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations. He is a frequent contributor to Washington’s policy debate and sits on the board of several think tanks and academic institutions. In his recent memoir, The Envoy, he reflects on the lessons inherent in the decline of great centers of civilizations such as Balkh, and on the importance of cultural identity in keeping populations resilient under stress.
Sophia Schultz grew up in the Baroque district of a small town in South-West Germany. After studying Cultural Sciences at the European University Viadrina close to Berlin, she worked on political contemporary art and film projects. Her involvement in ARCH’s first project – the Bamiyan Project – began while she was a Middle East Politics postgraduate at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Sophia is the Director of International Programs at ARCH. She has published essays in art catalogs and worked on contemporary art and film projects, such as Reach, Grasp, Move, Position, Apply Force by Kajsa Dahlberg. Earlier in her career, she worked for a foundation promoting freedom of expression in Iran and she monitored media relating to the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy. She sits on the the Selection Committee of the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
Adam Tiffen grew up in a quiet town surrounded by farms on Long Island, New York. He has a Juris Doctorate from George Washington University Law School, and spent several years as a litigator and international trade attorney at a D.C. law firm. He currently works in international business, project management and risk mitigation. He is a veteran of three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and witnessed first-hand the threat that conflict poses to culture and heritage when he came face-to-face with the 3,500-year-old Sumerian Ziggurat at Aqar-Quf during a combat patrol. He is committed to doing what he can to protect the world’s collective cultural history and heritage.
Marietta Ulrich-Horn was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. At the age of 16 she participated in an overseas student exchange program, which opened her eyes to cultural diversity and the benefits of mutual learning. Marietta holds a PHD in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Vienna, and an Executive Masters Degree in Business Administration from the WU Wien and the Carlson School of Management in Minnesota.
In her “day job,” she helps run a multi-generational family business. Together with her husband, she founded a high tech spin-off of the traditional firm: Securikett® develops cutting edge security measures that enable retailers and customers to distinguish authentic products from counterfeit or illegally trafficked items. Marietta is President of ARCH’s sister organization, ARCH Europe, an EU recognized non-profit headquartered in Austria.
Kathryn Costello was born in Detroit, Michigan and spent most of her childhood in New England. She studied at the University of Massachusetts and at Harvard University’s Extension School, with a focus on multi-media design, education, web design and psychology. Her first job was as a youth counselor, organizing programs in a shelter for homeless teenagers in New York City. Later, she worked for Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. For the past 20 years she has been running her own business in photography, graphic design and web development.
Nic Flemming was born in Stratford East London. He studied physics and chemistry at Cambridge. In 1958 he led an expedition of 8 undergraduates to Libya where they mapped the submerged Greek city of Apollonia. This led him by complicated paths to the development of new underwater technology and diving systems, the study of global sea level change, and the regional tectonics of earth movements in the Mediterranean. He has published over 300 scientific and technical papers and a dozen books. He has held positions in the Society for Underwater Technology, the British Sub Aqua Club, the Underwater Association for Scientific Research, the Scientific Committee of the World Federation of Underwater Activities, and the International Oceanographic Data Exchange Committee of UNESCO. He represented UK at the UN Law of the Sea Conference, and was Secretary of the UK Committee on Marine Science and Technology. He was Director of the European Office of the Global Ocean Observing System. He made the first outline map of Pavlopetri in 1967, and has participated in several technical surveys of Pavlopetri in 1968, and 2008-2011. At the ARCH Watch Day in 2016, he was the fan favorite, attracting autograph-seekers of all ages.
Elin Haaga was born in Usk, on the Welsh border, and grew up in Somerset in the southwest of England. She studied History at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, and London University. After teaching for some years, she lived in South Asia and worked for UNICEF and Save the Children. After moving to the U.S., she started a garden design company for residential and industrial projects. She is a professor for History of the Landscape at George Washington University and a frequent lecturer to garden societies and design associations including the National Arboretum.
Jeff Lee is President of Lee and Associates, Inc. He received the Presidential Citation from The American Society of Architects: AIA, for leading the design team for The Pentagon 9-11 Memorial. He was inducted into the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows; this is the highest honor achievable in the profession and he is the first Korean-American landscape architect to receive it.
During the past 25 years, he has crafted a body of work which integrates the complex relationship between man and nature to design ecological and sustainable solutions promoting responsible stewardship of our land, waterways, cities, gardens, parks and ultimately, the public realm. He developed the Cultural Tourism Master Plan for two centuries of Buddhism in China (Dazu); connective spaces for the Hajj (Mecca); and the bringing to renewed life of a historical Ottoman Pasha’s Palace (Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul).
Lee studied at the University of Virginia in the School of Architecture in landscape architecture, fine arts, and architecture. After working in Seoul, Korea; Doha, Qatar and on projects throughout Asia and the Middle East, he returned to the U.S.A. to launch his career in landscape architecture. His projects include the Korean Embassy Residence; the International Culture & Trade Center at the Ronald Reagan Building; Fort Belvoir Community Hospital; and the recently completed City Center.
Frederick Starr is founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute/ Silk Road Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University’s SAIS and ISDS in Stockholm. He began his career doing archaeological work in America and in Turkey, where he mapped Roman roads and the Persian Royal Road. His most recent book, LOST ENLIGHTENMENT: CENTRAL ASIA’S GOLDEN AGE FROM THE ARAB CONQUEST TO TAMERLANE, addresses cultural and economic issues in countries relevant to ARCH. He has written extensively on the history or architecture in America, Russia, and Central Asia has been an active practitioner of historic preservation
William Humphrey was born in Washington D.C., and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Towson University. disseminated during the internships he worked in the Research, Education, and Visitor Experience sectors of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. William’s past participation with multicultural student groups in college developed an interest in the intersection of culture and heritage across borders. In his travels, the unfolding of lifestyles, world heritage sites, and local traditions have led him to study his Master’s in Cultural Heritage Management at Johns Hopkins University.
At ARCH, William helped with the design and publication of the Handbook for Controversial Monuments and Statues. Currently, he is Program Associate with the World Heritage USA.
Eloise was born in New York and grew up in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with an M.A. in Heritage Studies. Subsequently she worked for the Dreamland Heritage Trust, which promotes and conserves a historic seaside amusement park complex in Kent, UK, and for the Next Century Foundation, an NGO which works towards conflict resolution in the Middle East.
Tina Yiomelakis was raised in the small seaside town of Neapoli in southern Peloponnese, Greece, surrounded by rich history and significant archaeological sites such as the underwater site of Pavlopetri and the castle of Vatika. After moving to Australia, Tina pursued an undergraduate degree in archaeology and is currently completing postgraduate study in intelligence and security with a focus on the illicit trade of antiquities. Through her work, she hopes to raise awareness about the importance of protecting archaeological sites from illegal activities and promote the ethical trade of antiquities.
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