The Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) announced this week the appointment of Dr. Susan Pattie as its new director, effective September 24, the Armenian Mirror-Spectator reported.

Pattie comes to ALMA after a long residence in London, UK where she was cofounder and director of the Armenian Institute. She is also a senior research fellow at University College London and has taught courses in anthropology there and at other universities, most recently Aga Khan University and Syracuse University London Program.

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Pattie left for Michigan to attend Hope College where she received her bachelor’s degree. After working as an artist/craftsperson, Pattie began a PhD in cultural anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, doing her fieldwork with the Armenian community of Cyprus and later research in Armenia, Syria and North America. She is the author of Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding Community (Smithsonian Institution Press), various academic articles and contributions to edited volumes, as well as two recent books aimed at a wider audience.