Purpose and Responsibilities

The Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education was created under Public Act No. 170. Among the tasks assigned to the Council are:

Identify, to the extent possible, all programs and resources to train teachers in providing holocaust and genocide education to students and share these programs and resources with the superintendent of public instruction, school districts, public school academies, and nonpublic schools in this state.
Identify and evaluate how to best prepare students to perform in the area of Holocaust and genocide education on Michigan state exams.

Identify, to the extent possible, all sources of strategies, resources, and content to teachers etc. for providing and enhancing holocaust and genocide education to students.
Advise the superintendent of public instruction, assistant superintendents in charge of curriculum of school districts, public school academies, and nonpublic schools in this state on strategies and content for providing and enhancing holocaust and genocide education to students.

Council Members

Robin Axelrod
Ann Arbor

Edmond Azadian
West Bloomfield

B. Scott Durham
East Lansing

Corey Harbaugh
Gobles

Nelson Hersh
Orchard Lake

Cindy Hughey
East Lansing

Corinne Khederian
Bloomfield Township

Lara Nercessian
Royal Oak

Richard Norsigian
Farmington Hills

Ara Sanjian
Dearborn

Lori Talsky
Bloomfield Hills

Michael Walenta
Grand Rapids

Kenneth Waltzer
Haslett

Yosef Weingarten
Grand Rapids

Lori Weisberg
West Bloomfield

Jim Cameron
Liaison to the Michigan Board of Education

Ani Kasparian
Educator Consultant

Hayg Oshagan
Ex-Officio

John Farris
Educator Consultant

Kevork Bardakjian
Ex-Officio

Judith Kovach
Project Coordinator