Voice of America

Vivian Chakarian serves as Program Manager for VOA’s Eurasia Division. She advises the Eurasia Division director on programming and managerial issues affecting the Division’s eight language services – Russian, Ukrainian, Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Georgian, Macedonian and Serbian – with a focus on expanding and developing opportunities for audience engagement through television and digital media platforms. Chakarian joined VOA in 1993 as a writer in the Learning English branch. From 1997 to 2012, she worked in VOA’s News Center initially as copy editor and later as head of the Eurasia Desk. In 2017, Chakarian was selected as a Nathanson Scholar to represent VOA at the Socrates Program in Aspen, Colorado, and in 2019, she was accepted as an International Fellow at the Abshire-Imori Leadership Academy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Prior to VOA, Chakarian held research positions at The Brookings Institution and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French from Mount Holyoke College.

“VOA stands by its reporting about Burkina Faso and intends to continue to fully and fairly cover events in that country." https://lnkd.in/eHec5mHX

As today marks World Malaria Day, VOA takes you to Pakistan which is seeing a surge in malaria cases likely due to climate change. Nazr Ul Islam reports. https://lnkd.in/exVa3n_A

Auriane Itangishaka is one of the hosts of VOA Central Africa’s radio show “MURISANGA.” This daily one-hour live call-in program engages the audience on a variety of issues, such as peaceful conflict resolution, political tolerance, reactions to breaking news, and health issues. She is also one of the anchors of VOA Africa Division’s new TV show “Our Voices”; a round table discussion program with a pan-African cast of four women. “Our Voices” engages African women from around the continent on serious subjects and encourages them to speak out about issues that impact their lives and their futures, including politics, business, and migration. As part of VOA’s Central Africa service for over 14 years, Itangishaka frequently interviews heads of state, religious figures, human rights activists, and other high-level politicians and key leaders on topics pertaining to the Great Lakes region of Africa and the world. She is an experienced journalist with in-depth knowledge of the historic, social, political and economic issues of the region. Itangishaka holds a master’s degree in social action and community development from the University of Maryland.

Earlier this month, Voice of America opened its doors for another season of public studio tours that will last until November 30. Learn more about the history of VOA’s studio tour program: https://lnkd.in/eWXT9qns

Voice of America won 10 prizes in radio, TV and film at the prestigious 2024 New York Festivals, taking home three gold, two silver and five bronze awards. Congratulations to our winners! https://lnkd.in/eJDzEytB

As the co-host of VOA’s Up Front, an interactive, fast-paced, radio program connecting youth in Africa and the United States, Jackson Mvunganyi along with his co-host, Nadia Samie, an on-air personality based in Cape Town, South Africa, talk to teens and young adults about trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment and other issues touching listeners’ lives. Mvunganyi has had a multi-faceted broadcasting career, working in both radio and television, in Africa and the United States. A native of Rwanda, Mvunganyi volunteers his time with African diaspora communities on issues affecting the continent. In addition, he has participated on various panels at the United Nations, World Bank, Harvard University, The Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, American University and Georgetown University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia development from American University in Washington D.C., and a master’s degree in information management from the University of Maryland.

Our VOA studio tours are open to the public Tuesday through Thursday at noon with Nigel Gibbs at the helm! Nigel Gibbs is a Public Relations Officer with Voice of America and has worked with the agency in various capacities since 2018. Prior to joining VOA as a federal employee, he worked briefly as a communications manager in international programs at Population Reference Bureau, with the Research Technical Assistance Center (RTAC). While there, he assisted with translating public health research findings into easily digestible formats for a wide array of audiences and participated in his team’s various communications efforts. At Voice of America, Gibbs manages the network’s corporate website and social media accounts, writes articles and press releases, and supervises VOA’s studio tour program, which saw more than 1,500 visitors annually in 2019. His experience spans both public and private sectors, and he has lived and worked abroad in both Jamaica and Brazil. He holds a master’s degree in strategic communication from American University and a bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration in Asia and the Middle East from the University of Hartford.

Voice of America launched its second FM radio station in Rwanda. https://lnkd.in/ekHD-BS3

Melek Caglar is a veteran reporter with more than 20 years of experience in print journalism, broadcasting and digital media. She is currently the Service Chief of VOA Turkish. Prior to this she served as the managing editor of VOA Turkish, overseeing TV, web and social media operations. She led the coverage of major events in Turkey, including the constitutional referendum, the first presidential elections under the new system, the 2016 failed coup attempt, the diplomatic rift between Turkey and the U.S., the 2018 local elections and the Istanbul New Year Reina nightclub attack. Previously, Caglar worked as a VOA reporter, TV anchor and web editor. She covered many stories, including U.S. and Turkish elections, U.S.-Turkish diplomatic and economic relations, U.S. presidential visits to Turkey, NATO summits, as well as the IMF and World Bank meetings. Before joining VOA, she worked for the Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet” as a business editor, specializing on research and analysis. She started her career at “Barometre” as a business reporter and rose to the position of Assistant Managing Editor in a short period of time. She holds an MBA from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Istanbul University. Caglar was also a recipient of a British journalism fellowship at London City University.