Following the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) Board of Directors’ Annual Meeting, UMD Chairman Stojan Nikolov is pleased to announce that UMD’s Los Angeles Representative Dimitar Nasev will join the UMD Board and take up the role of Director of Economic Development, and Dr. Natasha Garrett will assume the role of UMD’s first representative for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Given increasing UMD members interest in Macedonia’s economic well-being, I am pleased that Dimitar, who has significant expertise in the field, will lead UMD’s Economic Development Committee and put a spotlight on why Macedonia deserves greater attention,” said UMD Chairman Stojan Nikolov.
“Dimitar has shown great leadership as our Los Angeles Representative. During his tenure, Dimitar led discussions with local state representatives on issues important to Macedonian-Americans and organized various events to celebrate our culture, most notably in recognition of one of Macedonia’s top pianists Simon Trpceski,” said UMD Board Member and Director of U.S. Operations Trajko Papuckoski.
“It is a great honor to join UMD’s Board of Directors, and I am delighted for opportunity to volunteer along such distinguished individuals. Accepting the new position with UMD brings even greater responsibilities and I will do my best to contribute to UMD’s mission in the future,” said Nasev.
“I’m looking forward to volunteering alongside Natasha in fostering greater awareness of U.S.-Macedonian relations in the Pittsburgh area and bringing her valuable skills working in academia to UMD’s important mission,” said Papuckoski.
“Being a UMD representative will allow me to keep representing my homeland and my culture in a more formalized way. I am looking forward to working with the Macedonian-American community in my area, collaborating with other local and regional organizations, and supporting the work of UMD worldwide,“ said Garrett.
Biographies
Dimitar Nasev was born in Stip, Macedonia. He completed his Graduate Studies in Electrical Engineering at Sts. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. After graduating he had a successful career in the Automotive Industry, as a small business owner and employee working indirectly with Citroen and Renault.
He and his wife moved to California in 2000 where he still lives with their three children. In Los Angeles, Dimitar continued his career with Toyota/Lexus until 2005, when he transitioned to the Aerospace Industry. After few years employed as a Manufacturing Program Manager, Dimitar now works as a Business Development liaison for U.S. based aerospace manufacturing companies.
Dimitar’s enthusiastic involvement with UMD started when he became a member in 2009. In 2010, he was appointed a Regional Representative of UMD for the Los Angeles Area, which was the first U.S. representation of UMD outside of Washington D.C.
Natasha Garrett was born in Skopje, Macedonia. She came to the United States as an undergraduate student at La Roche College, Pittsburgh PA. She obtained her Master’s degree in English Literature from Duquesne University and her PhD in Social and Comparative Analysis in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently the Director of International Student Services at La Roche College.
Dr. Garrett is very active in the global Pittsburgh community. She has served as a translator and interpreter, as a volunteer to welcome recent U.S. citizens and as a liaison between international students and their respective national/ethnic groups in the area. She regularly presents at regional and national conferences on topics related to international education and cross-cultural communication. She is a member of the Advisory Board of GlobalPittsburgh and a published translator of Macedonian poetry. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and son.