United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) – a non-partisan organization serving the global Macedonian community – has named Dr. Natasha Garrett to the UMD Board of Directors and Donald L. Sazdanoff to the UMD Advisory Council – who is an inaugural Macedonian Companion member.
“I am thrilled to be joining UMD’s Board and excited to be working with an amazing team of dedicated Macedonians that tackle critical issues facing our global family,” said Garrett.
“It is a real privilege to be among such a fine group of public servants for the Macedonian cause; the future of our people depends on each and every one of us to uphold the same values our ancestors, like my grandparents, brought over with them when immigrating to the U.S.,” said Sazdanoff, who developed and spearheads UMD’s “Funding the Future” Endowment program through the Cleveland Foundation.
UMD Chairman Stojan Nikolov warmly welcomed Garrett and Sazdanoff’s appointments.
“We’re fortunate to have Natasha and Don on board – their wealth of experience and knowledge is a real asset to UMD’s mission and that of promoting and safeguarding our homeland Macedonia,” said Nikolov.
Dr. Natasha Garrett was born in Skopje, Macedonia. She came to the United States as an undergraduate student at La Roche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 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 and an adjunct professor at La Roche College. Dr. Garrett is very active in the Pittsburgh community. She has served as a translator, interpreter, a volunteer to welcome recent U.S. citizens, and a liaison between international students and their respective national/ethnic groups in the area. Her research and publications focus on topics related to international education and cross-cultural communication. In recognition of her achievements, Dr. Garrett was included in UMD’s first “40 Under 40” list in 2014. She was also a recipient of the La Roche College Distinguished Alumni award in 2015.
Donald L. Sazdanoff has been a market strategist and portfolio manager for the past 35 years and is President and CEO of Sovereign Asset Management, an investment advisory firm he founded in 1991. Over the years his views on macroeconomic and investment topics have been widely disseminated in both the financial and popular media. His opinions and strategy have appeared in a wide range of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, CNBC, Investor’s Business Daily, and The New York Times. Sazdanoff holds a Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a Master’s degree from Iowa State University, in both Agricultural Economics and Marketing.
A proud second generation Macedonian, his grandparents immigrated to the United States in 1912-1913 from the Village of Capari, Bitola, and Skopje. He and his wife Henrietta reside in Mansfield, Ohio and have three children: Isabelle, Alexandra, and Michael.
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