Annie Markarian, a longtime community member and public servant, recently announced her candidacy for the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education.
Markarian is the first to announce her bid for the board in its first by-district election. This year, the Burbank Unified School District switched from at-large elections — where voters from all over Burbank elect board members — to districts. This means candidates will now run to represent one of five sections of Burbank on the board. Markarian will campaign for the available seat in Trustee Area 5.
She told the Leader that she is focused on fostering a safe, inclusive, supportive and high-achieving educational environment, adding that she is ready to bring positive change to our schools.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our community of students, parents, teachers and administrators,” Markarian said. “I believe in the power of education to transform lives, and I am dedicated to ensuring that every student has access to the resources and support they need to succeed.”
At a time when the district is already correcting course following an $11 million accounting error that was followed by Superintendent Matt Hill’s resignation, BUSD leaders have publicly highlighted the importance of fiscal transparency and expanded public communication.
Markarian emphasized the importance of transparency, accountability and open communication in a letter to the Leader
“Together, we can build a school district that not only meets the needs of our students but also prepares them to thrive in an ever-changing world,” she wrote.
Markarian is well-known at BUSD meetings and speaks routinely at sessions. She’s also a graduate of the Leadership Burbank Academy, and former president and secretary of the Armenian General Benevolent Union – Young Professionals of Los Angeles.
Markarian moved to Burbank in 1992 just as she was entering high school. She graduated as the valedictorian of her class, earned a scholarship to the University of Southern California, and completed her educational journey at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2005.
She worked as an attorney from 2005 to 2013, most recently practicing labor and employment law. Since then, Markarian has worked in public service. Her current role as director of labor relations and chief negotiator at the Los Angeles Housing Authority leverages her legal background “to support public entities effectively negotiate with bargaining units, implement performance management solutions, mitigate risk, optimize innovative solutions, and establish transparency and accountability with the community,” she wrote.
She oversees the human resources, employee relations and risk management functions of a public entity with an annual budget of over $1.8 billion.
“It is this experience, and a deeply rooted love for [Burbank], that I will leverage for the benefit of the Burbank Unified School District,” Markarian said.
First published in the June 22 print issue of the Burbank Leader.
