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PRESS RELEASE
September 24, 2007

Leitner Family Support Links ATP With Yale Forestry School
By Jason Sohigian

When Armenia Tree Project pursued a partnership with Yale University’s
Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, the organization first contacted
James and Sandra Leitner because they were active supporters of the school
and sponsored expeditions for students to work with the Green Belt Movement
in Kenya. In fact, when Sandra Leitner was meeting Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Wangari Maathai for lunch at Yale, she made a point of telling the
Green Belt Movement founder all about ATP’s programs in Armenia.

Jim has degrees in Economics and Russian Studies and he supports Yale’s
forestry school because of its international environmental focus, and also
because he knew that forestry programs were more challenging to fund than
more traditional areas such as law and economics. "These are people who are
not always well paid, but they are trying to make the world a better place,"
Jim explained. It was a similar interest that attracted them to ATP and its
reforestation programs in Armenia.

Last year, ATP received a $100,000 grant from Conservation International to
work with Yale to develop a sustainable forestry manual for Armenia. This
two-year program is intended to give ATP the resources and training to teach
people in Armenia about using forests in a more sustainable manner,
protecting the resource for future generations.

Jim and Sandra Leitner of New Jersey were instrumental in creating the
relationship between ATP and Prof. Chadwick Oliver, director of the Global
Institute of Sustainable Forestry, and the program has been off to a strong
start. Yale graduate student Zachary Parisa spent this past summer in
Armenia working with volunteers and Armenian forestry students to complete
an inventory of the forests between Dilijan and Margahovit Village, where
ATP is working in northern Armenia.

In addition, the Leitner Family increased their generous support of ATP to
$25,000 in 2007. "We learned about ATP’s founding by Carolyn Mugar after the
trees were used for fuel in Armenia during the embargos related to the
Karabagh war. We thought it was important to replace the trees that were
utilized for that purpose," emphasized Sandra. "We stayed involved after
seeing all the important work being done by ATP to improve the lives of the
Armenian people through preservation of the environment."

"We feel that all aspects of ATP’s mission are inextricably intertwined and
equally important. The combination of programs in tree planting,
environmental education, and poverty reduction address both the immediate
and long-term needs and interests of the country and people," she explained
further. "We were delighted to attend the concert for the organization’s
10th anniversary at Garni Temple in 2004, but it has been ATP’s consistent,
diligent, and growing work that led us to increase our commitment. There is
more to accomplish and thus a greater need for support."

Jim is a member of Yale University’s Investment Committee and the
President’s Council on International Activities at the university. Earlier
this year, Jim and Sandra were awarded the St. Gregory the Illuminator Medal
of Honor by Catholicos Karekin II.

Sandra–whose maiden name is Shahinian–has long-standing ties to the
Armenian community, and her paternal grandparents were great patriots and
believers in the nation of Armenia. "Their first trip back to Yerevan in the
1960’s had an impact on me as a child," noted Sandra. "Partly due to their
influence, I spent my junior year of college at Yerevan State University,
learning Armenian and deepening my connection to the Armenian nation which I
still feel today."

Sandra grew up immersed in the Armenian community, and her family’s
connection with St. Leon Armenian Church in Fair Lawn, New Jersey goes back
to 1990. "We derive great satisfaction from our volunteer work with other
families who have an interest in preserving the church for the next
generation and encouraging their children to stay connected to the church,"
stated Sandra. "We are in the midst of a building campaign to add an
education and sports complex to help accomplish that goal."

Sandra was elected to the Diocesan Council of the Eastern Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America in May. Jim and Sandra are the proud parents of
three children–Allegra, Evan, and Olivia–who are, respectively, students
in law school, college, and high school. The Leitners also support human
rights programs at Fordham Law School and the Yale School of Nursing. "It is
important to us to try to leave the world a better place," they concluded.

Based in Watertown and Yerevan, Armenia Tree Project has made enormous
strides in combating desertification in the biologically diverse but
threatened Caucasus region. Over 1.5 million trees have been planted and
restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal
tree-regeneration programs. For more information, visit the Web site

PHOTO CAPTION: James and Sandra Leitner have been supporting Armenia Tree
Project for more than 10 years, and they played an instrumental role in the
organization’s relationship with Yale University’s Global Institute of
Sustainable Forestry