Armenian Church Endowment Fund

Very Rev. Father Mesrop Parsamyan, President, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)

Immediately prior to his election as the 13th Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan served the Diocese as its Director of Ministries.

A native of Yerevan, Fr. Mesrop attended Gevorgian Theological Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Theology in 2003. He was ordained into the holy priesthood that same year, and thereafter served until 2004 as the staff-bearer for His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

He earned hold a Master’s degree in Theology and Religious Sciences from the University of Strasbourg, France, and studied in Dublin, Ireland, at the International Study Centre. In 2011 he received his Archimandrite (Vardapet) rank: the Doctoral degree of the Armenian Church.

As a professor at Gevorgian Theological Seminary from 2007 to 2011, Fr. Mesrop taught Christian Ethics, and simultaneously served as deputy-chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. During this period, he had two pastoral stays in Brussels, Belgium, and in Nice, France.

He went on to serve the Armenian Church Diocese in Geneva, Switzerland, as its Locum Tenens Primate. He was Vicar General of the Armenian Diocese in Marseille, France, from 2012 to 2013, and the following year served in Paris as Locum Tenens Primate of the Armenian Diocese of France.

Throughout his ministry in Europe (2007-2014), Fr. Mesrop was member of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches.

Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan came to the United States in 2015, and took up the pastorship of Holy Shoghagat Church in Belleville, IL, for a period of two years. In 2017 he took up a position at the Diocesan Center in New York City as its director of Ministries. He was appointed as Vicar of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in 2018.

In the autumn of 2019, Fr. Parsamyan answered the call of His Holiness Karekin II, to return to the Mother See and take up a new role as Dean of Gevorgian Seminary. He led the seminary through Armenia’s ensuing years of trial and affliction, before completing his mission for His Holiness, returning to the U.S. in 2021.

His election as Primate took place during the 120th Diocesan Assembly, meeting in New York City and online, on Friday, May 6, 2022. With the blessing and confirmation of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Fr. Parsamyan assumed the office of the 13th Diocesan Primate on May 17, 2022.

Gregory J. Amerkanian, Cresskill, NJ (Board member since 2019)

Greg is a Senior Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch. He joined Merrill in 1993. His professional knowledge is in the development of complete financial strategies for high net worth families and individuals, including retirement forecasting, asset allocation modeling, asset preservation & estate tax minimization strategies. He holds an Economics degree from the College of the Holy Cross, as well as the designations of CFP, CIMA, and CRPC. He also counsels small-to-medium sized companies, not-for-profit organizations and charitable endowments in cash management, investment and retirement plans. Greg is also involved in several other charitable and non-profit organizations within his community, such as the Children of Armenia Fund, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, St. Thomas Armenian Church of Tenafly, NJ and the Elisabeth Morrow School. Greg resides in Cresskill, New Jersey with his wife, Natalie, and sons Shant, Garo and Saro.

Eric Baroyan, New York, NY (Board member since 2018)

Eric is a Partner with American Industrial Partners, a private equity firm with over $4.0 billion of raised capital focused on the industrial and manufacturing services industries with best-in-class investment results, Prior to that, he served as an associate at Capital Z Partners, a private equity firm with approximately $1.8 billion in committed capital and in the Investment Banking Division of Salomon Smith Barney. Eric is a graduate of the University of Southern California, graduating in 2001 magna cum laude. He is fluent in Armenian and active in the Armenian General Benevolent Union. Eric, his wife Talene and their three children live in NYC and are parishioners of St. Vartan Cathedral.

Nancy A. Berberian, Chicago, IL (Chair, Audit Committee, Board member since 2020)

Nancy A. Berberian worked in the Audit Division of Arthur Anderson & Co. as well as Controller, Finance Committee, of American Health Information Management Association

Nancy is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and obtained a CPA at that time.

Nancy has extensive service to her community. She was the Campaign Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Children Research Fund. She is a dedicated member of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, serving as Treasurer on the Parish Council, Audit Committee, Reserve Fund Committee and Sunday School teacher. She is also the Treasurer of the Women’s Guild of St. Gregory.

Nancy resides in Chicago, IL with her husband Nick. They have a married son and one granddaughter.

Robert E. Cannuscio, West Chester, PA (Corporate Secretary)

Robert E. Cannuscio is a partner in the Philadelphia office of the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP where he specializes in Intellectual Property Law and Technology Counseling and Licensing. Prior to joining Drinker Biddle, he was a shareholder at the intellectual property boutique firm of Seidel, Gonda, Lavorgna & Monaco, P.C. He is active in many legal and professional associations and is currently president of the Philadelphia Intellectual Property Law Association. He is on the Board of the Armenian Sisters Academy in Radnor, PA and on the Parish Council and Men’s Club of Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Armenian Church in Wynnewood, PA, where he is the treasurer of the Permanent Endowment Fund, the Youth Committee and the ACYOA Juniors. A graduate of the Pace University School of Law and the Polytechnic Institute of New York, Mr. Cannuscio lives in West Chester, PA with his wife, Karen Aznavourian Cannuscio and their three sons.

Melanie Dadourian, New York, NY (Board member since 2016)

Melanie Dadourian is a News Specials and Documentaries Producer for the Fox News Channel in New York. She has worked for the past 17 years at the 24-hour cable network delving into news topics and historical issues that impact Americans. Some of her television productions include “Hurricane Katrina: The Storm of a Lifetime,” “Terror Strikes Boston, Boston Strikes Back,” “The Nativity: Facts, Fictions & Faith,” and “50 Years of Questions: The JFK Assassination.” Melanie is a Director for the Dadourian Foundation and United Armenian Charities. The Foundation supports various efforts from helping homeless children in Armenia and supplying medical aid, to supporting programs of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. Aside from volunteering for various community groups, she most recently helped develop a media campaign for the Armenian Genocide Central Committee of America. Her focus today is promoting Genocide awareness as a board member of the USC Shoah Foundation’s Next Generation Council. Melanie holds a B.S. degree from Boston University. She currently lives in Manhattan and is a parishioner at St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral.

Kirk S. Hachigian, Houston, TX (Co-Chair Investment Committee, Board member since 2020)

Kirk S. Hachigian is retired Chairman and CEO of JELD-WEN, Inc., where he served as CEO from 2014 to 2016 and remained on the board until May 2019. Mr. Hachigian had also spent 11 years with Cooper Industries, holding the CEO and Chairman position from 2005 to 2012 until it was acquired by Eaton Corporation for $13B. Mr. Hachigian was at GE for 9 years prior to joining Cooper in 2001, including positions in Mexico City and Singapore. Mr. Hachigian serves as the Director of PACCAR Inc. since 2008, Allegion Inc., since 2013 and NextEra Energy since 2014.

Mr. Hachigian earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982 and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986.

Lisa A. Kazanjian, Haverford, PA (Treasurer, Board member since 2022)

With nearly 25 years in healthcare marketing, Lisa has deep experience creating and implementing marketing strategies that effectively target patients and providers, impacting overall branding, referrals and revenue. She has worked on both the agency and client side, demonstrating keen attention to detail, the ability to manage diverse projects within tight deadlines and strong skills in strategic planning, budgeting, media planning, business development, brand compliance, relationship building, writing, data analysis, and more. Lisa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a dual major in finance and marketing.

Lisa is a lifelong member of Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Apostolic Church in Wynnewood, Pa. There she served in a variety of capacities, including as a three-term member of the Parish Council (Recording and Corresponding Secretary), co-chair of Christmas Bazaar, co-chair of Annual Picnic, committee member of the April 24^th Symposium and Exhibition and president of ACYOA. An active member of the Philadelphia Armenian community, Lisa has represented the church on the Philadelphia Intracommunal Committee and the Philadelphia Armenian Genocide Committee. She also created and spearheaded the first community walkathons aimed at raising Armenian Genocide awareness and funds.

Kirk Kazazian, Sunny Isles Beach, FL (Board member since 2021)

Kirk Kazazian is the founder of Kazazian Asset Management, LLC. Kirk has over 20 years of experience investing in global equity markets, having started his finance career as a proprietary trader with Heartland Securities in 1996 and then subsequently as portfolio manager of Kazazian Capital Fund, LP and Kazazian Capital Offshore Fund, Ltd. Kirk specializes in combining fundamental research with tactical trading to identify situations where there are disconnects between investor perception and value. Kirk graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and received an MBA in Finance with honors from Columbia Business School in 2005. Kirk is a CFA charterholder.

Greg Melconian, Rumson, NJ (Board member since 2022)

Greg Melconian is on the senior leadership team of the Investment Banking Division for HSBC.  He is a Managing Director and also Head of the Industrials Group Americas for the firm.  With more than 25 years of investment banking experience, Greg is focused on providing high-touch strategic advice and capital financings for a range of multi-national corporations and global private equity firms.  Prior to HSBC, Greg held senior positions at DC Advisory, a leading strategic advisory firm based in New York and London, as well as BMO Capital Markets and Barclays Capital/Lehman Brothers.

Greg holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Tufts University.  He serves on several other non-profit boards, including Vice President for Rumson Country Day School, Vice President for St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, and Vice President of the Alumni Board for the Lawrenceville School.

Greg resides in Rumson, NJ with his wife Nyire and their children Henry and Chloe. They are parishioners of St. Stepanos Armenian Church in NJ.

Rev. Fr. Krikor Sabounjian, Framingham, MA (Board Memer since 2019)

Bryan Stepanian, Greenwich, CT (Co-Chair Investment Committee, Board member since 2020)

Bryan Stepanian is a Managing Director and Client Advisor for Alex. Brown in Greenwich, CT. Bryan and his team provide advisory services to Family Offices, Institutions and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the US and overseas. He manages in excess of $3.5B in a wide spectrum of asset classes. Bryan has a core expertise in alternative assets including hedge funds and private equity, but also manages large pools of short term cash and fixed income alongside traditional asset classes. Bryan has been directly involved with some of Alex. Brown’s most important clients.

Bryan spent 15 years building his practice at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown which spun out to form Alex. Brown in 2016. Bryan graduated from Fairfield University in 1991 with a B.A. from The Dolan School of Business. He has his Series 7 and 66 Licenses.

Bryan serves on multiple boards of both business-related and non-profit organization. Additionally, he is a sports car enthusiast and the President of the Ferrari Owners Club in the Northeast region of the country.

Bryan resides in Greenwich, CT, with his wife and two sons. He and his family are strongly committed to charity and their community.

Marie A. Vanerian, Grosse Pointe Park, MI (Board member since 2020)

Throughout her professional career, since 1977, Marie has provided comprehensive, long-term investment strategies across all financial stages including wealth accumulation, preservation and growth. With nearly $2.6B assets under her management, Marie’s keys to success are her straightforward approach to educate clients, trustees, and boards to understand their investment options and guide them to make sound decisions within their risk tolerance. Additionally, Marie provides institutional consulting and advisory services to a broad range of discriminating global clients including foundations, endowments, religious organizations, pension plans, 401(k)/403(b) plans and multi-generation private family offices.

Marie is a graduate of Michigan State University, Economics, Wharton Business School, Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), ASPPA, Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CFPA0 and UCLA Anderson Executive Education, Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P).

Marie is perpetually ranked as a top financial advisor nationwide. She has served on national advisory committees, spoken at national conferences, written and contributed several noteworthy articles and serves as the wealth advisor spokesperson for local and national media programs.

Her community and philanthropic interests include The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Lions Club International, Special Olympics, Samaritas, Vista Maria and The War Memorial.

Marie lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan and is a parishioner of St. John’s Armenian Church of Detroit.

Elizabeth Shaghalian Vranka, Bronxville, NY (Board member since 2021)

Elizabeth Shaghalian Vranka is a lawyer by training and spent most of her professional career working as a corporate lawyer at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore (1991-1998) and at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York (2013-2014). In 2016, Elizabeth began a second career as Executive Director of OSilas Gallery & Art Studio at Concordia College New York (Bronxville). In this position she is in charge of all gallery operations, including securing exhibitions, marketing and fundraising. She has been active in several not-for-profit organizations in her community since moving to Bronxville in 2006. Elizabeth is a parishioner of St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church in White Plains, New York, where she is a member of the Parish Council and previously taught Sunday school for several years. Elizabeth holds a B.S. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. She lives with her husband, Larry, and their three children in Bronxville, NY.

Gregory Zorthian, Greenwich, CT (Chair, Board member since 2016)

Gregory Zorthian, a Managing Director with Mishkin Associates, is a media consultant and a long time media executive with extensive experience in magazines, newspapers, and digital media.  Greg was president of the Americas for the Financial Times from 2009 through 2012 as well as well as Global Circulation Director and a member of the FT Board. With over three decades of experience in the media industry, he held senior positions at Time Inc., Forbes Inc, Business Week and Magellan Media Consulting Partners. Greg holds a B.A. from Yale and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.  He joined the ACEF Board in 1992 and has previously served as Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Greg lives in Greenwich, CT and is a member of St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church in White Plains, NY.