Armenian Church of Rochester

Chair: Vincent Lima

Vincent Lima (chairperson) is president of Authentic Testing Corp. Vincent was active in the Armenian community of Tehran, where he lived until the age of 19. While attending the New School in New York City and later, studying under the Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he was active in the Armenian Youth Federation; he chaired the Central Executive Board in 1988 and 1989, at the time of the earthquake in Armenia and the intensification of the Karabakh Movement. Vincent went on to edit the scholarly journal Armenian Review and, in 1998, co-founded with Ara Sarafian the influential contemporary-affairs journal Armenian Forum. In 2006 Vincent was engaged as editor in chief of the Armenian Reporter and relocated to Armenia with his partner Martha Boudakian and their young daughters Noor and Arev. He recruited and led a staff of 15 full-time editors, correspondents, and designers in Armenia, New York, Los Angeles, and Minnesota, along with scores of freelancers to bring news from Armenia and local communities in the United States to readers. He moved with his family to Rochester in 2010

Vice Chair: Sevak Mrktchyan

Hi, I am Sevak Mkrtchyan. I was born in Gyumri but grew up in Yerevan. Education and work took me through Moscow, Pittsburgh, Berkeley and Houston, before eventually bringing me to Rochester which I have been calling home since 2014. Growing up I devoted myself to mathematical competitions, which eventually led to a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley, and now I am an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Rochester. My wife Luiza, who is a CPA in a local accounting firm and our two sons Martin and Torgom enjoy going on long bike rides on the Erie Canal trail, and are always excited to join the Armenian community events throughout the year.

Secretary|Treasurer: Lisa Bucci

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Hi, I am Lisa (Kerestedjian) Bucci, the Treasurer for the Armenian Church of Rochester and chair for the annual church picnic in September. I am 100% Armenian, was raised in Syracuse but have lived in the Rochester area since college. I have a chemistry degree from the University of Rochester and a MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. I worked at Xerox Corporation for 31 years as a financial analyst and retired in 2021. I was married for 20 years and have a 27 year old son, Connor who is an attorney with a Rochester law firm. In my free time, I enjoy kayaking, yoga, going to the dog park with my rescue dog, Foxy, as well as spending time with my family and friends.

Member at Large: Nancy Avakian

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Member at Large: Berdjouhi Esmerian

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Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Berdjouhi Esmerian has been in the US since 1963 and has lived in Rochester, NY, since 1964. She has been very active in the Armenian community from the beginning, having been the first Parish Council President when the Tri-City Consortium with Niagara Falls and Syracuse Churches was formed. She published a newsletter for the Rochester community for several years. Careerwise, she ran the Proofreading and Copy Editing Departments at The Lawyers Co- operative Publishing Company of Rochester for 30 years. She is the author of So Many Homelands, a memoir containing different episodes and experiences in her varied life in Egypt, Lebanon, and the US.

Member at Large: Janet Hacigoglu

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Member at Large: Tigran Vardanyan

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Tigran Vardanyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia. At a very young age, Vardanyan won First Prize at the 1991 and 1993 Armenian National Competitions, the Gold Medal at the 1992 Amadeus Competition for Young Artists, and performed as a soloist with the Armenian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Armenian Chamber Orchestra, and the Armenian TV and Radio Orchestra. Vardanyan is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (2000) and has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since 1998. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in various concert venues in his native Armenia, Europe, Central America and North America. He has presented numerous recitals live on WXXI, and was featured as a soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto under the direction of Christopher Seaman. He performs on a Francesco Gobetti violin (Venice, ca. 1720). Vardanyan is on the faculty of Nazareth College, and is a co-founder of TheArcRest, Inc., a company that makes violin and viola shoulder rests. In 2009, Vardanyan became a U.S. citizen and lives in Rochester with his wife and two sons. Photo credit: Kate Lemmon