Meet our Board

Stepan has served as the Board Chairman since 1983, been a Director of the Board since 1981, and initially served as the AYF’s representative to the organizing committee of the Armenian Youth Foundation from 1972-1973. He has been active in a variety of Armenian Community organizations and is presently a member of the Ararat Association of RI and the Investment Committee of Sts. Vartanantz Church (Providence, RI). Professionally he served as the New England Market Manager for the Business Credit Division of PNC Bank until his retirement in 2022 providing Commercial enterprises and Private Equity Groups with working capital and acquisition credit facilities. He had been in commercial lending since 1974, initially in Detroit and Cleveland, and has been located in Boston since 1982. He is a former member of the Association for Corporate Growth, the Commercial Finance Association, and the Turnaround Management Association. Stepan and his wife Christine (Arakelian) are residents of Medfield, MA.

Robert has served as the Vice Chairman of the Armenian Youth Foundation since 1984 and as a Board Member since 1982. He has been active in a number of Armenian Community organizations and was a past member of the Boston Siamanto chapter of the Armenian Youth Federation. Bob also served on the AYF Central Executive and is presently a member of the Council of Armenian Executives. He is a graduate of M.I.T. with a B.S./M.S. in Chemical Engineering and later received a M.B.A. from Babson College. Professionally he has worked in sales and marketing management positions at Millipore Corporation and at the Amicon Division of W.R. Grace Company. From 1986 to 2011, he owned and operated National Metal Finishing Corporation in Springfield, MA, a leading provider of metal finishing services to such companies as Harley Davidson and Smith & Wesson. He is currently President of Vivaproducts, Inc. in Littleton, MA, which provides analytical products to hospital and forensic laboratories. Bob and his wife Shooshan (Kassabian) are residents of Sudbury, MA, and have three children Christine, Lynne and Stephen, who have all been members of the Providence Varantian AYF Chapter.

Michael Guzelian recently retired as Senior Vice President of General Dynamics Mission Systems / CPI Satcom & Antenna Technologies. His responsibilities included manufacturing, supply chain, quality, security, EH&S, and facilities. With his strategic leadership and management, the company continues to be a leading global supplier of superior satellite communications ground stations and optical and radio telescope products.

Before the 2020 spinout of General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies to CPI, Mr. Guzelian was vice president and responsible for the Satellite Antenna Business. This included thousands of antennas built and shipped to commercial and military customers around the world. Some of those customers include ESPN/Disney, FOX, Intelsat, Verizon, Telesat, Eutelsat, and many international broadcasters and satellite service providers.

Michael has served on the Board in various positions since 1995. He currently oversees all administrative systems and resides with his wife and two daughters in Needham, Massachusetts. He graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management and Marketing from Babson College. He also attended the Defense Systems Management College in Ft. Belvoir, VA.

Daron Topouzian has been an active member of the Armenian community since the early 1970s, beginning with his participation in the Detroit Chapter of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF). His involvement with the AYF continues to this day as a track and field coach of both senior and junior age groups.

In addition, Daron has served as the Midwest representative on Governing Body since 2018. In 2004, Daron was elected to the Foundation’s Board of Directors, where he serves on the Grants Committee, assisting in solicitation and selection efforts.

Daron is an alumnus of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Detroit with degrees in engineering and business. Professionally, he has been with Ford Motor Company since 1985 and presently leads Strategy and Planning of Battery Electric Trucks.

Daron and his wife Simone’ reside in West Bloomfield, Michigan and have been blessed with four daughters, Meline’, Ani, Knar, and Teny; a wonderful son in-law Haig; and a grandson Sebu.

Haig Altoonian brings over 24 years of experience as a Director at Bank of America Securities, specializing in Convertible Bonds and Equity Derivatives. Starting his career in Boston, he focused on skill development for nine years before relocating to New York in 2008.

From 2010 to 2014, Haig spent time on a multiproduct desk, gaining proficiencies in equities, options, and credit. Currently, he works with portfolio managers around the world to find unique and innovative investing alternatives using hybrid securities.

Haig grew up outside of Boston in the Armenian circles of Camp Haiastan, as both a camper and counselor. His involvement with Providence AYF led to active membership with the North Andover chapter until the early 2000s.

Academically, he earned a BA in management engineering with a finance concentration from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA.

In 2021, Haig joined the Board and serves on the Investment Committee. He resides in Long Island, NY with his wife Nadette and his daughters, Solene and Chloe.

With more than two decades as a communication professional, Nora Kzirian has held diverse roles within the telecommunication and media industries. She most recently served as the Senior Director of Customer Communications at Comcast Business, overseeing the customer service communication experience.

Since joining Comcast in 2005, Nora has led internal, external, and change management communication strategies. Prior to that, she served as the Press Secretary for the Honorable Steve Rothman, former U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 9th congressional district.

An unwavering advocate for Armenian-American issues, Nora has held leadership positions in the Armenian National Committee (ANC) Eastern Region and the Armenian Youth Federation and is currently spearheading ANC efforts in Pennsylvania. She was elected to the Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2022. Nora attributes her ignited Armenian spirit to her experiences at Camp Haiastan, where she was both a camper and counselor, and the Hovnanian Armenian School.

Residing in Philadelphia with her husband and two sons, who attend the Armenian Sisters Academy, Nora is an alumna of Rutgers University, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. She further pursued her education, earning a Master of Science degree in E-Learning Leadership from Drexel University.

Michael Gostanian embodies a lifelong commitment to the Armenian community, having been elected to the Foundation’s Board in 2018 and actively contributing to its Grants Committee.

His roots trace back to St. Sarkis Church, where he grew up attending and graduated from their Armenian School, as well as serving on the altar for many years where he received ordination as a deacon from the late Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian. He continues his dedicated service at St. Sarkis in various capacities, including the church’s Board of Trustees. He plays a vital role in the organizing committee for the St. Sarkis “Salt and Light” youth ministry, where he also serves as a facilitator.

Michael's involvement extends beyond the church to the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), where, as a member of the NY Hyortik chapter, he contributed on various local committees and executives, including the region’s Central Executive. Michael's ties with Camp Haiastan run deep, having been both a former camper and counselor, and later serving on the camp's Board of Directors for six years.

Apart from his community service, Michael's passion lies in music, particularly traditional Armenian melodies, which he has been performing for over 30 years at various events across the country.

Certified as a Project Manager, Michael applies his professional expertise at IBM. He currently resides on Long Island, NY, with his wife Nouneh and their two children.

Lucy is a Director of Strategic Partnerships at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, responsible for the acquisition and implementation of insurance carrier partnerships for Liberty Mutual’s in-house agency. She began her career at Liberty Mutual as an insurance defense and contracts Paralegal, and later joined their Global Retail Markets SBU as a Marketing Communications manager for their Affinity partnerships unit, in time moving into management of large strategic partnerships. Lucy has a BA and an MBA from Bentley University as well as an AAI insurance designation and is a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU ®).

Lucy joined the Board in 2015 and has been a lifelong, active member of the Armenian Community. She is a member of St. Stephens Armenian Church in Watertown, MA and has attended their Saturday School, Sunday School and served on their Board of Trustees and various other committees. She was also an active member of the Armenian Youth Federation taking on leadership roles during her tenure. Lucy is currently one of St. Stephen’s representatives in the National Representative Assembly and the Secretary for the Armenian Heritage Park and Genocide Memorial Foundation in Boston, MA.

Originally from Portland, ME, Hagop has been living in the greater Whitinsville, MA area for more than 30 years; along with his wife the former Claudia Kourkounian. He has served the Church as a three term member of the Prelacy Executive Council along with past Board of Trustee member of the Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville. Hagop continues to actively commit to the Armenian community. He was a member of the Lowell Armen Garo A.Y.F. Chapter during the 1970s /80s and served on the Central Executive as Athletic Director. Hagop’s AYF experiences were instrumental in his developing a broader understanding of the many important facets in sustaining and building on the Armenian spirit. A graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Hagop is now enjoying retirement after a successful 30 year career with Kimberly-Clark Corporation as a Senior Customer Business Partner.