Houshamadyan's Team

Our Association was formally registered in Berlin, Germany and has been operating since 2010. The Association’s directors are:

Chairperson                          Secretary                                Treasurer
Elke Hartmann                         Meliné Pehlivanian                   Oliver Neehus<link typo3>

Editorial Team

Vahé Tachjian, Project director and chief editor, Berlin.
Historian. His ancestors are from Sis, Ourfa and Sivas/Sepasdia. Born in Lebanon he earned his Ph.D. in History and Civilization at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris.
Elke Hartmann, Chairperson and associate editor,
Berlin. Historian​ & ​Islamic Studies scholar specializing in Ottoman history, with ancestors from Jerusalem, Marash ​& the Saarland (Germany). She earned her PhD from Free Uni. Berlin. She is the head of the Institute for Ottoman Studies and Turkology at Free University of Berlin.
Silvina Der-Meguerditchian, Artistic director, Berlin.
She is a visual artist. Her ancestors come from Ayntab, Marash and Sepasdia. With focus on a multidisciplinary artistic practice combining history, art, design and multimedia tools, her work has been exhibited worldwide and awarded with international scholarships. She is the artistic director of the Houshamadyan website.
Shogher Margossian, Associate art director | Coordinator
Brussels. Born in Lebanon. With ancestors from Zeitun and Malatya. She received MA in Literature and Interdisciplinary Music & Culture Studies from Beirut and London respectively. Currently works as an editor, associate art director, cultural coordinator and is responsible for Houshamadyan's Open Digital Archive and School Collaboration Project.
Ani Boghikian-Kasparian, Houshamadyan USA, Chairperson, Novi, Michigan. Ancestors from Palu, Chemeshgazak, Kessab, Adana & Tarson. Born in Beirut, raised in Detroit. Graduated from the Uni. of Michigan-Dearborn B.A. in Psychology & Sociology, M.A. in Teaching; & Oakland University-Rochester, M.A. in Counseling. Teaches West. Armenian at the Uni. of Michigan-Dearborn & assists at the U of M-Drbn. Armenian Research Center.
Joseph Rustom, Researcher, Beirut/Berlin. Architect. Born in Chartoun, a Lebanese town that witnessed forced displacement during the civil war. He received his B.Arch. from Beirut, MA in Cultural Heritage Studies and Urban History from France, and a PhD in Urban Planning from Germany. Works for Houshamadyan on Armenian religious architecture in the diaspora.
Meliné Pehlivanian, Houshamadyan Association’s vice director, Berlin. Librarian at the Berlin State Library, she in charge of the Africa, Armenia and Modern Turkey sections. She has been the curator of several exhibitions, she is also the editor of Armeni syn die menschen genannt...; Exotische Typen, the co-editor of Schriftkunst und Bilderzauber; Orientalische Bibelhandschriften aus der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
Garine Gokceyan, Associate art director, Graphic Designer, Brussels. Born in Beirut. With ancestors from Gürün and Agn. She received MA in Visual and Graphic communication from La Cambre, Brussels. Currently works as an associate art director, graphic designer, social media manager and is responsible for Houshamadyan's Open Digital Archive and School Collaboration Project.
Garo Derounian, communications and social media coordinator, Beirut. Born in Lebanon. His ancestors hail from Marash, Gesaria (Kayseri), and Trabzon. He attended the University of Lebanon, and worked as an expert silversmith. He is a member of the KOHAR Library staff, where he conducts research into Armenian manuscripts.

Houshamadyan Educational Association, USA

Houshamadyan is officially registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit association in the United States! Our branch in the United States is called the Houshamadyan Educational Association.

The Houshamadyan Educational Association's team members are:

Ani Boghikian Kasparian - Chairperson
Ed Bedikian - Treasurer
Alice Nigoghosian- Secretary
Michelle Andonian- Advisor
Ed Haroutunian - Advisor
Lara Nercessian - Advisor 

Turkish translators

Tomas Terziyan, Istanbul. Born in Istanbul. His grandfather is from Istanbul. He received his graduate degree from Istanbul. Currently lives in Istanbul and works as a translator and consultant.
Arlet İncidüzen, Istanbul. Born in Istanbul. Her ancestors are from Sivas/Sepasdia and Yozgat. She studied Journalism at the Marmara University (Istanbul). She works as an editor, translator and teacher.
Sevan Deirmendjian, Istanbul. Born in Istanbul. His grandfather is from Adapazarı. He received his graduate degree from Yerevan. He lives and works in Istanbul as an editor, teacher, translator and publisher.
Nazli Temir Beylerian, Researcher-Sociologist, Paris. Born in Istanbul. Her ancestors are from Sivas/Sepasdia. She completed her doctorate in École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France.

English translators

Hrant Gadarigian, New York. Born in diaspora. Roots in Feneseh, Havav. Attended philology courses Yerevan State University, Haigazian College. MBA (Intl. Business). Hetq English editor/translator.
Simon Beugekian, Los Angeles. Raised in Beirut. He studied philosophy/psychology in Boston. His ancestors are from Kessab. He is the translator of the books "Goodbye, Antoura" and "Awakening".
Vahe Habeshian
Boston

Born in Ainjar, Lebanon, with ancestors from Musa Dagh & Kayseri. Has a degree in Middle East languages & cultures from Columbia University. An editor (& translator) for 3 decades.

Armenian translators

Vartan Matiossian, New Jersey. Historian and philologist. Born in Montevideo. His ancestors are from Chomaklou, Yenije, Adapazar and Adana. Has studied in Buenos Aires. He received his PhD from the History Institute of the Yerevan State Academy of Sciences.
Chaghig Chahinian-Arzrouni, Yerevan. Her ancestors are from Afyonkarahisar, Adana and Palu. Has studied in her native Lebanon. Currently works as the Registrar at the American University of Armenia, Yerevan. She has translated many articles and books into Armenian.

Copyeditor of Armenian articles: Kevork Yazedjian.

Authors

George Aghjayan, Massachusetts. Retired. His ancestors are from Palu, Yozgat, Maden and Diyarbekir. Born in Rhode Island, he earned a B.S. in Actuarial Mathematics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and fellowship in the Society of Actuaries.
Khazhak Drampyan, Yerevan. Born in Yerevan. Khazhak's ancestors are from Bayazid. He has studied linguistics and social sciences at the Brusov State University in Yerevan, Armenia. He currently works as a translator, as an editor and researcher.
Sonia Tashjian, Yerevan. Philologist & TV host. Her ancestors are from Musadagh & Jibin (Hromgla). She was born in Lebanon and earned her MA from the Yerevan State University & is on her way towards a PhD at the RA Institute of Ethnography of NAS.
Robert Tatoyan, Yerevan. Ph.D. in History (Yerevan) He was born in Yerevan in 1976. His maternal grandfather (Shahen Ghushchyan) is from Yerznka (Erzincan). Since 2013 he works as a senior scientific researcher at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Yerevan.
Dzovig Meguerian-Markarian, Los Angeles. Professional Musician. Her ancestors are from Adana, Ourfa/Gessaria. Born in Lebanon, she earned her DMA (Doctorate in Musical Arts) in Keyboard Studies from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California.
Adom H. Boudjikanian, Montreal. Retired. Pharmacist (researcher) with ancestors from Kharpert. Born in Lebanon, earned his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at the Université de Lyon (France). Was professor of pharmacy at the Faculté de pharmacie of Université Saint-Joseph (Beirut).
Vera Sahagian, Yerevan. Orientalist, historian. Born in Armenia. Her ancestors are from Alashgerd. She lives in Yerevan and works as a junior researcher in the Arab manuscript scientific translation and description department of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, Yerevan. Doctoral theme: the activities of the Special Organization (Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa) in the Ottoman Empire.
Varty Keshishian, Yerevan. Born in Yerevan. She received her higher education in Yerevan. Before the outbreak of the Syrian war, she lived in Aleppo with her family and worked as a teacher and an editor, she was also the director of the Armenian Studies center. She currently lives in Armenia and works in the The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) Yerevan.

Special project collaborators

Mihran A. Minassian, Representative in Armenia, Aleppo/Yerevan. Born in Aleppo, his paternal side is from Bursa, his maternal side from Gürün. Historian, oral history collector, philologist. Lives in Yerevan, works at the Matenadaran & Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute since 2012.
Musa Cimen, Graphic Designer, Strasbourg. Born in Strasbourg, his ancestors are from Dersim (Tunceli). He is a former PhD student at the Université de Strasbourg, he studied History of Ottoman medicine. He currently works as a graphic and motion designer.

Special thanks to:

Ara Stepan Melkonian, Roubina Margossian, and Dikran Der-Voğormyacıyan for translation contributions, Juan Manuel Moreno (Spain), Juliette Inigo (France) Ylenia Wagner Granda (Spain) and Karin león Henneberg (Venezuela) for website design and artistic contributions.

International Advisory Board

To see the full list of Houshamadyan's international advisory board members please click HERE.