SOAR - Providence Chapter
In February 2009, SOAR launched a New England Chapter, whose territory included Boston, MA, Providence, RI, and Portland, ME. As SOAR grew during the past several years, we found it necessary to create separate Chapters in Boston, Portland, and Providence. SOAR-Providence officially launched in October 2012 and is headed by Michael Hagopian, former New England Chapter President. Providence is home to a small, but vibrant, Armenian population, and three Armenian churches: Armenian Euphrates Evangelical Church, Saints Sahag and Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church, and Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Nini Pharsenadze
President
Nini Pharsenadze is a sophomore undergraduate student at Brown University studying Architecture and Modern Culture and Media. She is originally from Batumi, Georgia. In 2017, through the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program, she spent a year in Washington State to exchange cultures. In 2019, Nini enrolled in UWC Dilijan in Armenia, graduating in 2021 with an IB Diploma. Currently, she resides in Providence and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree. At Brown Nini works as an event organizer for the Ivy Film Festival, a front desk attendant at the Office of Residential Life, and a student media technician for Media Services.
Khosrov Vorperian
Treasurer
Khosrov Vorperian is an IT professional with over ten years of experiance, with main concentration in Technical Business Analysis field. He holds a Bachelor’s from the State Engineering University of Armenia in ‘Automated Termo-Reaction Control Systems’ and from Rhode Island College in ‘Computer Science’, as well as various certifications in the field. Currently Khosrov works at MoheganSun Gaming Authority. He has been an active member of Rhode Island’s Armenian community since 1995 and a SOAR member since 2012. Khosrov is married and has 2 daughters.
Gary Grigorian
Gary Grigorian received an MBA in Finance from Babson College in Wellesley, MA after emigrating to the U.S. from Armenia in the early 1990s. He holds a number of FINRA Securities Registrations and investment certifications as well and is currently employed by MetLife as a senior compliance analyst. Gary is a solution-focused compliance analyst with over ten years of experience overseeing compliance functions pertaining to SEC regulations and standards. Gary currently resides in RI and has been serving on the local SOAR Board for over 3 years now. He is married and has two sons. Besides SOAR, his interests include animal welfare charities, involvement in Armenian Genocide events, and politics.
Michael Hagopian, Esq.
Michael Hagopian is a graduate of Syracuse University (B.A. Economics) and the University of Bridgeport School of Law (JD). He is admitted to practice law before all State and Federal Courts of the State of Rhode Island and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. During his career, Michael was afforded opportunities to practice law as a law firm associate, as a member of the staff of various government agencies, as general counsel for closely held businesses and as manager of his own law office. Currently Michael is a litigation attorney for a law firm in Boston, Massachusetts. He also frequently lectures on the law to attorneys, accountants and mental health professionals. Michael and his wife Andrea adopted their daughter from Armenia in 2008. They reside outside of Providence, Rhode Island.