Contact
Finland Center Foundation
c/o The Kota Alliance
43 St Nicholas Place
New York, NY 10031
Tel. No.:+1 (347) 884-3626
E-mail: info@finlandcenter.org
Board of Directors:
Born in Finland and relocated to New York 50 years ago, Eija has always kept her connection to her home country. Despite having been widowed at a young age and left to raise three children (and now busy with seven grandchildren), Eija kept her connection to Finland through literature, music, and being active in Finnish organizations in New York. With Eija's background as an experienced bookkeeper, FCF was very lucky when she agreed to join our Board as treasurer.
Eija Bucciarelli
Markus Kaitila
Markus Kaitila, the president of FCF since 2023, holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Aaron Copland School of Music, City University of New York Queens College, under guidance of Nina Lelchuk, following studies at Sibelius Academy and Folkwang University of the Arts in Europe and masterclasses with Paul Badura-Skoda, Leon Fleisher and Bernd Goetzke. He is a winner of the Köhler-Osbahr Piano Competition, and his soloist appearances include Wratislavia, Jackson Heights, New Amsterdam and Queens College Chamber Orchestras with conductors such as Tong Chen and Charles Neidich. Markus has performed at Wiener Saal, Salzburg, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Carnegie Hall, Music Academy of the West and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. He is a graduating Master’s student of Eteri Andjaparidze and Adjunct Professor of Piano and Keyboard Skills at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
Jaana Rehnström
A physician (gynecologist) recently retired from private practice. She has been a lifelong human rights activist and since her move to New York 30+ years ago, became interested in promoting Finnish culture and values. She has served on the Boards of several Finnish expatriate organizations in New York and is now also on the Board of The Kota Alliance, a new NYC organization dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment (an offshoot of FCF). In her free time she enjoys music in all its forms, reading, cooking, gardening, socializing with friends and family, and travel.
APRIL ZHANG-AUTIO
“Chinese by birth, Finnish by citizenship, New Yorker by heart.”
April is an independent curator and partner of Sojourner gallery based in New York City. While working as Senior Project Manager in Nokia Finland from 1999 to 2011, she developed a passionate interest in art by visiting numerous museums in France, Spain, Italy, and other countries. After moving to New York in 2013, April began to cooperate with galleries and art organizations to curate numerous art shows while working as compliance officer in Banking. Finnish culture is very important for April.
Azure Montana
Azure Montana has roots going back to Finland from her great-grandparents who migrated over to the US and has been growing her connection to the culture over the past few years. Finland to her is a special place where she finally felt at “home” and was elated to find the Finland Center Foundation as a conduit to her roots. She places emphasis on Finnish culture, values and attributes (especially to metal music) and hopes to help inspire these ideals across the broader community. Azure is a graduate of Georgetown, where she received her Masters of Science degree in Finance and of Christopher Newport University in Virginia, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance. She has been working in Wealth Management for almost 10 years, most recently in a market leadership role at Merrill Lynch in Risk/Compliance. In her free time, Azure enjoys spending time in nature, exploring near and far, dancing/gymnastics and all things musical.
Nelli Niemelä
Nelli moved to New York in 2018 to follow her husband’s career. She holds a Bachelor of Business in Management and Communication. With a diverse professional background, Nelli has served as a Benefits Specialist in Finland, Sales Representative in Hotel Sales, and has extensive customer service background. Currently, Nelli is volunteering with The Kota Alliance and looking to start her Master’s studies in Human Recourse Management later this fall. In her free time, she is enjoys exploring the Central Park and discovering New York with her son and husband.
Advisory Board:
Heli Blum, Leonard Easter, Sari Gold, Thomas Riggs, Liisa Roberts, Robert Saasto, Mari Simonen