Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Hellenic Initiative

Executive Committee

Andrew N. Liveris (Chairman)

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Liveris AO is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Dow Chemical Company and former Executive Chairman of DowDuPont. A recognised global business leader with more than 42 years at Dow and experience in manufacturing, engineering, sales, marketing, and business and general management.

Andrew advocates the criticality of manufacturing worldwide. He is the author of ‘Make It in America’ and was tapped by the current U.S. Administration to help identify new ways to spur innovation, revitalize the U.S. manufacturing sector and drive economic growth and prosperity as chair of the manufacturing council and a member of the apprenticeship of the future task force. Previously he served as Co-Chair of U.S. President Obama’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership steering committee and a member of the U.S. President’s Export Council.

Andrew is the Special Advisor to the Australian National COVID-19 Co-ordination Commission and Chair of the Manufacturing Taskforce. He was recently appointed as Co-Chair of the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission, advising on how to accelerate the Territory’s economic rebound and growth. He is an Independent Member of the Australian government’s Industry Growth Centres Advisory Committee providing advice on the Industry Growth Centres initiative.

Andrew is a director at IBM, Saudi Aramco, Worley (Deputy Chairman), Lucid Motors (Chairman), NOVONIX and the Minderoo Foundation. He is on the advisory board of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Teneo (a global CEO consulting and advisory firm), and NEOM (an initiative driven by Saudi Vision 2030). He is Chairman of the Blackrock Long Term Capital and a special advisor to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Andrew serves as a trustee for the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and is a member of the Concordia Leadership Council.

In 2018 the Andrew N Liveris Academy for Innovation and Leadership was established at the University of Queensland for students to garner a real-life understanding of global challenges and how to create positive change for society.

Andrew N. Liveris (Chairman)

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

The Dow Chemical Company

George P. Stamas

George P. Stamas (Board President)

Senior Partner

George Stamas cofounded in 2011 The Hellenic Initiative, a worldwide philanthropic organization dedicated to economic development and social welfare in Greece, and has served as President of the Board of Directors since that time. Mr. Stamas is a partner in the international law firm Gibson Dunn, where he focuses on public company and private equity mergers and acquisitions and corporate securities transactions.  He also counsels C-level executives and boards of directors on corporate governance matters.

Mr. Stamas has received a Band 1 rating by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Corporate/M&A & Private Equity every year since 2004.  Chambers USA’s comments have described Mr. Stamas as a “world class deal maker” who is “brilliant in a crisis” and has “a knack for finding middle ground when issues get contentious.”  He is also ranked by Chambers Global  as a leading attorney in Corporate/M&A.  He has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal: M&A and Governance, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Dealmakers in America,  and listed by The Best Lawyers in America  for 28 consecutive years. Mr. Stamas also has been honored by The Washington Post  and he has been profiled by Crain’s New York  as one of New York’s 200 most well-connected business people.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Stamas was named by The American Lawyer  as one of the leading 45 lawyers in America under the age of 45.  Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Stamas was a senior partner with Kirkland & Ellis. Mr. Stamas previously served as Vice Chair of the Board of Deutsche Banc Alex Brown, Inc.; as a founding board member of FTI Consulting (NYSE); as a venture partner of international venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates; and as a member of numerous public and private corporate boards.  He is an executive board member of the New York private equity firm MidOcean Partners.

Mr. Stamas is a partner of Monumental Partners, which controls the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards; an investor and a member of the board of aXiomatic, a leading eSports platform that controls Team Liquid; and a partner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mr. Stamas is also on the National Advisory Council of Youth Inc. (Recipient of the 2018 John C. Whitehead Leadership Award), and has previously served on numerous philanthropic and cultural boards, including The Shakespeare Theatre Company.  He is a a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, and a director of Paris based Soparexo s.a., the parent corporation of Chateau Margaux.

George P. Stamas (Board President)

Senior Partner

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

President Bill Clinton (Honorary Chairman)

42nd President of the United States

President Bill Clinton (Honorary Chairman)

42nd President of the United States

Nicholas W. Alexos

EVP/Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Alexos joined Univar Solutions in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Univar Solutions, Mr. Alexos served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Dentsply Sirona, Inc. where he led the growth strategy and executed successful portfolio shaping initiatives. Previously, he served as a Managing Director of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, where he helped a wide array of portfolio companies achieve growth and margin expansion. He has served on several boards including VWR International, Option Care Health, Sirona Dental Systems, Team Health, Performance Health and various others. He has also served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations including the Children's Inner-City Educational Fund, Lake Forest Country Day School, MetroSquash, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Council, Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago and the Harvard Dental School of Medicine Advisory Board. He proudly serves on the board of The Hellenic Initiative and along with his wife Marcie and their three children, are very supportive of these commitments to the legacy of their Hellenic Diaspora.

Mr. Alexos received his bachelor’s degree in business from Loyola University, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Nicholas W. Alexos

EVP/Chief Financial Officer

Univar Solutions, Inc.

Dean Dakolias

Dean Dakolias

Managing Director

Mr. Dakolias is the Co-Chairman and a Managing Partner of Fortress Investment Group and previously served as Co-CIO for all Fortress’ Credit Funds. He sits on the Leadership Committee and is a member of several investment committees. Prior to joining Fortress, Mr. Dakolias was a co-founder and Managing Director of American Commercial Capital LLC (a specialty finance company) and Coronado Advisors (an SEC registered broker dealer), both of which were sold to Wells Fargo & Co. in 2001.

Mr. Dakolias serves on the Board of Trustees and as Treasurer for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Founded in 1881, it is the largest and oldest research center providing graduate students and scholars from affiliated North American academic institutions a base for the advance study of all aspects of Greek Culture, from antiquity to present day.

Mr. Dakolias also serves as a Board Member of Endeavor Greece which invests in the economic renewal of Greece through entrepreneurship and economic development.  A particular focus for Mr. Dakolias is the plight of refugees arriving in Greece, particularly unaccompanied minors, women at-risk and survivors of torture. He supports METAdrasi and together with the international law firm Reed Smith LLP, Mr. Dakolias is working to create a new paradigm for refugee resettlement through Lamp Lifeboat Ladder - an innovative effort to build private partnerships to protect refugees who are survivors of torture and help them to resettle in safe countries where they may rebuild their lives. Mr. Dakolias also serves on the Board of Trustees for Columbia University and the Millbrook School. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Dakolias received a B.S. in Physics from Columbia University.

Dean Dakolias

Managing Director

Fortress Investment Group, LLC

William P. Doucas

Chairman

William Doucas serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Elutions, Inc., an artificial intelligence enterprise that delivers unparalleled operational savings and transformational growth opportunities to clients across verticals and geographies. In addition, William serves as Chairman of Elutions Capital Ventures, a private equity firm based in Luxembourg.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology sector, William fully understands that technology alone has the ability to fuse with human thought to drive real change and define the next generation of enterprise solutions. Through his thoughtful leadership and guidance, Elutions has evolved from a provider of solutions that Do, to solutions that Teach, Learn and Innovate, thusly creating cognitive solutions capable of impacting an entire ecosystem to deliver transformational value.

William Doucas aspires to make Elutions' market-leading platform, known as Maestro, the world's premier artificial intelligence solution, drastically improving operations at scale while reducing associated costs in real-time. Driven by Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation, Elutions’ Maestro establishes a neural network across a client’s ecosystem, augmenting powerful technology with the empowerment of human thought to deliver an unprecedented level of value. Maestro closes the gap between operational data, action and savings by identifying and automating the implementation of specific corrective actions for operational optimization rather than simply producing data, dashboards and insights for further analysis.

Mr. Doucas graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgetown University in 1981 with a degree in finance. He is proud to be a member of the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Board of Advisors. William Doucas is an active guest speaker at Georgetown for undergraduate students through their entrepreneurship initiative, Startup Hoyas. In addition, Mr. Doucas is an member of the Executive Board for the Hellenic Initiative, founded to support crisis relief efforts, promote entrepreneurship, and catalyze economic development to help shape Greece’s long-term recovery.

William P. Doucas

Chairman

Elutions

John D. Georges

John D. Georges

Chief Executive Officer

John D. Georges

Chief Executive Officer

Georges Enterprises

Father Alexander Karloutsos (Honorary Advisor)

Father Alexander Karloutsos is the Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Special Assistant to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. He is the Spiritual Advisor to the Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America, and to Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy & Hellenism. He also serves as the representative of the Archdiocese to the White House, the Congress, state and local officials, Greek American organizations, political action, religious freedom and human rights groups. Father Alexander is also the pastor of The Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church in the Hamptons and serves as the Orthodox Christian Chaplain for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He was previously Executive Director of Leadership 100, serving from 1986 to 1992 and 1999 to 2004, and was appointed by Archbishop Iakovos as the first Vicar of Public Affairs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in 1985, holding that position simultaneously until 1992 when he was appointed Special Assistant to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In 1994, The Ecumenical Patriarch personally elevated Fr. Karloutsos to the prestigious office of Protopresbyter of the Sacred See of Saint Andrew

Father Alexander is married to Xanthi Karavellas Karloutsos. They have three children, happily married, and nine grandchildren, Alexander, Konstantine, Xanthi, Luca, Konstantina, Demetrios, Steven, Leo and Michael.

Father Alexander Karloutsos (Honorary Advisor)

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

John Koudounis

Chief Executive Officer

John Koudounis is Chief Executive Officer of Calamos Investments. Appointed to the role in 2016 by the firm’s founder, John Calamos, Mr. Koudounis brings a wealth of experience in global capital markets and is considered one of the most accomplished leaders in the financial services industry.

Prior to joining Calamos Investments, Mr. Koudounis served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mizuho Securities USA, Inc. (MSUSA), a subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group, one of the world’s largest full-service financial institutions. During his tenure at Mizuho Securities, he built the firm into a full-service investment bank, expanding its debt and equity capital markets teams. Under his leadership, the firm grew in profitability, number of clients, and product diversification, allowing Mizuho to be considered globally as a top tier investment bank. Prior to joining MSUSA in 2008, he was Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income for ABN AMRO Americas where he played a critical role in driving growth for the firm.

Mr. Koudounis is a regular featured speaker and guest on financial news programs, including CNN, Fox Business, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, TD Ameritrade, Yahoo Finance and others. He is a member of the Leadership Council of Concordia and the Bretton Woods Committee, as well as a founding board member of The Hellenic Initiative, the National Hellenic Museum, a Patron of Prince’s Trust and an Advisory Board member of the SEAL Future Foundation. He received his B.A. in International Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs and Economics from Brown University.

John Koudounis

Chief Executive Officer

Calamos Investments

Nikos Koumettis, Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Group President, The Coca-Cola Company

Nikos Koumettis

President, Europe Operating Unit, The Coca-Cola Company

Nikos Koumettis is the President of the Europe Operating Unit at The Coca-Cola Company where he oversees 40 countries.

Nikos joined Coca-Cola in 2001 as General Manager for Greece and Cyprus, and since then, has built a wealth of experience in several international roles, including President of the Adriatic and the Balkans, President of Southeast Europe, President of the Canada Business Unit and President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

He began his career in Marketing and Sales, working for Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Elgeka and Papastratos / Phillip Morris.

Nikos is a member of the Board of Directors of Canada Goose International as well as a trustee of the American College in Greece and a Chair of the Board for Société BIC. He holds a Master of Science degree in International Marketing from Strathclyde Business School and a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the American College of Greece.

Nikos is passionate about youth empowerment. He is the co-founder - together with Global Shapers (Athens Hub) - of the social initiative ‘Regeneration’ which aims to strengthen the skills of young people in Greece and place talented graduates in the labor market.

Nikos is a Greek-Cypriot, born in Sudan and raised in Greece. He is married to Sarita Chaim and they have two children, Petros and Felicia. He is an avid skier and sailor.

Nikos Koumettis

President, Europe Operating Unit, The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company

Michael G. Psaros

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

Michael Psaros is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP, and a member of its Investment Committee and Management Committee. KPS Capital Partners, LP is the manager of KPS Special Situations Funds (www.kpsfund.com), a family of private equity funds with approximately $11.4 billion of assets under management focused on making controlling equity investments in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries worldwide. Mr. Psaros serves on the Board of Directors of Georgetown University and is the Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of Advisors of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Mr. Psaros is the Vice Chairman of Friends of St. Nicholas, the organization responsible for constructing the new St. Nicholas National Shrine at Ground Zero.

Michael G. Psaros

Co-Founder and Managing Partner

KPS Capital Partners, LP

Board Members

Maria Allwin

Philanthropist

Maria Allwin

Philanthropist

George Anderson

George Anderson

Area Chairman

George Anderson is President and Founder of Anderson Benson Insurance & Risk Management, a privately held insurance brokerage and risk management firm with offices in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. Anderson Benson is a coverholder for Lloyds of London specializing in entertainment and copyright infringement.. Anderson also co-founded Align Risk Solutions, a privately held captive services company.

Anderson’s extensive civic and philanthropic service includes 13 years as a Board member of The Metropolitan Nashville Parks and Recreation with five years as Chair, four years on the Development Committee of the Frist Art Museum, ten years on the Board and Stewardship Committee of the Washington, DC-based Cultural Landscape Foundation, Chair of the Conservancy of the Parthenon and Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee, and as a member of the 2019 NFL Nashville Draft Host Committee.

Anderson’s mother was born in Karyes, Laconia and his father’s parents were born in Stemnitsa, Arcadia. Active in the Greek-American community, he is a Trustee of Hellenic College - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate - The Order of St. Andrew, a Member of Leadership 100, and a Founding Member the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation.

George and Lee Ann, his wife of 36 years, reside in Nashville and have one son, James.

George Anderson

Area Chairman

Gallagher Risk Management Services

Peter Barris

Chairman

Peter joined NEA in 1992 and was the firm’s Managing General Partner from 1999-2017. After retiring in 2019, Peter now serves as Chairman. During his 18 years at the helm, NEA's assets under management grew from $1B to over $20B and the organization scaled its operations to become one of the world’s largest venture capital firms. Under Peter’s leadership, NEA invested in industry-transforming technology companies like CareerBuilder, Tableau, Groupon, Jet.com, Juniper Networks, Salesforce.com, TiVo, WebMD and Workday. He has been named several times to the Forbes Midas List of top technology investors, to Washington Tech Council’s Hall of Fame, and to the Washington Business Hall of Fame. Peter has personally led investments in over three dozen technology companies that have successfully completed public offerings or mergers. He serves on the board of public companies Berkshire Grey (BGRY), Groupon (GRPN), NextNav (NN) and Sprout Social (SPT) and is currently director of several private companies including Tamr, Tempus, ThreatQuotient and ZeroFox.

Prior to joining NEA, Peter was President of LEGENT Corporation (LGNT) and Senior Vice President of the Systems Software Division of UCCEL Corporation (UCE). Both companies were ultimately acquired at valuations that were record breaking for their time. Earlier, Peter spent almost a decade at General Electric Company in a variety of management positions, including Vice President and General Manager at GE Information Services. He is Vice-Chair of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and serves on the boards of the Brookings Institution, P33 and In-Q-Tel. Peter previously served on the Executive Committee of the Board of the National Venture Capital Association, the Tuck School Board of Overseers and was a founding member of Venture Philanthropy Partners, a philanthropic organization in the Washington D.C. area. Peter received his BSEE from Northwestern University and his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Peter and his wife, Adrienne, reside in McLean, VA and are long time members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bethesda, MD. They have two married daughters who also reside in the Washington DC area.

Peter Barris

Chairman

NEA

Drake Behrakis (Emeritus)

President

Drake is President of Marwick Associates, a real estate investment and development company located in Lexington, Massachusetts. Marwick is the real estate arm of a family owned privately held investment company. He is also active in the Behrakis Foundation, the family’s philanthropic vehicle.

Prior to establishing Marwick, Mr. Behrakis held various positions with Muro Pharmaceutical, Inc. and the Gillette Company.

Mr. Behrakis has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The National Hellenic Society and is on the Board of Directors for The Hellenic Initiative, Boston College, and The Leadership 100 Endowment Fund. He is also a Board of Overseer at Brigham & Woman’s Hospital and is invested into the Order of St. Andrew.

Mr. Behrakis’ engagement as both a volunteer and as a donor has expanded throughout the years. He and his wife have established Endowment Funds & a Professorship at Boston College. In 2015 he was the recipient of the Boston College Distinguished Volunteer Award. Prior commitments and involvements include a member of the State of Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council; Perkins School for the Blind; Sudbury Youth Basketball; The Lowell Plan; Saints Memorial Medical Center and Fordham University.

Mr. Behrakis resides with his wife and three children in Sudbury, Massachusetts. His oldest son is at Tufts University and his daughter at Boston College. His personal interests include traveling, golf, skiing, and wine collecting.

Drake Behrakis (Emeritus)

President

Marwick Associates

John P. Calamos, Sr.

Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer

John P. Calamos, Sr. founded Calamos Investments in 1977. With origins as an institutional convertible bond manager, the firm has grown into a global asset management firm with major institutional and individual clients around the world. The firm is headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area with additional offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Miami.

Mr. Calamos has established research and investment processes centered around a team-based approach designed to deliver superior risk-adjusted performance over full market cycles through a range of U.S. and global investment strategies including equity, fixed income, convertible and alternative investments. Mr. Calamos has developed a reputation for using investment techniques to control risk, preserve capital and build wealth for clients over the long term.

With over 45 years of industry experience, he is often quoted as an authority on risk-managed investment strategies, markets and the economy. He is a frequent speaker at investment seminars and conferences around the world and appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Fox Business Channel.

Mr. Calamos has authored two books, Investing in Convertible Securities: Your Complete Guide to the Risks and Rewards and Convertible Securities: the Latest Instruments, Portfolio Strategies, and Valuation Analysis.

He received his B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He joined the United States Air Force after graduation where he served as a combat pilot during the Vietnam War and ultimately earned the rank of Major.

A son of Greek immigrants, Mr. Calamos is an active philanthropist supporting educational and Hellenic organizations, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago. He has been honored for his lifetime contributions by the Hellenic Bar Association and was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities by the Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology.

John P. Calamos, Sr.

Founder, Chairman and Global Chief Investment Officer

Calamos Investments

Aristides (Aris) S. Candris

President and CEO – Retired

Dr. Candris retired as President and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Co. In 2012, after a 37 year career with the company. In addition to his role on the THI Board, he is currently on the Board of NiSource Inc., and the Advisory Boards of Atomos Inc., the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and the Carnegie Energy Institute. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Transylvania University, and the Hellenic American University, and has has previously served on Carnegie Mellon University’s Board of Trustees. Aris and his wife Laura live in Naples, Florida and Sifnos Island, Greece.

Aristides (Aris) S. Candris

President and CEO – Retired

Westinghouse Electric. Co.

John Catsimatidis

John Catsimatidis

Chief Executive Officer

John Catsimatidis

Chief Executive Officer

The Red Apple Group

Achilles Constantakopoulos

Chairman

Achilles Constantakopoulos is a graduate of Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne.

Since 1997 he has been leading TEMES S.A., developers of Costa Navarino, where he currently holds the position of Chairman. He is also the Chairman of IONIAN HOTEL ENTERPRISES S.A., owner of the Hilton Athens hotel.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of AEGEAN AIRLINES S.A., CHIPITA S.A. and SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation).

Mr. Constantakopoulos is President of the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation.

Achilles Constantakopoulos

Chairman

Temes S.A.

George David

Chairman of the Board

George David

Chairman of the Board

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company

Jeremy Downward

Executive Director

In 2016 Jeremy set up Aristeus, a fully regulated asset management firm in Cyprus and is the company’s CIO.

In 2001 Jeremy set up a family office managing the investments of a prominent European family. The office made investments across the asset class spectrum in developed and emerging markets. He acted as CIO until late 2015 and remains a board member.

Previously Jeremy was a founding partner and board member of Greece’s first investment bank, Alpha Finance from 1989 to 2001. Alpha Finance listed on the Athens Stock Exchange is April 1995 and was sold to Alpha Bank in 2001.

Prior to Alpha Finance he worked at Continental Illinois Bank in New York, Athens and Piraeus.

Jeremy graduated from Leeds University in 1976.

He sits on the boards or advisory committees of various companies, investment vehicles, educational bodies and NGOs.

Jeremy Downward

Executive Director

Aristeus Financial Services

Theane Evangelis

Co-Chair

Theane Evangelis is Co-Chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s global Litigation Practice Group and previously served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Class Action Practice Group. Ms. Evangelis is also a member of the Appellate, Labor and Employment, Media, Entertainment, and Technology, and Crisis Management Practice Groups. She joined Gibson Dunn after serving as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during October Term 2004.

Ms. Evangelis is a graduate of New York University School of Law, where she earned the University Graduation Prize for the student with the highest grade point average in the graduating class. She also serves on the law school’s Board of Trustees.

Ms. Evangelis has served as lead counsel in a wide range of bet-the-company litigation matters in trial and appellate courts across the country. Her professional achievements are widely recognized by leading publications. Most recently, she was named by Best Lawyers as the 2023 Appellate Lawyer of the Year, by The Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California in 2022, and by Euromoney Legal Media Group as the 2021 Litigation Lawyer of Year.

Theane Evangelis

Co-Chair

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

George Frazis

Chief Executive of Consumer Bank

George Frazis

Chief Executive of Consumer Bank

Westpac Group

Dimitris Georgakopoulos

Co-founder and Managing Partner

An entrepreneur, Co-founder and Managing Partner with Outseta LLC, a company that challenges how business is done, resulting in employees who are more fulfilled in both their personal and professional lives. Outseta is an experiment in organizational purpose and design - informed by principles shared in Frederic Laloux's Reinventing Organizations. Prior co-founder of Buildium LLC which was sold to RealPage Inc in 2019.

An investor in companies with a social impact mission to become profitable and benefit society at large.

A philanthropist via the Helidoni foundation, primarily supporting initiatives and institutions that are having or looking to accomplish a meaningful positive impact while becoming self-sustainable via revenue that they derive from services that they provide to the public at large. A large part of the focus is in Greece.

Dimitris Georgakopoulos

Co-founder and Managing Partner

Outseta LLC

Stelios Haji‐Ioannou

Sir Stelios Haji‐Ioannou

Creator and Owner

Sir Stelios is best known for creating the easy family of brands beginning with easyJet in 1994 when he was just 27 years old. Six years later he floated the airline on the www.londonstockexchange.com in order to fund the airline’s growth however he and his family remain the largest shareholders holding around 15% of the shares.
The stock market currently values easyJet PLC at about £3.1 billion. When the COVID pandemic struck the airline was carrying about 100 million passengers per year and numbers were substantially reduced but are now recovering.

Sir Stelios, was born in Athens, Greece on February 14, 1967, the son of the late Loucas Haji‐Ioannou, a self‐ made Greek‐Cypriot shipping magnate. Stelios started his business career working for his father at Troodos Shipping in Piraeus, Greece until aged 25 when he founded his own shipping firm, Stelmar tankers with financial help from his father. Stelmar floated on the NYSE.com in 2001 and was sold to a competitor in 2005 for about US$1.3bn.

In 2006, at the age of 39, Stelios received a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II. Since 2009 he has been the Honorary General Consul for the Republic of Cyprus in the Principality of Monaco – where he lives. He graduated from the www.doukas.gr High School in Athens in 1984, the London School of Economics (lse.ac.uk) in 1987 and in 1988 obtained a MSc from the City University (www.cass.city.ac.uk). All three academic institutions currently benefit from Stelios Philanthropic Foundation donations via scholarships – the individual recipients are known as Stelios Scholars! These number more than 260 to date. Since 2018 he has acted as Chair of the enterprise fellows of the Prince’s Trust in the UK, a charity set up by HRH The Prince of Wales. In 2016 he founded the www.Gustaviayachtclub.org where he is Commodore.

Sir Stelios Haji‐Ioannou

Creator and Owner

The easy family of brands

Constantine Karides

Managing Partner

Constantine is the current Managing Partner of the Miami office of Reed Smith, LLP. Reed Smith is a global law firm with more than 1,500 lawyers in 30 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Constantine counsels companies and funds in a wide range of matters including distressed credit and special situations transactions, private equity, restructurings, and corporate governance. Constantine has worked with entities across the corporate growth cycle from early stage private companies to established publicly traded entities. He also has considerable cross-border experience and acts for foreign companies operating in the United States.

Constantine previously served on the board of directors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and now sits on the Legal Committee of the Greek Orthodox Church. His pro bono work has included a significant amount of refugees assistance within the Greek Islands, using legal skills to help protect human rights, support due process, and uphold the rule of law.

Constantine Karides

Managing Partner

Reed Smith LLP

Muhtar Kent (Emeritus)

Chairman of the Board of Directors, former CEO

Mr. Kent joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978 and has held a variety of global marketing and operations leadership roles throughout his career. In 2005, Mr. Kent was appointed President of Coca-Cola International, responsible for overseeing all operations outside of North America. In 2006, he assumed the role of President and Chief Operating Officer and in 2008 was elevated to President and CEO. He was named Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2009 and served as Chairman and CEO through April 2017.

Mr. Kent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Hull in England and a Master of Science degree in Administrative Sciences from Cass Business School in London.

Mr. Kent is the past Chairman of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and a member of its Chairman’s Community, a member of the Concordia Leadership Council, FIA High Level Panel on Road Safety (Federation Internationale l'Automobile), the Council on Foreign Relations, and Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. ASEAN Business Council. He serves on the boards of 3M, Special Olympics International, Catalyst, Cambridge China Development Trust and Emory University.

Muhtar Kent (Emeritus)

Chairman of the Board of Directors, former CEO

The Coca-Cola Company

Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis

Lieutenant Governor of California

Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis was sworn in as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 7th, 2019. She is the first woman elected Lt. Governor of California. A native Californian, she visited each of the state’s 58 counties during her historic campaign.

From 2010 to 2013, Kounalakis served as President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary. Kounalakis was the first Greek-American woman – and at age 43 one of America’s youngest – to serve as U.S. Ambassador. Her highly acclaimed memoir, “Madam Ambassador, Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties and Democracy in Budapest” (The New Press, 2015), chronicles the onset of Hungary’s democratic backsliding.

Governor Jerry Brown appointed Kounalakis to chair the California Advisory Council for International Trade and Investment in 2014. Kounalakis was a Virtual Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) between 2014 and 2017, specializing in international trade and immigration. She is currently a director of the Association of American Ambassadors and a National Democratic Institute (NDI) “Ambassadors Circle” advisor.

Prior to her public service, Kounalakis was president of one of California’s most respected housing development firms, AKT Development, where she worked for 18 years. She built master-planned communities and delivered quality housing to the Sacramento region’s working families – recognizing her as one of the capital region’s most prominent businesswomen. Passionate about early childhood development, Kounalakis served as a member of California’s First 5Commission and the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism.

Eleni Kounalakis graduated from Dartmouth College in 1989 and earned her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business in 1992. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the American College of Greece. She is married to Dr. Markos Kounalakis and the couple has two teenage sons, Neo and Eon.

Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis

Lieutenant Governor of California

Ted Leonsis

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ted Leonsis is founder, chairman, majority shareholder and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Washington Mystics, AFL’s 2018 Arena Bowl Champion Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade, the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA2K League’s Wizards District Gaming. Leonsis is a co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid. Monumental also owns the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena and operates MedStar Capitals Iceplex, the Capitals’ training facility, and George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena.

An integrated media, technology, sports and entertainment company, Monumental also runs Monumental Sports Network, a first-of-its-kind regional sports network for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. In addition, Leonsis is co-founder and a partner at Revolution Growth, a $1 billion set of investment funds via which he and his partners make a select group of speed-up capital investments in businesses each year. He sits on a variety of boards, including American Express and Groupon, and is the former vice chairman and president of AOL.

Ted Leonsis

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Monumental Sports and Entertainment

George M. Logothetis

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

George Logothetis is the Executive Chairman of Libra Group, a privately owned, global business group with assets and operations in nearly 60 countries. He is based in New York City. At 19, George became CEO of his family’s company, Lomar Shipping, which had three vessels at that time. The shipping business was grown into a more modern and diversified 55-vessel fleet over the next 10 years. In 2003, George founded Libra Group at the age of 28.

Today, Libra Group encompasses 20 businesses predominately focused on aerospace, renewable energy, maritime, real estate, hospitality, and diversified investments. George is also the Chairman of the Group’s sister organization Libra Philanthropies, an independent 501(c)(3) that includes 10 philanthropic initiatives. Previously known as Libra Social Responsibility, Libra Philanthropies’ initiatives include social impact programs, strategic giving, and independent non-profits supporting over 25 million people around the world.

George is Co-Chairman of the Leadership Council of Concordia, a member of the Board of Directors of President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance, a Global Advisory Council Member of the Wilson Center, a member of the American Democracy Month Council’s Board of Directors, and an Advisory Board Member of the Genius 100 Foundation. In 2013, George and Nitzia Logothetis founded the Seleni Institute, an independently run clinic and nonprofit supporting individuals and their families’ mental and emotional health during the family-building years.

George M. Logothetis

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Libra Group

George M. Marcus

Founder and Chairman

Born George Mathew Moutsanas in 1941 in Limni, Evia, Greece on the island of Euboea, one of the oldest-known confederation of Greek states in classical antiquity, he emigrated to the United States in 1945. He graduated as George M. Marcus from San Francisco State University with a B.A. degree in Economics, was honored as Alumnus of the Millennium in 1999 and received an honorary doctorate in 2011. He also received an honorary degree of Humanities from the Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2016. He is the co-founder and chairman of Marcus & Millichap Company. He is the founder and chairman of Essex Property Trust (ESS) and Marcus & Millichap, Inc (MMI) both publicly traded companies.

Mr. Marcus received the high Offikion of Archon Exarchos in 1991 by His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York.

His considerable commitments to the Greek Orthodox Church and his community include memberships on the Board of Directors at the Modern Greek Studies Foundation, CSU Foundation, UCSF Foundation, Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, which honored him in 2012, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, which honored him in 2014, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Elios Society and is committed to Leadership 100. He founded the National Hellenic Society, which brings together distinguished Greek Americans on a national level to preserve their heritage.

He is the majority owner of renowned Greek restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area; Kokkari in San Francisco and Evvia in Palo Alto. In 2014 Mr. Marcus participated in the White House Greek Independence Day celebration, where the authentic cuisine of his restaurants was served, both President Obama and Vice President Biden were in attendance.

George M. Marcus

Founder and Chairman

The Marcus & Millichap Company

Dennis Mehiel

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Mehiel is the Principal Shareholder and Chairman of U. S. Corrugated, Inc., formerly the Nation’s largest independent manufacturer of corrugated packaging until a recent transaction in which a substantial portion of USC was acquired by Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corporation. U. S. Corrugated divested 14 converting facilities and a recycled containerboard mill; it continues to operate 10 manufacturing plants located across the country.

Mr. Mehiel is also the Managing Member of Four M Capital, LLC, a Buffalo Wild Wings Franchisee developing the New York Metropolitan region in behalf of the Brand. The company owns and operates 20 BWW Sit Down Restaurants with additional sites under development.

In 2012 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Mr. Mehiel Chairman and C.E.O. of the Battery Park City Authority. BPCA operates a 92 Acre property created when the World Trade Center was constructed 40 years ago at the south end of Manhattan. The site contains ten million square feet of commercial space, residential properties with a population of 14,000 along with parks and other public spaces.

Mr. Mehiel is a member of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City. He is a former member of the Archdiocesan Council, the Lay Leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Americas, and continues as a member of its Leadership 100 Group and Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism. He is an Archon of The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the world’s oldest Lay Religious Organization and a recipient of the Medal of St. Paul, the Highest Honor a lay person may receive from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Dennis Mehiel

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Four M Investments, LLC

Corinne Mentzelopoulos

Chief Executive Officer

Corinne Mentzelopoulos

Chief Executive Officer

Château Margaux

C. Dean Metropoulos

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Metropoulos & Co. is a boutique acquisition and management firm started by Mr. Metropoulos and later joined by his sons, Evan and Daren, which have been involved for the past 30+ years in building, restructuring and growing numerous businesses in the U.S., Mexico and Europe.

Some of the “buy-build” private equity transactions led by Mr. Metropoulos include:

• Stella Foods (the #1 specialty cheese company in the U.S. & Canada)
• The Morningstar Group, Inc. (traded on the NASDAQ at the time)
• International Home Foods, Inc. (Chef Boyardee, Pam Cooking Spray, Gulden’s Mustard & Bumble Bee Tuna) – traded on the NYSE at the time
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Co.
• Mumm and Perrier Jouet Champagnes (France)
• Hillsdown Holdings, PLC (Premier International Foods, Burtons Biscuits, & Christie Tyler – UK/Europe)
• Pinnacle Foods Group, Inc. (Swanson/Hungry-Man, Vlasic Pickles, Open Pit Barbeque Sauce, Duncan Hines, Log Cabin Syrup, Mrs. Butterworth’s Syrup, Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast, Mrs. Paul’s Seafood, Van De Kamp’s Seafood, Celeste Pizza, & Lender’s Bagels)
• National Waterworks
• Solar Marine (a private international dry cargo shipping company)
• Pabst Brewing Company
• EPAQ (an integrated oil drilling company)
• Hostess Brands, LLC
• Utz Quality Foods, Inc. (one of the oldest east coast salty snack companies)
• Golden Flake Snack Foods (salty snacks)

Mr. Metropoulos has been involved in more than 81 acquisitions in many parts of the world over the past 30 years and has earned some of the most attractive returns on Wall Street.

The Metropoulos family is also very active with philanthropy, including, their commitments to the Gate’s Foundation “Giving Pledge”, the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, veterans, education, medical research and others.

Mr. Metropoulos and his wife, Marianne, of 43 years, have two sons, Evan and Daren, who have been involved and are an integral part of Metropoulos & Co

C. Dean Metropoulos

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

C. Dean Metropoulos & Co.

Nick Mitaros

Director

Nick Mitaros is a Perth, Western Australia based businessman with extensive commercial interests in the north of Australia. He has been on The Hellenic Initiative global board since its inception.

Nick sits on a number of private boards including as the Australian Resident Director for the cattle operations of the Government of Brunei Darussalam in northern Australia since 1998.

Nick holds both a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and Bachelor of Laws, and since retiring from legal practice in 2002, remained a Consultant to national law firm, Clayton Utz, until June 2019..

Nick is a director of commercial property development company, Jalouise Pty Ltd, a significant financial contributor to the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Awards (2013 – 2017).

Since 2015, Nick has served as Chairman of Leichhardt Industrials Pty Ltd, a resource company developing one of world’s largest solar salt projects in the Pilbara region of Australia.

Whilst at University, he served as Vice President of the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS 1979 - 80), and following graduation, as a member of the Governing Council of the Greek Orthodox Community of Northern Australia Inc (1982 – 1985).

Nick Mitaros

Director

Jalouise Pty Limited

Pericles Navab

Chairman and CEO

Pericles Navab is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PITCO Foods, a leading wholesaler and distributor to independent convenience and grocery store retailers in Northern California and Nevada. PITCO Foods’ divisions and warehouses, along with its subsidiaries, deliver more than 15 million pieces of merchandise annually to over 10,000 retail locations.

Pericles Navab

Chairman and CEO

PITCO Foods

James Neary

Senior Partner

Jim Neary heads the Industrial and Business Services Group and is the Co-Head of the Healthcare Group at Warburg Pincus. Mr. Neary is a member of the firm's Investment Management Group. During his career at Warburg Pincus, Mr. Neary has led Business Services; Late Stage Technology-enabled Services; Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Capital Markets. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, he was a Managing Director at Chase Securities. Mr. Neary is the chairman or board member of several companies including Allied Universal, Consolidated Precision Products, Duravant, Endurance International Group, Hygiena, Sotera Health and WEX. Among other public and private companies, he has previously served on the boards of Crossmark, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Interactive Data Corporation, InComm Holdings, Coyote Logistics, EFS (Electronic Funds Source) and Alert Global Media Holdings. Mr. Neary is on the Board of Trustees of The Mount Sinai Health System as well as The Eaglebrook School. In addition, he is the Co-Chair of the President's Council at Tufts University. He received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was the Eugene Lerner Finance Scholar.

James Neary

Senior Partner

Warburg Pincus

Caterina Papoulias-Sakellaris

Caterina Papoulias-Sakellaris

Philanthropist

Cathy Papoulias-Sakellaris achieved a successful business career occupying executive management positions in leading global companies including Procter & Gamble, Nielsen Marketing Research, ITT and Dun & Bradstreet. She has dedicated resources, expertise and service in community, philanthropic, and Hellenic Organizations. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Leadership 100, and served on the Board of Overseas at the Museum of Sience in Boston. She also sits on the boards of The Hellenic Initiative, Milton Academy, Public Power International, and the Faith Endowment.

Caterina Papoulias-Sakellaris

Philanthropist

Nicholas G. Pappas

Nicholas G. Pappas

President

Nicholas G. Pappas

President

Nicholas G. Pappas & Co.

Peter J. Poulos

President

Peter Poulos has worked as a fundraiser for decades. Early in his career, he joined Manatos & Manatos a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. After that he served as a fundraiser for the Bob Kerrey for United States Senator from Nebraska campaign and the Paul Simon for United States Senator from Illinois campaign.

A native New Yorker, he moved to San Francisco in 1989 to work as a political fundraiser for Kevin F. Shelley, former supervisor and secretary of state, and the late lieutenant governor, Leo T. McCarthy.

In 1993, Mr. Poulos opened Poulos Brothers, a fundraising and event-planning firm. In the span of 14 years, Poulos Brothers worked with over 100 nonprofit organizations and political candidates. In 1997, he began working with amfAR and continued to do so until he left San Francisco in 2006. He has raised millions of dollars for the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as breast cancer research, civil rights, homelessness, and the environment.

He is the former Executive Director of The Hellenic Initiative.

Mr. Poulos is a third generation American and an active member of the Greek American community.

Peter J. Poulos

President

Poulos Brothers, Inc.

William Spell

William Spell

Founder and President

William Spell is the founder and President of Spell Capital Partners and the Spell Family Office. Spell Capital is based in Edina, MN, and has a 36-year history of investing in Private Equity, specializing in industrial manufacturing transactions. Since 2018, the firm has invested on behalf of the Spell Family Office which has assets under management (AUM) of over $1.0 billion. Currently, the family office owns and manages 10 manufacturing platforms located around the world. Since 1997, Bill has been a member of the Young President's Organization (PO)and (CEO). He is the owner of the Spell Estate winery in Sonoma, CA. Bill and his wife Tiki established the Spell Family Foundation in 1992. He has BS and MBA degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Bill is a third generation Greek American. He is a member of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and has been a member of the Executive Committee. Bill is a fulfilled member of Leadership 100, a board member of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and a past Parish Council President of his Church in Minnesota. Bill is on the Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation Investment board & the Metropolis of Chicago Foundation. He's a recipient of the Medal of St. Paul. He is a board member of Holy Cross/ Hellenic College, and the St. Nicholas Church & Shrine in NY.

Bill has been married for 39 years and has two married adult children and two grandchildren. The Spell's spend their time in Edina, MN, Scottsdale, AZ, and Sun Valley, ID.

William Spell

Founder and President

Spell Capital Partners and Spell Family Office

Nikos Stathopoulos

Nikos Stathopoulos

Chairman Europe

Nikos is Chairman of Europe and Member of the Management Committee and Investment Committee of BC Partners, the leading international investment firm with Assets Under Management over $40bn. He joined BC Partners in 2005 and brings nearly three decades of experience in private equity across a number of sectors and geographies.

Prior to joining BC Partners, Nikos was a Partner at Apax Partners in London and prior to that worked as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in London.

Nikos is Chairman of the Board of United Group, Nova, Pet City, Alphabet Education, Cigierre, DentalPro, and Keesing and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Springer Nature and Advanced. He is also a member of the Global Advisory Board and Board of Dean’s Advisors of Harvard Business School, member of the Board of Regents of Boston College, the Board of Trustees of the American School in London, the Board of The Hellenic Initiative, member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Chairman of the BC Partners Foundation. Nikos holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in Business Administration from Athens University of Economics & Business (AUEB).

Financial News voted Nikos in the Hall of Fame of Private Equity in 2016 and named him in the 50 most influential investors in Europe in 2023.

Nikos Stathopoulos

Chairman Europe

BC Partners

George Svokos

Senior Vice President, Sales, and General Manager

George Svokos, was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He has been married for 35 years to his wonderful wife Grazia and has three beautiful and successful daughters, Erini, Elizabeth and Alexandra. George has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA for the University of Missouri. He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years in various managerial and executive positions. He is a Trustee of the Dr. Agnes Varis Trust which has supported THI since its inception.

George Svokos

Senior Vice President, Sales, and General Manager

API at Albany Molecular Research Inc.

Harry Wilson

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Harry Wilson

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

MAEVA Group, LLC

Ambassadors

Princess Tatiana

Chair

THI Ambassadors

Arianna Huffington

CEO and Founder

Arianna Huffington is the founder of The Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of 15 books, including, most recently, Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In August 2016, she launched Thrive Global, a corporate and consumer well-being and productivity platform with the mission of changing the way we work and live by ending the collective delusion that burnout is the price we must pay for success.

She has been named to Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.

She serves on numerous boards, including Uber, Onex, The Center for Public Integrity, Global Citizen and Just Capital.

Her last two books, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder and The Sleep
Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night At A Time, both became instant international bestsellers.

She is a mother, sister, flat shoe advocate, and sleep evangelist.

Arianna Huffington

CEO and Founder

Thrive Global

Mike A. Manatos

Mike A. Manatos

President

Mike Manatos has built on his family’s legacy as one of the most trusted and established in Washington, DC.  For 3 generations and over 88 years a Manatos has been working in or with the Federal Government.  Much of their work has included promoting and preserving Hellenism and Orthodoxy. Through his demonstrated integrity and credibility, Mike has built trusted, influential relationships throughout Washington, across the country and around the world.
Mike has spent his entire 34 year career working with national Greek-American community and has served on the Boards of many of the most influential organizations, including: Leadership 100 (since 2010), the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (since 2008); the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (appointed an Archon in 2006), the National Hellenic Society (since 2014), the National Hellenic Student Association.  He has also worked closely with government and business leaders in Greece and Cyprus for over three decades.
Honors he has received include: the inaugural “Philotimo Award” from the Hellenic Hearts Foundation (in 2022); the inaugural “Parents of the Year” Award (with his wife Laura) from the Loukoumi  Foundation (in 2019); one of Washington Life magazine’s “Philanthropic 50” (in 2020); one of “DC’s most powerful siblings” by Politico, and one of the “25 most intriguing people of Greek-America” by Greek-America Magazine.
He co-founded and serves as Executive Director of the Washington Oxi Day Foundation, creating the world-renowned OXI Courage Award and Service Awards.
Since he began his affiliation with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic in 1997, he has worked as a Board Member, wish granter, ambassador and has personally raised over $2 million and granted the wishes of over 250 children.  He served as Chairman of the Board from 2019 - 2023.

Mike A. Manatos

President

Manatos & Manatos

Nia Vardalos

Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

Nia Vardalos

Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

Staff

Michael Printzos

Michael Printzos

Greece, Country Head

Michael Printzos brings over 20 years of hands-on experience in the commercialization of R&D results, having worked with numerous companies and organizations in the USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, and Greece. Currently, he serves as the Greece, Country Director of The Hellenic Initiative, where he focuses on investing in the nation's future through direct philanthropy and economic revitalization.

In the past, Michael has been a trainer and invited speaker at conferences on innovation management and incubation. He is also the co-founder of two start-ups—one based in Athens, focusing on the renewable energy sector, and the other, a medical imaging software company, based in Oxford.

Additionally, Michael is a committee member of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation-Education-Entrepreneurship Committee, where he contributes to establishing a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and adapting best practices and policies. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Science from Oxford University (UK). In 2015, he was recognized as one of the 40 under 40 European Young Leaders representing Greece.

Michael Printzos

Greece, Country Head

Artemis Kohas

Director of Community Development

Artemis Kohas

Director of Community Development

Vlassis Adraktas

Vlassis Adraktas

Program Officer

Vlassis Adraktas has more than 10 years of experience in the philanthropic sector, having worked at some of the most prominent foundations in Greece. He has developed and implemented funding strategies in a broad range of programmatic areas, such as economic development, innovation, poverty relief and education. He is currently the Program Officer at The Hellenic Initiative, where he oversees the organization’s programs, investing in the country’s future through philanthropy and economic development.

Vlassis has also participated in various committees and panels of start-up incubation programs and has provided pro-bono consulting and mentoring to non-profits. He holds an Master’s degree in Economics and Management in the Creative Industries from Bocconi University and a Bachelor’s degree in History and International Relations from the American College of Greece.

Vlassis Adraktas

Program Officer

Xeni Kouveli

Xeni Kouveli

Digital Creative Consultant

Xeni Kouveli

Digital Creative Consultant

Tania Myrsioti

Tania Mysirioti

Social Media Manager

Results-driven marketing and communications professional with a passion for crafting compelling brand stories and engaging with target audiences. With a diverse background in strategic marketing, digital media, and content creation, including experience in agencies such as Ogilvy, Tania has successfully developed and implemented innovative campaigns that drive brand awareness and customer engagement. Skilled in leveraging data-driven insights to optimize marketing strategies and deliver measurable results.

Tania Mysirioti

Social Media Manager

Christina Maroulis

Operations Manager

Christina Maroulis

Operations Manager

Sophia Constantinides

Sophia Constantinides

Special Projects Consultant

Sophia Constantinides

Special Projects Consultant