Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Chair. Jimmy Athanasopoulos is currently representing several ultra high net worth individuals and their respective organizations and is serving them as a Special Advisor in areas such as Energy, Real Estate, Startups, Shipping and others. Previously, Jimmy was Greece Representative of Libra Group in the area of Social Responsibility and was responsible for the Libra Social programs in Greece. Jimmy was also responsible for the public relations and liaison with partners, trustees and beneficiaries of Libra’s social responsibility activities. Following an MBA from Northeastern Illinois University, Jimmy began his career in Chicago, Illinois as a provider of financial and investment services across various asset classes. He later undertook a variety of management roles at multinational corporations including DNV, Tyco Healthcare, and TetraPak before entering ship management as Chief Financial Controller with FreeSeas Inc. preparing statutory reports towards the SEC. He later joined G. Bros Maritime S.A. where he was responsible for financial reporting to the Board of Directors. Jimmy joined the Libra Group, in 2012, as Director of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award (rebranded in to Envolve Entrepreneurship), an initiative aiming to support Greek start-up businesses, funded and operated by the Libra Group. In 2015, he joined Libra’s Executive Team as Head of Social Responsibility, providing strategic oversight of the group’s global responsibility and education programs. In 2016, Jimmy completed the Executive Education Program for Corporate Social Responsibility at Harvard Business School. In 2019, he served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of EuroEnergy, Libra Group’s energy company in Europe. At EuroEnergy, Jimmy managed the company’s economic strategy and was responsible for financial reporting to partners. Additionally, he was Chairman of Envolve Entrepreneurship. He has been sitting on the Advisory Council of The American Community School in Athens since 2016. He has previously been a member of Board of Directors of the HOME Project, an initiative founded in Greece to provide a safe haven for refugees, with a special focus on unaccompanied children.
Steven C. Panagiotakos, Vice Chair. Attorney Panagiotakos served seven terms in the Massachusetts State Senate. He was appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means in March 2007. Chairman Panagiotakos was responsible for the oversight and development of the Commonwealth’s $26.8 billion dollar budget. He has a long history of community and political involvement, particularly in the area of education. Before being elected to the State Senate in 1997, he served two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and two terms as a member of the Lowell School Committee. Attorney Panagiotakos attended Phillips Academy, received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and obtained a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. He maintains a law practice not far from his home in Lowell, MA.
Dr. Aris Candris was president and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company from 2008 to 2012. Prior to this, Dr. Candris served as senior vice president in charge of the Nuclear Services business unit first in 2000, and then resumed the role in 2004 after completing a special assignment as senior vice president, Operational Excellence, from June 2003 through August 2004, during which he developed the formative stages of the Westinghouse Customer 1st initiative. From 1996 to 1999, Dr. Candris was vice president and general manager of the Nuclear Services business unit; vice president of Nuclear Services operations; director of Nuclear Services projects; and, director of Nuclear Technology. Between 1980 and 1995, he managed Nuclear Technology and Nuclear Services organizations in the areas of operating plant marketing; strategic operations; nuclear safety analysis and strategic development; functional design; reliability technologies; and, reliability engineering. He began his Westinghouse career in 1975 as a senior engineer in the former Advanced Reactor Division. Dr. Candris holds a B.A. from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is on the boards of NiSource Inc., Kurion Inc., and The Hellenic Initiative, as well as on the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon and Transylvania University.
Nicholas Christodoulopoulos is a retired admiralty lawyer. He has been a ship-owner since 1973. He is President of Fidetrust Investments LTD., in London (UK), Vice-President of the Greek Tourist Ship-owners’ Association (2000-2015), and a member of the legal committee of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping for 18 years. He is also a member of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, New York. Dr. Christodoulopoulos earned a law degree from the University of Athens (L.L.B., 1960), a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Rome (scholarship 1963) and a LL.M. in Comparative Law from Columbia University ( fellowship 1966). He is also chairman of the Orama Foundation, a New York non-for-profit charity institution. He is a Greek- American residing in New York City.
George P. Chrousos MD, ScD, MACE, MACP, FRCP. Professor George Chrousos was born in Patras, Greece, in 1951. He completed his MD studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) as the valedictorian of his class in 1975. He obtained his Medical Sciences Doctorate from NKUA, and did his residency in Medicine, NKUA, and Pediatrics, New York University, and his fellowship in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD. He was Chief of the Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, NICHD, NIH, and subsequently Chairman, First Department of Pediatrics, NKUA, Athens, Greece, until 2018. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Endocrinology, Holder, UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Director of the University Research Institute on Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine at the NKUA, and Senior Investigator at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens. Professor Chrousos pioneered studies that elucidated the effects of stress on the organism at the behavioral, neuroendocrine, cellular and molecular levels and made fundamental contributions to the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of pituitary, adrenal and stress-related complex pathologies, i.e., major depression, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and autoimmune/inflammatory, reproductive and sleep disorders. He made seminal observations in the glucocorticoid signaling system of the cell and deciphered some of its key clinical implications. Professor Chrousos’s work has been cited over 179,000 times (H-index204) making him one of the top 100 cited authors (Google Scholar Sept 2022) and a highly cited physician-scientist (ISI) in both Clinical Medicine and Biology and Biochemistry. He has received numerous major awards, including the Fred Conrad Koch Award, the highest honor of the US Endocrine Society. He is a Doctor Honoris Causa of the Universities of Liege, Belgium, Universita Politechnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy, and University of Patras, Greece, and an honorary professor of the Universities of Warwick, UK, St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Russia, Xi’an Medical University, China, and Democritean University of Thrace, Greece. He served as Board Member and President of the International Society of Neuroimmunomodulation, the European Society of Clinical Investigation and the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Research, the Association of American Physicians, the European Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters Academia Europaea and the US National Academy of Medicine.
Sofia Konstantopoulou is the Global Head, Marketing & Events of IBIA. She focusses on the business strategy and commercial development of the company. After more than a decade working in organizations such as UNESCO, European Parliament and in the private sector, she managed strategy development projects for multinational companies across different industries, where she has specialized in Corporate Marketing, Sales, Events and CRM practices. Ms. Konstantopoulou has been rewarded with the European Award for the ‘Most Innovative Marketing’ in Europe representing Greece in CEBIT Dublin. She has also been listed in the ‘Who is Who 2018’ as one of the most eminent personalities in Greece and ‘One of the most Influential Professionals’ in the shipping industry in 2018, according to allaboutshipping.co.uk. She is the Founder and Chair of the Greek International Women Awards. Ms. Konstantopoulou holds a BA in Arts Management and Theatre Studies (North London University) a MA at Arts Administration and Cultural Policy (Goldsmith’s University) and a MA in International Politics (CERIS – ULB Diplomatic School of Brussels).
Panayiotis Peter Kontis was born in Athens, 7th district of the City of Athens, where he attended grade and high school. He studied business administration at the American College of Greece obtaining a Bachelor of Science in marketing & finance, summa cum laude. He did his post graduate studies at Northeastern University in Boston, USA where he earned an MBA in finance, a Master of Science in economic policy & planning and a Master of Arts in international relations. He has taught at Northeastern University, Boston and the American College of Greece for over twenty years in the areas of marketing & finance. He worked in the top management of multinational companies including Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Volkswagen-Audi. He is currently the Vice President at Ameresco leading the company’s efforts to plan and implement investments in renewable energy sources in Europe.
George N. Pavlakis, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Scientist Emeritus, Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute, USA. Dr. Pavlakis received his M.D. from the University of Athens, Greece, and his Ph.D. from Syracuse University. He has been associated with the National Cancer Institute since 1980 and is currently Chief of the Human Retrovirus Section. He has directed both basic research and clinical development projects based on his pioneering research achievements. Dr. Pavlakis has extensive research and development experience in molecular biology, virology, and immunology. He is credited with the first production of mature human hormones in mammalian cells by recombinant DNA technologies. He continues this work by the development of new production methods and clinical application of heterodimeric IL-15 (hetIL-15). Dr. Pavlakis co-developed codon/RNA optimization methods that have found wide applications in biotechnology, gene therapy protocols and DNA vaccines. He developed DNA vaccines for HIV and showed they provide strong and long lasting immunity. He developed strong fluorescent GFP mutants that are in wide use in biology. His studies have provided new insights on the biology of several viruses and have aided the development of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. His work has also led to the development of innovative biotechnology drugs and gene therapy procedures. Dr. Pavlakis is member of several professional societies, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians. He is a highly cited researcher, has authored more than 200 publications and is inventor of more than 50 US and International patents.
Nikolaos Renieris is an entrepreneur who has started several successful specialty companies for products he has developed. He is currently CEO of National Bio+Green Sciences, an FDA licensed medical device, RX and OTC drug developer; which is the parent company of NBGS PHARMA and MASKEX PPE. Prior to that, he served as CEO of THIRA Trade Corp, a company he co-founded soon after his studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and which manufactures brewing devices and single cup packaging technology. He continues to serve as head of THIRA’s research and development team.
Anastasia Sideri holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and brings with her 35+ years of professional experience in Marketing, Strategic Communications, Sustainability & Public Affairs fields. She started her career with PROCTER AND GAMBLE and held a series of senior positions in large Greek and multinational companies, including FAGE, BOUTARI, DIAGEO, DHL, the ATHENS INTERNATIIONAL AIRPORT and THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. She held a series of positions of increased responsibility and in her latest role as Communications Director she provided Communications leadership and crisis management in 26 countries in Coca-Cola in Central and Southeast Europe. She retired at the beginning of 2020 and in June 2020 she was appointed as Honorary Professor at the ADAM SMITH School of Business at the University of Glasgow. She is Board member in MY SPECTRUM, a Markeing Sevices Agency and member of the Suprvisory Board of the charitable Foundation ESTIA Agios Nikolaos in Galaxidi, a lifesharing community for people with special needs. She has also served as the Chair of the Women in Business (WIB) Committee of American Chamber of Commerce in Greece. She is a founding member of the Hellenic Network of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Hellenic Communications network and served as Board member in the Hellenic Advertisers Association. She is an advocate of lifelong learning, is NLP trained, speaks 6 languages and is very active in areas related to Effective communications, Crisis communications, CSR, Volunteerism, Ethical leadership, Accountable Marketing, Growth mindset and Women and Youth empowerment. She is a speaker in fora and conferences around the globe in all areas above. She also became a Tedx Talker at the Agricultural University of Athens. She is a mother of two children, 27 and 25 years old, and lives with her husband in Athens Greece.
Constantine (Costa) Sideridis is President and CEO of Ferro-Ceramic Grinding Inc., a private Massachusetts firm specializing in the manufacture of advanced ceramic materials supplying the semiconductor, medical, aerospace, defense, electronic, and microwave industries in the US and throughout the world. Mr. Sideridis has served as a trustee and advisor for a variety of organizations, including president of the Alpha Omega Council from 2020-present, partner at Bridgemedica from 2008 to 2018, founding member of the New England CEO network from 2011 to present, trustee at the Brain Science Foundation from 2011 to present, Boston regional co-chair for the National Hellenic Society 2014 to present, and a member of the Order of AHEPA. Mr. Sideridis is also actively involved within the Greek Orthodox Church as he was bestowed an Archon (2015) by the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Order of Saint Andrew, a founding member of The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation, a fulfilled member of Leadership 100, a member of the Archdiocesan council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of New York, a council member of the Metropolis of Boston in Brookline, chairman of the Metropolis camp golf tournament, and parish council board member and former Stewardship chairman of the St. George parish in Lynn, MA. Mr. Sideridis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Ceramic Engineering (1992) and Bachelor of Arts in Economics (1992) degrees from Rutgers University. He resides in Salem, MA with his wife Allyson and their 2 boys.
Dr. Leonidas Tzonis is President of the Board (Chief Executive Officer) of the Hellenic American Union, where he leads Greece’s oldest educational and cultural institution. He has been a key figure in the development of Hellenic American University, having served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Professor of Business. His leadership has shaped the University’s academic excellence, financial stewardship, and international growth. He holds a Ph.D. from Newcastle Business School, an M.Sc. in Finance and Investment and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of Durham, and a B.Sc. in Economics and Business Finance from Brunel University. Earlier in his academic career, he taught at Durham University Business School, the Singapore Institute of Management, and SOAS, University of London. Dr. Tzonis has consulted for organizations across Greece, Northern Africa, and Central Asia, specializing in strategic planning, education management, and financial governance. He has also supported the establishment of higher-education institutions in Cyprus, Libya, and Mongolia. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce in New York and is an active member of several professional and community organizations, including the Culture Committee of the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Hellenic American Leadership Council, and the American Hellenic Institute. His contributions to education and community service have been recognized with an Honorary Professorship from the Warsaw University of Business and distinguished honors from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa (Archon).