Prominent Hellenes Mentor Greek-American Youth

 

WASHINGTON, DC, August 15, 2025 – For the 10th year, Greek-American students and young professionals from around the country met with and were mentored by some of our country’s most successful. Over 45 current and former US government officials, business leaders and influential thought leaders of Greek heritage – and even some Philhellenes – held intimate meetings with these young Greek-Americans from July 29 – July 31 in Washington, DC in person and from across the country via zoom. This annual program is hosted by the National Hellenic Society (NHS)  and implemented by Manatos & Manatos.

 

 

Meetings again took place this year in the White House complex, the US Capitol Building (including on the balcony of the Speaker of the House), the Embassy of Greece, and the iconic Monocle Restaurant on Capitol Hill, with the program concluding with a bus tour of Washington, DC architecture and monuments inspired by ancient Greece.

 

 

 

 

Each speaker shared insights on their personal connection with their Greek heritage and how Hellenic principles and values, that burned bright in their family’s immigrants, have lived on in following generations and influenced their careers and professional development. Values such as hard work, honor and humility, education, excellence and empathy, family, faith and philotimo were key values defining the success of our speakers this year. Now in its tenth iteration, this program has imparted a deeper understanding to our participants on the unique position Greek-Americans hold in impacting and igniting change, both regionally and globally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mentors in the 2025 Heritage America Program included:

Government
Four Star General Andrew Poppas, Commanding General of US Army Forces Command
Four Star Admiral James Stavridis, Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Global Forces
George Tenet, Longest-serving CIA Director in US history
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, California Lieutenant Governor
Eleni Roumel, First Greek-American woman to serve as a Federal Judge
Michael Kratsios, White House Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Brian Bulatao, Former Under Secretary of State
Athina Lawson, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) Press Secretary
Greg Steele, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) Communications Director
Rebecca Angelson, Chief of Staff, Office of Senator Jon Husted (R-OH)
Alex Angelson, Former Special Assistant to the President, White House Office of Legislative Affairs
Jack Kalavritinos, Former HHS Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs
Senior policy advisors to other Greek-American Members of Congress (who were not in DC):

Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) Senior Policy Advisor Nathan Stamps
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) Senior Policy Advisor Michelle Shevin-Coetzee
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) Senior Legislative Assistant Alex Schroeder
Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH) Senior Legislative Assistant Jake Friedman
Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) Chief of Staff Mitchell Moonier

 

 

 

 

Media
George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Chief Anchor
Peter Baker, New York Times Chief White House Correspondent
Athan Stephanopoulos, CNN Worldwide Former EVP and Chief Digital Officer
Laura Evans Manatos, Fox 5 News Former Anchor / President and CEO, Laura Evans Media
John Sakellariadis, Politico Cybersecurity Reporter
George Wallace, WTOP News Sports Director

 

 

 

 

 

Business Leaders
John Calamos, Vietnam War Hero / Founder & Chairman, Calamos Investments 
George Stamas, Gibson & Dunn Partner  / THI Co-founder and President
Manny Rouvelas, K&L Gates Partner / NHS Board Member
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, ECOS President and CEO 
Paul Skoutelas, American Public Transportation Association President & CEO
Diana Doukas, Meta Platforms Head of Econ. Opp. & Advocacy / Fmr. White House Small Buss. Liaison
Tom Manatos, Block Inc. Head of Americas Policy / former Speaker Pelosi’s House Democrats Liaison
Dr. Dimitri Sigounas, Adventist Healthcare Neurosurgery Chair
John Sitilides, Trilogy Advisors Principal

 

 

 

Hellenic and Orthodox Leadership
Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros [by video]
Father Alex Karloutsos, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne 
Lea Soupata, NHS Chair
Art Dimopoulos, NHS Executive Director
Andy Manatos, Heritage America Founder / Former Asst. Sec. of Commerce / Manatos & Manatos CEO 
Mike Manatos, Heritage America Co-Founder / THI Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embassies of Greece and Cyprus

Greece
Konstantinos Ntelikos, Counselor
George Fostiropoulos, Political Secretary
Connie Mourtoupalas, Cultural Attache
Christina Fiorentzi, First Secretary for Public Diplomacy

Col. Odysseas Papaevangelou, Defense Attaché
Capt. Nikolaos Lazakis, Naval Attaché
Col. Ioannis Markakis, Air Attaché
LTC Evangelos Zacharis, Military Attaché

Cyprus
Myrianthi Spathi, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Cyprus
Andronikos Stylianou, Congressional Liaison, Embassy of Cyprus