WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2023 – Some of the most prominent current and former U.S. government officials, business leaders and other influential opinion leaders of Greek origin met with Greek-American students from across the country as part of the 8th Annual NHS Heritage America program from July 26-29.

This annual program is hosted by the National Hellenic Society and Manatos & Manatos. This year’s program featured a hybrid format of meetings in person and via Zoom.

These esteemed speakers shared their family immigration experiences from Greece and how Hellenic and Orthodox principles and ideals, such as hard work, faith, family, moderation, empathy and love, helped them achieve success.

As a result of this program, now in its eighth year, these students better understand and appreciate the amalgam of Greek and American culture and heritage produces far more success than either culture or heritage alone.

Early on, Greek immigrants ranked last among American nationalities in education and income. Yet their children, in just one generation, climbed to the top of both rankings in the country that led the world in these two categories.

Mentors in the 2023 Heritage America Program included:

Business Leaders

• Principal, Metropoulos & Co., C. Dean Metropoulos
• Founder, Chairman, Calamos Investments and Chairman, National Hellenic Museum, John Calamos
• President & CEO, International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, Phil Kafarakis
• President & CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Paul Skoutelas
• Owners, Georgetown Cupcake, Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne
• Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, GW Medical Faculty Associates, Dimitri Sigounas
• President, The Angelides Group, Philios Angelides

Government

• Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and former White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta
• White House Associate Communications Director, Maria Michalos
• Second-longest Serving CIA Director, George Tenet
• Former White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus
• Former Deputy Counsel to the Vice President, Eleni Roumel

• Congressman Gus Bilirakis
• Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis
• Congressman Chris Pappas
• Congressman John Sarbanes
• Congresswoman Dina Titus

• Commanding General of the US Army Forces Command, 4 Star General Andrew Poppas
• Lieutenant Governor of California, Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis
• Former Mayor of San Francisco Art Agnos

• Partner, K&L Gates, Manny Rouvelas
• Head of Federal Affairs, Block, Tom Manatos
• Principal, Trilogy Advisors, John Sitilides
• President and Founder, HAWC, Dora Hancock
• Chief of Staff to former Congressman David Cicilline, Peter Karafotas

Greek Orthodox Church, Greece, Cyprus and NHS Leadership

• Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros
• Embassy of Greece Deputy Chargé d’affaires, Amb. Theodoros Bizakis
• Embassy of Cyprus Deputy Chief of Mission, Maria Savvidou-Panayiotou
• Embassy of Greece Air Attaché Col. Ioannis Markakis

• Executive Director, National Hellenic Society (NHS),  Art Dimopoulos
• Founder, Heritage America, Andy Manatos
• NHS Board Member and Co-Founder, Heritage America, Mike Manatos

Media

• Chief White House Correspondent, New York Times, Peter Baker
• EVP and Chief Digital Officer, CNN Worldwide, Athan Stephanopoulos
• Cybersecurity Reporter, Politico, John Sakellariadis
• Sports Director, WTOP Radio, George Wallace

To see more photos from this year’s program, please click here.