Chris Spirou, co-founder of Hellenic American University. He served as the University’s first President, from 2004 through June 2012. Mr. Spirou currently serves as President Emeritus and is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. He is President and CEO of the Hellenic American Union, a bi-national, international educational and cultural center, located in Athens, Greece. Born in the village of Porti Karditsa, Thessaly, Greece, Chris Spirou immigrated to the United States in 1956 at a very young age. He attended Saint Anselm’s College in Manchester, New Hampshire and received a Master’s Degree from Goddard College in Vermont. In 1970, he was appointed by President Richard Nixon to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Voluntary Action. That same year, he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives and soon rose to become House Democratic Leader in the New Hampshire House. In 1984, Chris Spirou was the Democratic Nominee for Governor of New Hampshire making him the highest elected American of Greek origin, born in Greece, in either the Democratic or Republican Party. In 1989, he was elected Chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and in 1992, as President of US President Bill Clinton’s Electors. As President and Chairman of the Hellenic American Union, Mr. Spirou transformed the organization into a major academic force in Greece and a highly regarded, dynamic forum for addressing Greek-American concerns both in Europe and in the United States. As President of Hellenic American University, Chris Spirou played a vital role in establishing the University as a respected Institution of Higher Education, in New Hampshire, USA and internationally.
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