Falls Church, Virginia- April 7, 2025- The Hellenic Career Connections event held on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, at Saint Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church, Chelpon Hall, had major success, connecting a variety of high school and college students and graduates with various Greek-American professionals throughout the community. Hosted by Saint Katherine’s GOYA, this gathering helped stimulate career exploration and networking while being empowered by all of the attendees: professionals, students, volunteers, and sponsors alike. This event highlighted the strength of the Greek-American community while welcoming over 30 students and 26 business & community leaders representing a variety of professions and industries.
The event began at 1 pm. From 1 pm to 1:30 pm, the participants had time to register and enjoy snacks and delicious meze provided by Eleni Sarantis & Angelo Linardakis, owners of the Spartans and the Olympians Family Restauramts. The event started at 1:30 pm with a welcome and brief overview by co-chairs Diana Skordalakis and Kostas Alexis, followed by Tony Alexis, who thanked the sponsors and introduced the Master of Ceremonies. He encouraged the students, ” We know you will achieve great things, but life can also be hard, with many challenges ahead. As you continue your education and career, embrace the values of the Greek Orthodox faith,
Hellenic philosophy, Greek culture, and family. These timeless principles will guide you through life’s challenges and enrich your life.”
The event was officially kicked off with Zac Cotronakis, Executive Director of the American Hellenic Institute, who inspired the attendees with his talk on college life, Hellenism, career development, networking, and the importance of getting involved with the local Greek American Community.
From 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm, each of the professionals spoke about their career paths to success, including:
American Hellenic Institute
Zac Cotronakis, Executive Director of the American Hellenic Institute
Architecture
Kostas Drakakis, Drakakis Architecture LLC
Banking/Finance
Dora Gougoufkas, Managing Vice President, Head of International Talent Expansion
Peter Pappas, Investment Banking Analyst, B. Riley Securities
Consulting/IT
Joanna Alexis, Founde1; CEO, Business Technologist at Navstar Inc.
Dean Economou, Sr. Director, DOD & Intel Programs
Education
Eleni Alexis, Primary School, Special Ed Teacher
Engineering
Dr. Tom Stoumbos, Director of Engineering, Northrop Grumman
Government Affairs
Billy Blathras, Legislative Correspondent, US House of Representatives Stavros Savas, Assistant, Policy Implementation, Department of HHS
Government/Public Service
Kelly Bletsis, FBI Supervisory Special Agent
Peter Marketos, Chief Deputy US Marshal, Eastern District of Virginia
Health/Medicine
Dr. Chrys Gaitatzes, Neonatologist at Holy Cross Health
Julia Goussetis, Occupational Therapist, Georgetown Hospital
Dr. Gus Kohilas, ER – Fairfax !NOVA Hospital
Dr. Emanuel Skordalakis, Pediatric Dentist, Potomac Falls Pediatric Dentistry
Legal
Rosemary Filou, Deputy Dir & Chief Counsel at US Securities & Exchange Commision
Military & Public Service
Tony Quebral, US Naval procurement Specialist
Christos Snear, Synchronization Staff Officer, HQDA G-8 FDG, GC Associates USA, LLC LTC Gorgios Zagorianos, US Army, Military Intelligence Ojjice1 Criminal Investigat01 and Defense Attache
Recruiter
Christos Silva, Head of Talent Acquisition for the Space Industry
Science
Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, Consultant: Geophysics I Gemology I Environmental Mgt
Sales/Marketing
Kelly Alexis, CEO & Managing Partner, Creative Experience LLC
Christina Hyrkas, Acct Executive, Salesforce
Small Business Owner
Vangelis Spyridakis, Thesis Painting
“We were honored to feature such an impressive lineup of Greek-American professionals,” said Diana Skordalakis, president of the GOYA program at Saint Katherine. “Each speaker brought a unique perspective and depth of experience from their respective fields. Their willingness to share their journeys, challenges, and advice with our youth inspired and empowered the next generation of leaders. This spirit of mentorship and cultural pride is at the heart of our community and the mission of this event.”
At 2:30 pm, Cotronakis returned to the stage to introduce the next section of the event: career breakout sessions, which were from 2:40 pm to 3:40 pm. These sessions allowed students to engage directly with the professionals in their fields of interest by fostering one-on-one conversations and career guidance. Attendees were also encouraged to use meetagreek.org for their additional questions and comments.
“This event is a powerful blend of career development and cultural pride,” said Kostas Alexis. “Seeing students connect with role models who share their heritage was truly inspiring.”
Concluding the event was an informal networking period that allowed participants to expand on relationships created throughout the entirety of the event. Special thanks were extended to sponsors American Hellenic Institute, AHEPA, the Laconian Society of DC, the Hellenic Society Prometheas, and the Washington Area Greek Education Association, whose generosity made this impactful gathering possible. We also want to thank our GOYA advisors, Mrs Barbara Spyridakis and Mrs Kelly Alexis, for their help!
St. Katherine GOYA remains committed to supporting Greek youth and professionals through initiatives like the Hellenic Career Connections. For more information, to provide comments, to contact any of our career professionals, or to stay updated on future events, visit meetagreek.org or contact info@meetagreek.org or (703) 671-1515.
About St. Katherine’s GOYA
St. Katherine’s GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) is dedicated to empowering Greek-American youth by fostering spiritual growth, promoting Hellenic heritage, and encouraging service and fellowship within the Orthodox Christian community.
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