By Terry Poulos, special to the Hellenic News of America
OBAMA CENTER INVITES: In late June, officials of the newly constructed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago hosted a grand opening, in honor of former President Barack Obama who served as an Illinois senator before winning the White House. Obama was joined by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, in addition to Greek Americans such as Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Mariyanna Spyropoulos. The Center also features an indoor basketball court. As a state and U.S. senator, Obama would often organize pickup games. Giannoulias, a former college star at Boston University, is a longtime Obama hoops pal. While in town, the gentlemen reprised the tradition with a game to christen the new hardcourt. Speaking of basketball…
MANTIS COMES FULL NBA CIRCLE: Northwest Indiana native Christopher Mantis has been invited to play NBA Summer League ball for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 1960, his grandfather, Nick Mantis, suited up for the then Minneapolis Lakers. The younger Mantis played at Appalachian State and the University of Maine. The elder Mantis starred at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL…Speaking of NU, the Wildcats signed transfer 6’10 center Ryan Soulis to the men’s basketball roster. In 2025, he played for Greece in the FIBA under-20 EuroBasket tournament.
CLEVELAND GREEKS ROCK: Cleveland, OH is home of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and an hour drive from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. This Spring, Crystal Lake, IL native Vasi Prokos was hired by CBS19 Cleveland as its latest on-air reporter. She comes over from Lexington, KY…Ohio boasts a rich Greek American community. One prominent native son is George Veras, 9-time sports Emmy winner and former director of NFL on CBS during the Jimmy “The Greek” glory years. Veras has carved out a prestigious career in diverse media. He directed the Yanni at the Acropolis live concerts, among many productions, and was consulting producer on the ESPN “30-for-30” documentary about Jimmy The Greek. Veras also served as executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, he’s executive producer of Anthem Sports Entertainment and TNA Wrestling.
CEO/AUTHOR: Veteran executive Constantine G. Alexandrakis, CEO of Chicago-based Russell Reynolds Associates, just published a book titled “The Catalyst CEO: Why CEO’s can’t lead transformation alone, and what the best do instead.”
FINANCIAL MERGER: Money manager Peter M. Maris announced in early June that after 30 years, Resources Financial Group, which he founded, would be merging with Charlotte, NC based Choreo Advisors on July 1.
SCHWAB HIRE: Financial writer/editor Dimitra DeFotis, an ex-Barron’s trusted advisor, has joined the Charles Schwab brokerage firm as a senior web editorial manager.
AMAZON TO MAMAZON: After 8 years at Amazon, Georgia Kastaris moved on to found Expecting Together in Chicago, where she’ll serve as CEO of the neonatal nursing care startup. She already accumulating some first-hand experience with a little toddler of her own.
ACCENTURE PROMOTION: MBA and gen-AI specialist Demitra “Demi” Giannaras was recently promoted to senior manager at the business consulting firm Accenture.
AMERICA 250th GREEK ART TOUCH: With this year’s 250th anniversary of America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence, Chicago Greektown officials couldn’t have picked a better theme and design for the 2026 outdoor street art exhibition. The sculpture, given to 20-some area artists including area Greek schools, is an extension of lady liberty’s flame positioned on a pedestal that includes a scroll where artists inserted their favorite section from the Declaration or US Constitution. “We The People: Life, liberty and the pursuit of beauty in Greektown” debuted in early June. The works line Halsted Street from Van Buren south to Monroe north. For the 10th straight year, this columnist was privileged to participate as a contributing artist. Various dignitaries attended, including Emmanual Koubarakis, Consulate General for Greece in Chicago, along with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos, Chicago Alderman William “Elias” Conway, Evanston Township Committeeman Dean Maragos, Enosis Federation chair George Revoliotis, National Hellenic Museum Executive Director Marianne Vallas Kountoures, and Chicago Greektown Educational Foundation President Irene Koumi and VP Louie Mossos. The sculpture design was rendered by Greektown arts chair Eve Moran.
PATRIOT GAMES: Elmhurst, IL resident Peter Karamitsos is a former University of Illinois gymnast, two-time Jeopardy champion, successful software salesman, husband to Maria Fotinopoulos Karamitsos, a noted figure in Greek media, and father of two intelligent and thoughtful young daughters. On top of everything, he’s also a skilled artist who – as an elementary schooler – had his design selected by the Village of Carol Stream, IL for its official 1976 bicentennial vehicle sticker. Pete was honored to appear on Jeopardy while the legendary Alex Trebek was still hosting in his final season.
GREEK CLASSICS SCHOLAR: The University of Chicago in late May announced the passing of James M. Redfield, “renowned scholar of the ancient Greek world.”. A university retrospective states “Redfield’s most influential book, Nature and Culture in the Iliad: The Tragedy of Hector (1984)…had an enormous impact on the field of classics, shifting the way people thought about the structure and sense of the epic poem.”
JULY CALENDAR: July 16-19 Greekfest at St. George, Schererville, IN…July 17-19 Greekfest at St. Haralambos, Niles, IL…July 18-19, Greekfest at All Saints in Joliet, IL…July 20 Greek Heritage Night at Wrigley Field. Email [email protected]…July 25-26 Greekfest at Sts. Peter & Paul, Glenview, IL.
Terry Poulos is a writer and publisher of TheSportsIndex.com who also chronicles Greek America. He’s co-founder of Chicago’s Greek Media Club and a member of the AHEPA Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee
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