His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, meeting for the first time with the Leadership 100 Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, November 7 and 8, 2019 in New York City, inspired both groups with his forthright manner and his vision for the future of the Church. Formally welcomed by Leadership 100 Chairman Argyris Vassiliou, the Archbishop praised Leadership 100 for perpetuating the legacy of Archbishop Iakovos and providing generous support of the Archdiocese for 35 years.
“Your dedication to the legacy of Archbishop Iakovos of Blessed Memory, your Founder and my inspiration, gives me great hope in taking up the awesome responsibilities of leading the Church in America. I want to assure you that the Ecumenical Patriarch and I are both aware of the generous support Leadership 100 has offered to the Archdiocese and to the National Ministries. We should always be mindful that we are ONE Archdiocese here in America working together for the perpetuation of our Orthodox Faith and Hellenism. Leadership 100 continues to play a vital role,” His Eminence stated.
His Eminence reported that the Archdiocese is back on course and financially stable and that efforts to revitalize Hellenic College/ Holy Cross and complete the building of St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine were making progress. However, he added a word of caution. “We are faced with numerous challenges all around us. We need to address these challenges head on, bolstered by our faith and heritage. The Church needs your honesty, your integrity and your fighting spirit,” he added.
The Vice-Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council, John A. Catsimatidis, who is also a member of the Leadership 100 Executive Committee, reported that concerted efforts were underway to collect on pledges for the rebuilding of St. Nicholas and he thanked Leadership 100 for their generous support of the project.
The Chairman of the Nominating Committee, John A. Payiavlas, presented the slate of nominees, who were elected by the Board, including Chairman, Argyris Vassiliou and Vice-Chairman Demetrios G. Logothetis, both elected to their second two-year terms, from 2020 to 2022.
The Board also elected the highly respected and accomplished secretary, Kassandra Romas, to serve as Treasurer, filling the position of Thomas G. Jordan of Blessed Memory, and long-serving and dedicated Board member Maria Allwin to serve as Secretary, electing her to the Executive Committee to fill the seat of Theodore Zampetis, who, after many years of dedicated service was stepping down due to family obligations. A second member of the Board, Christopher Pappas of the Denver Metropolis, was elected to the Executive Committee, to fill the seat of Thomas Jordan.
Five members were elected to the Board of Trustees, Chrysa Demos of the San Francisco Metropolis, Lily Katos of the Direct Archdiocesan District, Stavro Soussou of the New Jersey Metropolis, John Stratakis of the Direct Archdiocesan District and Theodore Theophilos of the Chicago Metropolis. Chairman Vassiliou recognized three members of the Board of Trustees, whose terms expired, for their service, Froso Beys of the Direct Archdiocesan District, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos of the San Francisco Metropolis and Eliana Papadakis of the New Jersey Metropolis.
In addition, the Chairman announced that Michael Bapis replaced Demetrios Logothetis as Chairman of the Audit Committee and that Justin Bozonelis replaced John Sitilides as Chairman of the Grant Committee. Logothetis and Sitilides were both thanked for having faithfully served in their positions for six years and twelve years respectively.
Caption: His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros cuts cake presented for his Name Day at Leadership 100 Executive Committee meeting.
