“I am truly honored to have the confidence of the membership and be re-elected in this capacity,” said Gulas. “I look forward to working with the Supreme Lodge to build upon the work we started this past year, and to also build upon the momentum generated from the Athens convention, which all agree, was a tremendous success.
Gulas is a member of Birmingham Chapter No. 3, and has served AHEPA in numerous capacities including Supreme Vice President, Supreme Counselor, and as a member of the Board of Directors.
2008 – 09 Supreme Lodge
Many of the members of the previous Supreme Lodge will continue their responsibilities into the next administrative year.
The 2008-09 Supreme Lodge will be comprised of: Supreme Vice President Nicholas Karacostas, Bayside, N.Y.; Canadian President Nick Aroutzidis, Ontario; Supreme Secretary Dr. John Grossomanides, Jr., Westerly, R.I.; Supreme Treasurer Anthony Kouzounis, Houston; Supreme Counselor John Galanis, Elm Grove, Wisc.; and Supreme Athletic Director Dr. Monthe N. Kofos, Marlboro, Mass.
The eight Supreme Governors are: Charles Stamoulis, Seminole, Fla.; John Mesogitis, Venetia, Penn.; Louis Arvanitis, Montvale, N.J.; Constantine Calliontzis, Dedham, Mass.; Philip G. Giavasis, Canton, Ohio; Tom Gober, Highland, Ind.; Peter Kaldis, Houston, and Nick Perdaris, Van Nuys, Calif.
Elected to the Board of Trustees are Past Supreme President James Scofield, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Past Chairman of the Board Lee J. Millas, Trenton, N.J. Vasilios Albanos, Ph.D., Darien, Ill., was re-elected to the Board of Auditors.
A Successful Return to Athens
Looking back on the week, the return of the AHEPA family to Greece after 38 years was a triumphant one, according to Supreme President Ike Gulas.
“The convention served as a platform to explore and showcase how the AHEPA family can be a dependable, vibrant, and sturdy bridge between North America and Greece,” said Gulas. “I am confident we succeeded in meeting our goals. We exceeded our expectations for attendance, and we were also able to organize cultural and educational programs that featured our youth. Many participants, young and old, visited Greece for the first time, or became re-acquainted with the Greece of the 21st century.”
He added, “Throughout the week, we had significant participation from the American Embassy, led by Ambassador Daniel Speckhard, and Greek government officials, and they all helped to make our return a triumphant one. Going forward, we would like to do more to build upon this momentum."
###
AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and sister chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the NAACP and B'nai B'rith International to fight discrimination.
The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.
For more information about the AHEPA family, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, (202) 232-6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.
The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.
