Archbishop Demetrios and Charles H. Cotros present Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Award for Excellence to Jim Gianopulos, center.

Jim Gianopulos, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Twentieth Century Fox Film, spoke to a rapt audience on February 7, 2013 on the rich and deep historical link of “Hollywood and Hellenism”. He was introduced by his pastor, the renowned Fr. John Bakas, Dean of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles, who spoke of the leadership and generosity of Gianopulos and his wife, Ann, to the Cathedral.  The son of Greek immigrants and a native New Yorker, Gianopulos attended the Master’s program at the New York University School of Law, the Fordham School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor in 1976 and Boston University, earning a BA in 1973. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their three daughters. read more

Archbishop Demetrios and Charles H. Cotros, joined by Fr. Eugene Pappas, far left, present Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Award for Excellence to Alexander Payne, second from right.

Alexander Payne, the award-winning screenwriter, film director and producer, known for films like The Descendants (2011), Sideways (2004), About Schmidt (2002), and Election (1999), spoke on February 8, 2013 on his life’s journey into filmmaking. He was introduced by his former pastor in Omaha, Nebraska, Very Rev. Fr. Eugene N. Pappas, now of Three Hierarchs Church in Brooklyn, New York.

Payne began his talk with that memorable moment when he received his second Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay when he uttered “s’agapo” to his mother in his acceptance speech. He was thanking her, he explained, for indulging his obsession with movies from an early age in the words of their shared heritage “during this extremely difficult era in Greece’s history, a crisis that has made our mother country the source of resentment and the butt of jokes.” read more

Sam J. Galanis

Sam J. Galanis of Southgate, Michigan, a Senior Director-Investments at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s Wyandotte, Michigan office, has joined Leadership 100 with a paid in full gift of $100,000. He was sponsored by Tom Jordan, a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Audit Committee. A Past President of Southgate’s St. George Greek Orthodox Church Parish Council and Past President of the Hellenic Bar Association of Michigan, Galanis is Trustee of the City of Southgate (MI) Pension Board. read more

Hagia Sophia

The Other Holy Land, a documentary that explores historical Christian sites in Asia Minor, now known as Turkey, was distributed to public television stations nationally on March 14.  The film was satellite distributed to more than 342 public television stations throughout the country as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Showings are scheduled at WNYE HDTV for Monday, April 8, 2013 at 8:30 pm and Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 11:00 pm. Leadership 100 provided $120,000 in major funding and assisted in developing the original production in 2001.

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George Sakellaris

George Sakellaris, business leader and philanthropist, will be honored for Humanitarian Leadership at the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund Gala on Saturday, May 11, 2013.
Sakellaris, a pioneer in energy efficiency and renewable energy contributing to sustainable and clean environment is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameresco (NYCE: AMRC). He is a past member of the Board of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology, and is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. read more

Theofanis Economidis

Theofanis Economidis of Los Altos, California, a member of Leadership 100, was honored for his extraordinary leadership and dedication by the Metropolis of San Francisco on March 2, 2013 at an inaugural Gala event to celebrate the ministries of the Metropolis. In presenting him with The Metropolis Award, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco cited his contributions to the Metropolis, Archdiocese and Ecumenical Patriarchate. read more