A.G.A.P.W. honors Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis

In Celebration of Women’s History Month, the Association of Greek American Professional Women (A.G.A.P.W.), is hosting its Signature Annual “Greek American Woman of the Year” Award Gala Honoring Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis.

The event will take place at Century Association, The Penthouse Suite, 7 West 43rd Street, New York, on Thursday, 27 March, 7:00-9:00 p.m.. An Excellence Tuition Scholarship will be Awarded in Honor of Ambassador Tsakopoulos Kounalakis

Ms Kounalakis will be introduced by Ambassador Loucas Tsilas and Ms Penelope Tsilas

Ms Vaia Trittas of New York University will be the Master of Ceremonies. Ms trittas was AGAPW’s 2013 Excellence Tuition Scholarship recipient

Ms Evgenia Soldatos will present “The Significance of Women’s History Month and The Historical Contributions of Greek American Women to our Country and Community”

Dr. Liana Theodoratou, Director, The Alexander S. Onassis Program in Hellenic Studies at New York University will present the 2014 Excellence Tuition Scholarship recipient.
There will also be a live performance by renowned composer of world fusion music and sitarist Ms Nana Simopoulos, soprano Ms Flora Kirou and Ms Caryn Heilman in vocals and percussion

Preregistration is required by March 20th 2014, For further information, please contact Dr. Olga Alexakos at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 917-405-6833

Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis

Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis was sworn in to office by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on January 7, 2010. She presented her credentials to the President of Hungary, László Sólyom on January 11, 2010.

Before accepting President Obama’s nomination to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis was president of AKT Development Corporation, one of California’s largest and most respected land development firms. A prominent businesswoman, Ambassador Kounalakis earned her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. She served two terms as a California State World Trade Commissioner and sat on the board of directors of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Long interested in democracy and global affairs, Ambassador Kounalakis and her husband, veteran print journalist Markos Kounalakis, established the Tsakopoulos Kounalakis lecture series at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Further combining their dedication to democracy with pride in their Hellenic heritage, they established the Eleni and Markos Tsakopoulos Kounalakis chair in Hellenic studies at Georgetown University and the Tsakopoulos Kounalakis chair in honor of Constantine Mitsotakis at Stanford University.

Ambassador Kounalakis was a staunch advocate for interfaith dialogue with the World Council of Religions for Peace, work for which she was recently awarded the medal of St. Paul, the Greek Orthodox Church of America’s highest honor. Her appointment by the Mayor of San Francisco to serve as a trustee of the renowned San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center allowed her to combine her skills in real estate with her love of the arts.

Ambassador Kounalakis served four times as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and as an at-large member of the California State Central Committee. An active outdoorswoman, she enjoys hiking and skiing with her family and served as a trustee of Robert Redford’s Sundance Preserve and on the Conservation Fund’s National Forum on Children and Nature.

The Association of Greek American Professional Women

The Association of Greek American Professional Women (AGAPW) is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization under Section 402 of the Non-for-Profit Corporation Law of the State of New York. It was founded in New York City in March of 2010. It is an independent organization started and run by women on a volunteer, pro bono basis. It serves as a forum for information, resources, support and networking opportunities for Greek-American women, who are working in various professional and business fields. The organization is seeking to expand career opportunities and promote community and leadership building among Greek-American professional women by forging collaborations among ourselves and establishing partnerships with other organizations inside and outside the Greek-American community.