ACS Athens proudly hosted the signing ceremony for the Blue Frontiers Program, an inspiring international partnership between Roger Williams University, the International Propeller Club Port of Piraeus, the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, and ACS Athens. This collaborative initiative establishes a strategic alliance dedicated to advancing maritime education and ocean stewardship for the next generation of leaders.
The program, centered on a commitment known as "Our Pledge," offers students a real-world summer exploration of the Earth’s oceans and the burgeoning global Blue economy. By combining academic rigor with scientific research and industry networking, the partners aim to inspire youth to protect and sustainably manage marine environments.
The event featured impactful remarks by ACS Athens President Dr. Peggy Pelonis and Mr. Costis Frangoulis, President of the International Propeller Club, Port of Piraeus, whose vision and leadership continue to champion environmental stewardship and youth opportunity. The ceremony also welcomed Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Greek Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Ocean and Chair of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection, who underscored the national and global importance of such initiatives.
A significant highlight of the partnership is the generous scholarship support provided by Mr. Frangoulis and the Propeller Club, which helps make this transformative experience accessible to students. Additional insights were shared during the ceremony by Ms. Carla Tanas, Dean of the Institute, and Ms. Beatriz Tintoré of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, who both emphasized the vital intersection of research, sustainability, and experiential learning.
Through the Blue Frontiers summer program, students are challenged to embrace Conscious Global Citizenship—applying their skills, compassion, and learning to protect the oceans and improve life and living for future generations.
The official agreement was signed on May 13, 2026, at ACS Athens, marking a new chapter in international educational collaboration for the benefit of the global maritime community.
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The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco has opened its page to facilitate the faithful during this time of crisis.
"Greece always needs the support of its children. And these, wherever they live, always need its bright sun and its blue seas," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in his message to the Greeks living in the USA.
Chrysanthos Petsilas, former Director of the Greek Tourism Office in New York, passed away suddenly at the age of 73, spreading grief in the Greek-American community, where he was beloved.
According to the National Herald Chrysanthos Petsilas, was found dead on Sunday morning in his bed, with no immediate indication of the cause of death, and had not complained of any discomfort or other health concerns.
“Chrysanthos was found dead in his bed. We didn’t know he had anything. In fact, he had been tested a week and a half ago and it turned out very well. I don’t know if it is from the coronary artery or something else, because a medical examiner has not been able to make the determination,” said his brother Ioannis Petsilas to the National Herald.
Chrysanthos Petsilas was born in 1947 in Athens and immigrated to United States at the age of 29. He studied communications at New York University. According to his brother, he worked at various jobs in New York, until he served in the Greek Press Office, but also in the Greek Tourism Office in New York, where, a few years later, he was promoted to the managerial position.
In recent years, he had been involved in acting, starring in serials, movies, and plays, including some created by the Greek Diaspora, such as Goodnight Margarita produced by Phyto Stratis. He became a topic of discussion around the world when he played, with great composure and persuasion, a man who married a 12-year-old in 2016 in a videotaped social experiment in Times Square, bring awareness of the countries that allow the exploitation of minors.
“He was a man full of life. A man of courage, who faced with great patience and vigor the cancer with which he was diagnosed six years ago, managing to emerge victorious there as well. He never bargained in his life. He always showed strength in what he undertook,” said Ioannis Petsilas.