Metropolis Council Officers Gus M. Pablecas is 1st Vice President of the Metropolis Council. Gus has expertise in real estate, including apartments, retail centers, industrial, office buildings, condo conversions, hotels and motels. Gus is an Archon Regional Commander with active participation in religious freedom issues. He has served the church in a variety of positions, including Parish Council President, Chairman of Finance, Ways and Means, Budget and Real Estate. He also served on the Planning and Development Committee as an original board member of the St. Iakovos Retreat Center. He is a former FBI Special Agent. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the PanHellenic Foundation and is a Director for the Chicago Chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Gus and his wife, Gail, are stewards of St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine, Illinois.
Angela Zotos is 2nd Vice President of the Metropolis Council. Angela is a Principal at EY in the Health Sector. Angela is a nurse by background, holds a Bachelor of Science, Nursing: Oakland University, Rochester, MI, and Master of Science in Health Administration: Simmons College, Boston, MA. She attended the IMD Executive Business Programme, Lausanne, Switzerland. Angela was the Director of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center before joining EY. At EY Angela serves as Executive Sponsor for the Latino Professional Network; Advisory Women’s Professional Network; and member of the Central Region Inclusiveness Advisory Council. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). She serves on the Development Board of Comer Children’s Hospital. Angela served on the parish council of St. Nicholas Church in Troy, Michigan for 20 years and served as secretary for four terms. Angela taught Sunday School and was active in the Detroit Metropolis Summer Camp. She volunteered as a nurse at Ionian Village for five summers. She volunteered at Project Mexico in 2015 for home building and continues to support their mission. Angela and her husband Dennis Sobieski are stewards of St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago.
George Kafkes is Secretary of the Metropolis Council. George is an applications consultant in the telecommunications networking industry. For over thirty-five years he has worked in both the commercial and governmental sectors of several global telecommunications providers, and network equipment manufacturers. He had served on the Parish Council of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago for twenty-eight years, including two terms as Parish Council President and four terms as Parish Council Treasurer. George and his wife, Anastasia, have three adult children and are stewards of Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago.
John G. Sotos is Treasurer of the Metropolis Council. John is the Founder and Managing Director of John G. Sotos & Associates, LLC, a Certified Public Accounting Firm based in Schaumburg, Illinois. John has been practicing in Public Accounting since 1983 and his firm provides traditional tax, audit and accounting services to individuals and small/middle market family businesses. John is a graduate of Depaul University, an Illinois licensed CPA, a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Illinois CPA Society. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Itasca Bank & Trust a community bank in Itasca, Illinois. John also serves on the Parish Council of St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine, Illinois. John and his wife, Antonia, have three sons and are stewards of St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine.
Georgia Loukas Demeros is Co-Legal Counsel for the Metropolis and an Ex-Officio member. Georgia is a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP, serving as an estate planning advisor and personal general counsel to closely-held businesses and individuals. She is an officer of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois, a founding member of the Hellenic American Leadership Council and a board member of the Pythagoras Greek School of St. John the Baptist and several other non-profit organizations. Georgia has a B.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago, a J.D. and L.L.M. in Taxation from Chicago-Kent College of Law and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is married and has two daughters. Georgia and her family are stewards of Holy Taxiarhai and Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Niles, Illinois and St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Des Plaines, Illinois.
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Joan Tolios Berg is Co-Legal Counsel for the Metropolis and Ex-Officio member. Joan is a partner with Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg, LLC, providing service to individuals, and small and mid-sized business clients in commercial real estate, lending, and corporate transactions. In addition, Joan provides counsel to various non-profit and religious organizations. Her experience is recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer, a peer review organization for attorneys, and as one of its Top 100 Women in Real Estate. Joan has a B.S. in Chemistry from Loyola University of Chicago, and her JD from Chicago – Kent College of Law. She is married to Glenn Berg, and their daughter is a teacher, and their son is an accountant. Joan and her husband are stewards of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, where Joan is a member of the choir, and former Director of the Sunday School program. She is a member of the Orthodox Christian Attorney Network, and co-chair of the November 2019 conference scheduled to occur in Chicago. She has served our Metropolis as a member of the St. Iakovos Retreat Center Board of Directors, and is active with the Metropolis of Chicago Church Music Federation.
Metropolis Council Members Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Paul, MN. Fr. Rick serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Fr. Rick is an ordained priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (www.goarch.org) since 1995 and is currently serving St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota since 1999. Fr. Rick serves as a volunteer chaplain for the following organizations: Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) since 2005, Frontline (disaster response) for International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) since 2013, Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry of Minnesota (OCPM-MN) since 2010, and Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) campus ministry since 1999. He has received several certifications for critical incident response. Fr. Rick is the coordinator for the Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (MEOCCA) Cooperative Catechism program. He is the presiding priest of the Greek Orthodox Spiritual Court in Minnesota. Fr. Rick is currently pursuing a degree in the Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy degree program at Argosy University (anticipated graduation 2018). He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing (1988). He also graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity (1994). He is married to Presbytera Jane (Donovan) since 1990 and has an adult son, Theodore. Fr. Rick was ordained to the diaconate in 1994 and the priesthood in 1995 by Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago. Fr. Rick previously served Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, Illinois (1994-1997) and Kimissis tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Racine, Wisconsin (1997-1999). During those years, he occasionally served at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John Chrysostom in Kenosha, Wisconsin, participated at the Diocese Fanari Camp, and was a member of the Racine Clergy Association and the Orthodox Clergy Syndesmos of Wisconsin.
Fr. Stephen Bithos of All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, Joliet, IL. Father Stephen Bithos serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Fr. Bithos is the presiding priest at the All Saints Church in Joliet, Illinois. Born in San Francisco, California he came to Chicago with his family when he was nine years old. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Illinois – Chicago. He also studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. Fr. Stephen is married to Evopi (Pearlann) Nastav and they have two daughters, Angeline and Kathryn.
Nick Boosalis of Saint Mary Greek Orthodox Church, Minneapolis, MN. Nick T. Boosalis serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. He is a serial entrepreneur, has been involved in the real estate for the past 40 years. His experience includes real estate development, property management, real estate marketing. He owns and operates self-serve car washes and is actively developing a product called PooPrints, a DNA solution to ensure dog owners pick up their dog’s waste. Nick has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. He is married and has a daughter and son. Nick and his family are lifelong members of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, MN. Nick and his wife Katherine are both past presidents of St. Mary’s.
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Gus Chafoulias of Saints Kosmas and Damianos Greek Orthodox Church, Rochester, MN. Gus Chafoulias serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. With successfully developing several million square feet of commercial real estate and hundreds of units of apartments during more than 50 years in the development business, Gus Chafoulias has quite the extensive list of accomplishments. In 1957, Gus founded Chafoulias Companies which concentrated on several real estate asset classes, including office, hotel, retail, and affordable housing. He currently serves as the Chairman of Titan Development & Investments which focuses on affordable housing, senior living, mixed-use, and hospitality properties. Gus has been active in several different public and private companies and currently sits on the board of West Bank. Throughout the years, he has served on the board of a variety of organizations, including Salvation Army, Diversity Council, First Bank, Southwest Casino Corporation, Leadership 100, Bolder Options, and Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Being widely known and respected for his leadership capabilities, keen business sense, and a wide variety of business experience, Gus has a track record of building successful companies and developing premier real estate projects. He has developed and owned multiple hotels, retail centers, housing properties, and has also had experience in the agriculture and biotech industries. Gus takes pride in any venture that he is part of and this is shown through his businesses winning multiple awards, including being voted the Best Place to Work and Top Work Place. Gus has received numerous recognitions including Blue Cross/Blue Shield Champion of Health and Rochester’s Business Man of the Year. Through the years, Gus has helped and mentored generations of business professionals. He is known for his humbleness and generosity. He is active in many charitable organizations and is always willing to do what needs to be done to make his community a better place.
Lori Kotsonis Chiampas of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, IL. Lori Kotsonis Chiampas serves as a member of the Metropolis Council and is on the Metropolis Council’s Executive Committee. Lori is a pharmacist and has worked at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for the last twenty years. She has held several leadership roles at the hospital including Hematology/Oncology Manager, Director of Pharmacy Operations and for the last eleven years has served as Medication Safety Coordinator where she has been integral in implementation of Computerized Physician Order Entry, Smart Pump Implementation and numerous other safety initiatives. Lori’s expertise is Safety and Quality, and specifically Medication Safety, and she is a contributor in McGraw Hill’s 2015 edition of Pediatric Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. She is a member of the American Pharmacist Hospital Association and Hellenic American Leadership Council. Lori attended Loyola University of Chicago for her undergraduate studies, and obtained her Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy as well as her Doctorate in Pharmacy from Midwestern University –Chicago. Lori is married to Dr. George Chiampas and has two children, Katia (15) and Athan (13) and currently resides in Wilmette, Illinois. Lori grew up at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois where she and her family continue to be stewards and active parishioners.
Athan Demakos of Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church, Glenview, IL. Athan serves as a member of the Metropolis Council and on the Communications Committee. Athan is President of Demakos Partners, a communications consultancy, and is a Principal at Saltare Solutions, a valuation advisory business. During his 25+ year career in corporate communication, investor relations and finance, he held senior positions in corporate and financial communications with several global public relations agencies. Athan holds a B.S from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from SUNY Buffalo. He has two children, and is a steward and former parish council member at Saints Peter and Paul in Glenview, Illinois.
Fr. Nicholas Georgiou of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, Westchester, IL. Fr. Nicholas serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Fr. Nicholas graduated from the Kelley School of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant. He served clients nationally as a Management Consultant. Father Nicholas pursued graduate studies and received a Master of Divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He is the Presiding Pastor at Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, Illinois.
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Fr. Nicholas Greanias of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Kankakee, IL. Father Nicholas serves as a member on the Metropolis Council. Fr. Nicholas has served as the pastor of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Kankakee, Illinois since May 1, 2017. From 2011 until his Kankakee assignment, Father Greanias served as an assistant pastor at Saint Nicholas parish in Oak Lawn, and assisted in other parishes as well. Indeed, from 2011 to 2017, he served in 54 parishes in 12 states and three metropolises. Father Greanias is also Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago, teaching American Foreign Policy.
Father Greanias is a native of Decatur, Illinois, and the son of Greek immigrants to the United States. A National Merit Scholar, he earned a BA in Classical Studies from Loyola University Chicago in 1974, a JD from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1979, and an LLM from the United States Army’s Judge Advocate General’s program at the University of Virginia College of Law. He is a veteran of nine years active duty as an Army officer and lawyer, as well as 24 years total service in the U.S. Army Reserve.
In 1990, Professor Greanias entered the U.S. Foreign Service with the Department of State. His overseas postings include Canada, Romania, Ukraine, Greece, and New Zealand. In the United States, among other assignments, he taught other diplomats and government officials for three years at the State Department’s professional school, the Foreign Service Institute, at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. His last assignment was as a State Department Fellow at the House of Representatives, serving as the personal counselor to Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida, before retiring from the Foreign Service in 2011.
Father Greanias was ordained a Greek Orthodox priest in 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand while serving there as Consul General, and simultaneously serving as pastor of the Greek Orthodox community in New Zealand’s largest city. He and his family moved back to the United States in late 2010.
After his active Army years but before joining the Foreign Service, Professor Greanias practiced law for three years in Chicago, also founding and directing a theatre group in those years, The Semi-Classical Players, in the northwest suburbs. Indeed, he met his wife Mary Hagan Greanias in a Des Plaines production of the Lerner and Loewe musical Brigadoon, where they played the romantic leads, life thereby imitating art. They now live in Lemont, Illinois, with their twin sons Johnny and Teddy, who are the light of their lives. Father Greanias considers it a great privilege to be a member of the Metropolis Council, and is grateful for this opportunity to contribute a bit to Metropolitan Nathanael’s vital and heartwarming mission of spiritual reinvigoration.
Deacon Paraskevas Hamalis of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, Westchester, IL. Rev. Dr. Perry Hamalis serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Rev. Hamalis is a married deacon and is the Cecelia Schneller Mueller Professor of Religion at North Central College (Naperville, IL). He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Boston College, a M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and a Ph.D. in Religious Ethics from the University of Chicago. At North Central College, he teaches courses in Christian Ethics, Philosophical Ethics, Religion and Politics, and related topics. In 2015, he was awarded a 12-month Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship from the U.S. Department of State and was appointed as Underwood Visiting Professor of Theology at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Fr. Perry was an expert consultant to the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches from 2007-2012 and was a delegate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the WCC’s General Assembly in Busan, Korea (2013). He has lectured across the U.S., in Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and Korea on topics pertaining to Eastern Orthodoxy and Social Ethics, and has over 30 academic publications. His most recent work is the book he co-edited with Dr. Valerie Karras, Orthodox Christian Perspectives on War, published by University of Notre Dame Press (2018). Fr. Perry has served for 6 years as a Trustee of Hellenic College Holy Cross, co-chairing the Academic Affairs committee. He, Diakonissa Panayota, and their children (Michael & Gia) are members of Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, IL.
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Fr. Chrysanthos Kerkeres of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, IL. Fr. Chrysanthos Kerkeres serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Fr. Chrysanthos is the parish priest of Saint George Greek Orthodox church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL and has served in that capacity since February 1, 2014. In addition to his parish responsibilities, Fr. Chrysanthos serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Fanari Camp. He is the spiritual advisor to Orthodox Christian Fellowship program of DePaul University, the spiritual advisor to the Hellenic American Veterans of the Metropolis of Chicago the spiritual advisor to the Hellenic American Police Association, and a Chaplain for both the Chicago and Park Ridge Police Departments. Fr. Chrysanthos also sits on the Metropolis of Chicago Spiritual Court, he serves as the Vice President of the Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Alumni Association, he serves as the Vice President of the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Chicago, and he serves on the Metropolis of Chicago Greek Education Committee. Fr. Chrysanthos is married to Vasiliki Kerkeres and they live in Park Ridge, IL.
George Korkos, M.D. of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Milwaukee, WI. George J. Korkos, MD, FACS, serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he has been practicing plastic and reconstructive surgery, hand and cosmetic surgery for over 50 years. His undergraduate as well as his graduate degrees, DDS and MD are all from Marquette University. Dr. Korkos is on the teaching faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin as an Associate Clinical Professor where he teaches plastic surgery. In 1992 he received the very first distinguished service award granted to an alumnus of the Medical College of Wisconsin in recognition of dedicated service to his profession. The Chair of Plastic Surgery is named as the George Korkos Professorship of the Department of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Korkos is a member of the American Medical Association, American Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Association of Surgery of the Hand and the American Society of Aesthetic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Korkos has been very active in the business world serving on the Boards of public companies such as Brinks Transportation in NY, Heritage Bank of Wisconsin, M&I Bank Investment Trust in Milwaukee, Thunderbird Bank Investment Trust in Phoenix along with the Milwaukee Professional Sports Service, parent company of the Milwaukee Bucks. In 1969, he and three friends formulated a public company and brought a national basketball franchise to Milwaukee and a World Championship in 1971. Dr. Korkos teamed with others to establish The National Hellenic Society that establishes Hellenism in the US to preserve documents and disseminate Hellenism through various programs. Dr. Korkos was awarded the Ellis Island Award and the H.A.N.A.C. award of New York. Dr. Korkos is a member of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee, WI. He is an Archon of the church, a member of Leadership 100 and the Archdiocesan Council and its executive board. He also served on the executive board of the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago. Dr. Korkos and his wife Penelope have three children and eight grandchildren.
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Lou Laros of Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, Champaign, IL. Louis J. Laros serves as member of the Metropolis Council. Lou is a sales executive at Hillenbrand Industries, serving as a business consultant to closely-held businesses and individuals. He is an officer of the NIKA House on the University of Illinois, the only Orthodox Campus Living facility in the United State, a founding member of the University of Illinois Orthodox Alumni and Orthodox Campus Fellowship and a President of the Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church and several other non-profit organizations. Lou has a B.S. from University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign and an MBA also from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Laros is married for 24 years to wife Antonia and has three children, Maria, Panayiota and Yianni. Lou and his family are stewards of Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church in Champaign.
Andrew Limouris of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Elmhurst, IL. Andrew Limouris serves as a member on the Metropolis Council. He is the founder, president and CEO of Medix, a national staffing organization specialized in recruiting skilled personnel in healthcare, science and information technologies. Since its launch in 2001, Andrew grew Medix into a 16-office, $160 million corporation. His commitment to innovation and positively impacting lives has developed Medix into one of the largest and fastest-growing staffing agencies in North America. Medix has been featured on such prestigious lists as Crain's Chicago Business' "Fast Fifty" and "Largest Privately Owned Businesses in Chicago." Medix was also featured on Inc. Magazine's "Inc. 5000" list of the nation's fastest growing private companies and "Hire Power Awards" list for job creation in human resources, as well as Inavero's "Best of Staffing" Client list honoring companies for providing excellent service to clients. Andrew won Ernst & Young’s 2017 Midwest Entrepreneur of the Year in Technology and Talent Services. He is also a board member of Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, The Wellness House and JB Training Solutions. Andrew and his wife are stewards of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Elmhurst, Illinois.
John Manos of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Elmhurst, IL. John Manos is a member on the Metropolis Council. John is president of Bank Financial and a commercial real estate property and management business owner who launched a grocery store chain with his partners. An Archon and Regional Commander of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he serves on several civic and philanthropic boards. John is a member of Leadership 100, former National President of the Pan-Cretan Association and a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He served on the Parish Council of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Elmhurst, Illinois, was chairman of the United Hellenic Voters of America (“UHVA”) and is an American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (“AHEPA”) member. John and his wife, Elena, have been married 31 years. They have three children. John and his family are stewards of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Elmhurst, Illinois.
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John Mercuris of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Des Moines, IA. John Mercuris serves as a member on the Metropolis Council. John is President and CEO of Mercury Investments and Mercury Ventures. John attributes his success to his parents ... father from Niata, Greece and mother from Rethymnon, Kriti ... whose work ethic and kindness were examples to him in his youth. He was born, reared, and educated in Iowa. He received his BBA in Business, Marketing and Finance from Northern Iowa University and his MBA in Marketing, Business and Finance from the University of Iowa. He was an entrepreneur at age 6 starting his own landscaping business, flourishing for 7 years. He worked side by side with his father in the restaurant and confectionary business until 16. For 40 years he was involved in design, build and leasing 118 new (from the ground up) shopping malls throughout the US and Puerto Rico. Early in his career, while starting in corporate retail, he founded the Greene Kangaroo Rock Band and produced 32 Midwest Concerts as founder of M-W Productions.
John is the founder of The Iowa Energy Foundation which helped in stopping future nuclear generation projects producing electric power in the US beginning in 1976 until present time. Over the last 7 years John helped develop Midwest hotels with 3 partnerships. He’s member of AHEPA since age 19. Baptized at St. Demetrios Waterloo Iowa. Member of St. George in Des Moines, IA having served on the board for 13 years. He served as President and Building Chairman during a major expansion and renovation during 1977-1980. His proudest accomplishments are his 2 talented and ambitious children and 4 tremendously sweet grandchildren ages 13, 11, 6, and 2.
Rachael Pontikes of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, IL. Rachael G. Pontikes serves as a member of the Metropolis Council. Rachael is a partner at Reed Smith LLP representing compounding pharmacies, hospital systems, and other health care companies in disputes with various federal and state government agencies in administrative hearings and in court. Rachael also serves as health care regulatory counsel, as well as leading the health care aspects of corporate transactions. Rachael received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and her B.A. in Philosophy and Italian Studies from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., where she was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Rachael is married to Bob Keenan, and they have a five year old daughter (Zoe Nora). Rachael her family are stewards of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, Illinois. In addition to an active legal practice, Rachael has devoted tremendous time and energy to pro bono and community service projects. Formerly Pro Bono Coordinator at her prior firm, she served on the executive committee of the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women, where she co-founded the mentoring circles program, which is the largest mentoring program for women attorneys in Chicago. In addition, she served on the board for the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and as a lecturer in law at the University of Chicago, where she taught a seminar on “Obscenity and Pop Culture,” drawing on her experience as trial counsel for two groups of minor girls in their civil lawsuit alleging sexual exploitation as a result of being featured in child pornography. Rachael currently serves on the board of Culture Reframed, an organization dedicated to building public and professional capacity to address hyper-sexualized pop culture and pervasive online pornography.
Fr. Ciprian Sas of All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, Peoria, IL. Rev. Dr. Ciprian Sas is a member on the Metropolis Council. Fr. Sas has been serving All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Peoria, IL since October 2012. Previously, he served St. John’s in Cedar Rapids, IA and St. Andrew’s in Las Vegas, NV. In addition to his theology degree, Fr. Ciprian holds a Master in International Business and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. His professional work experience, prior to his ordination to the priesthood in 2002, includes (1) teaching college and university courses in the area of leadership, management, business mathematics and statistics, (2) serving as the financial aid coordinator of a university campus, and (3) providing statistical consulting and conducting research in the area of educational assessment and instruction. Fr. Ciprian was born in 1975 and at the age of 13 he and his siblings (ages 3-15) escaped communist Romania and immigrated to Sweden, where they were reunited with their parents after a difficult 8-month separation. He also lived in Canada for 8 years before moving to the United States for further studies in 1998. He is married to Pre. Dr. Magdalena Sas and they have 3 children: Elijah, Emanuela, and Isaiah.
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Maria Schultz of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Sioux City, IA. Maria Schultz serves as a member on the Metropolis Council. Maria graduated from the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Iowa, and served as an Official Court Reporter for the State of Iowa for 34 years. She currently serves as parish council president at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Sioux City, Iowa, and also serves as a member of its Philoptochos Board. She served as chairperson of the 2013 Metropolis of Chicago Clergy-Laity Conference, held in Sioux City, Iowa, and recently co—chaired the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Holy Trinity. She is a past-president of the Iowa Court Reporters Association, a member of the Junior League of Sioux City, and volunteers at several other community organizations. Maria is married and has two sons.
Deacon Vasilios Smith of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, IL. Fr. Vasilios Smith serves as a member on the Metropolis Council and on the Metropolis Council’s Executive Committee. He earned an AS Degree in Engineering from Jamestown Community College and a B.Ch.E. from the University of Detroit in 1981. He has worked for The Dow Chemical Company, GE Plastics and he is currently an Account Manager for the Specialty Plastics division of Eastman Chemical Company in the Midwest Region. On November 16, 1996, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by then His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Chicago. In 2009, in an effort to refine his knowledge of theology, Fr. Vasilios enrolled in the special 3-year Program for the Diaconate at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. While studying, he assumed a leadership role and taught a series of classes. Since completing the program in 2011, Fr. Vasilios has served as Assistant to the Dean and as Instructor of Teleturgics for four annual summer sessions. Fr. Vasilios has served the Metropolis of Chicago as a deacon for over 20 years. Most recently, he has served the needs of the parishes of Saint Athanasios (Aurora), St. George (Dekalb), St. Nektarios (Palatine), Sts. Peter and Paul (Glenview), St. Andrew (Chicago) and St. Demetrios (Chicago). He is currently assigned to St. George Greek Orthodox Church (Chicago) and also works on special projects for the Metropolis of Chicago. Fr. Vasilios and his wife Argie have 4 daughters and 4 grandchildren and have lived in Aurora, IL since 1993.
Chris Varones of Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago, IL. Chris A. Varones serves as a member on the Metropolis Council and as chair of the Communications Committee. He is Founder and Principal of Aesop Communications Group, a communications consulting firm, and has more than 20 years experience in media relations, public affairs and issues and crisis management. He also is a Board Member of HFS Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit supporting economically under-served high school students. Chris has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a steward of St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church. He is a frequent lecturer of topics in public relations in professional and college settings and a blogger about politics and society. He lives in Chicago.
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