Board Members

United State Senator Barbara Mukulski was right when she said that Andrew A. Athens was a “one-man foreign aid program” as he has dedicated his life to helping others. His parents set the example of charity for him during the Great Depression. His mother would say there is always room for one more at the dinner table. This kindness toward others would be repeated many times over throughout his life.

Upon witnessing the devastation and poverty that many Hellenes and their neighbors were living in after the fall of the Soviet Union during his tenure as President of the World Council of Hellenes (1995-2006), Andrew Athens knew that the global Hellenic community needed to respond to the plight of poor Hellenes in the Diaspora. In 1997, initially launched as the Primary Health Care Initiative (PHCI), he founded hellenicare as a medical relief and humanitarian non-governmental organization.

As President of the Board of Directors, he works diligently to promote the organization, oversee its operations and raise funds. His leadership has seen the development of medical centers, mobile unit programs, nurses’ stations and the delivery humanitarian assistance totaling $136 million in 11 years. Andrew Athens remains committed to helping vulnerable Hellenes and their neighbors across the globe.

Dr. Charles Kanakis, Jr. is a leading cardiologist in the Chicago metropolitan area having been in private practice since 1980. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and the University of Illinois College of Medicine where he received his medical degree in 1969. He completed his fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Illinois Medical Center. Dr. Kanakis has been part of the teaching staff at the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine since 1970 as is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine. In 1975 he won the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Dr. Kanakis is currently an attending physician at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois and Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, Illinois. He is a Colonel in the United States Army National Guard as a State Surgeon. Dr. Kanakis has licensure and certifications in the State of Illinois and State of California as well as from the American Board of Internal Medicines with subspecialty certifications in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology. His is also the Honorary Consul of Cyprus in Chicago.

As Vice President of Medical Affairs, Dr. Kanakis oversees hellenicare’s medical programs working closely with Dr. Roland Stamatov, Regional Medical Director. His extensive experience in models of community based health care have enabled hellenicare to develop an efficient and effective outpatient model of delivery health care services, particularly in rural areas.

Andrew E. Manatos is President of Manatos and Manatos; a public policy firm based in Washington, D. C. Mr. Manatos has been an advisor to a number of U.S. Presidents, Foreign Prime Ministers and Cabinet members, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate as well as world leaders of Orthodoxy. He served the Carter Administration as the youngest Assistant Secretary of Commerce as well as the youngest committee staff director for the U.S. Senate.

He is a recipient of the Ellis Island Award, the St. Paul Medal of Honor from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as well as awards from numerous Greek-American organizations. Andrew Manatos has produced five civic videotapes, explaining Democracy and the Federal Government that has been seen by over 30 million students in the United States. He created for the United States Senate the “Productivity Award.” Mr. Manatos has been assisting hellenicare since its inception in 1997 and has worked along side Andrew Athens for more than 35 years on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as other Hellenic causes.

Cos Georganas is the President and CEO of Hyperion International, Inc., the business consulting company he established in 2003. Prior to founding Hyperion, Mr. Georganas was Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking CIBC. During his distinguished 30- year career, he held a variety of increasingly senior leadership and management positions not only with CIBC, but also with Commercial Bank of Greater Toronto East, North York Corporate Bank and in risk management and human resources with CIBC affiliates.

Cos Georganas’ broad base business experience and leadership abilities in the financial sector enables hellenicare to maintain a sound financial position. Mr. Georganas served as Treasurer of the World Council of Hellenes (SAE) during Mr. Athens’ tenure as World President. He assisted in the development of the PHCI, which led to the growth of hellenicare. Mr. Georganas is an honors graduate from York University receiving a B.A. in Economics and Finance and is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers (F.I.C.B.). He is active in many civic and community organizations in the greater Toronto area.

Kassandra Romas is the Managing Director of Bouras Properties, LLC and oversees a large commercial building in Summit, New Jersey. For the past 14 years, Mrs. Romas has been the producer and moderator of the Overlook Hospital Foundation sponsored cable TV show “30 Medical Minutes.” She is a Trustee Emeritus of the Overlook Hospital Foundation and has served as first and second vice-president of the National Philoptochos Board of Trustees of the Greek Ladies Philoptochos Society in New York City.

She is active in many community organization and has been chairperson of numerous fundraising events for Overlook Hospital, the National Philoptochos, the Greek Orthodox Church of America and her local church in Short Hills, New Jersey. Mrs. Romas is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund. Her organizational and administrative skills, along with her vast experience in special event fundraising, will assist hellenicare with its efforts to broad its base of support.

Dr. Peter Panton and his family have been ardent supporters of hellenicare having, helped establish an ophthalmology program at hellenicare’s medical center in Tbilisi, Georgia. In September 2007, Dr. Panton participated in the Tenth Anniversary medical mission program in Tbilisi, Georgia. In addition to donating a surgical microscope, he performed 20 successful cataract surgeries at hellenicare’s clinic and provided valuable training to our ophthalmologists. Dr. Panton is a past president of the Chicago Ophthalmology Association, the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church and is currently Chief of Staff at Rush Oak Park Hospital in addition to being a partner at the Panton Eye Center in Elmwood Park, Illinois.

Dr. Panton is an active member of the Parish Council of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church having served as President and chairman of several committees. He and his family support the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois as well as many civic and philanthropic organizations within the Greek and non-Greek communities.