Advisory Council
Members of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center Advisory Council
The Center Advisory Council's mission is to help the Center's Director and faculty strengthen teaching, research, and public understanding of Orthodox Christianity. Members strongly believe in the vibrant role the Center plays in the global Orthodox Church and in strengthening Orthodox-Roman Catholic relations. Council members assist the Center's Director in developing and executing strategy and provide critical links to people and institutions within and beyond the Fordham community.
"When we established the Center in 2012, we formed the Orthodox Christian Studies Advisory Council to help us discern how we might be of the greatest service to our students, the church, and the broader public. The council comprises women and men from both Orthodox and Roman Catholic backgrounds; some are Fordham alumni and parents of Fordham students, but most are not.
The council’s strength lies in its diversity, and in many ways, this group of dedicated individuals is a microcosm of the broader appeal of the Center. Some are drawn to our ecumenical work, others by the way we provide needed resources for the church community; some are excited by the Center’s appeal to younger generations, others by the way we raise the profile of Orthodox Christianity in the broader culture. What unites all council members, however, is a strong belief that the Center’s various academic and public initiatives build upon one another for a greater good."
– George Demacopoulos, Co-Director
Council Members
Yelena Ambartsumian, Esq., FCLC '10, Law '13
Fr. Gerry Blaszczak, S.J., FCRH '72
Aris Chicles, PRNT
Katherine Demacopoulos, PRNT
Fr. Marc Dunaway
Anastasia Economos
Christ Economos, CHAIR
Betty Eliopoulos
John P. Eliopoulos, MD
Peter Eliopoulos
Leslie P. George, Esq.
Peter Gouris
Susan Gouris
Lila Kalinich, MD
Athena Kalogiannis, Esq., FCRH '04
Georgia Kazakis
Theodore P. Klingos
Natalie Kulukundis
Jerry Makris, Parent GABELLI '87, PRNT
Anna Meyendorff, PhD
Christine A. Moudas, Esq. LAW '10
George Murphy
Marianna Patterson
Solon Patterson
Heidi Sarantou
Terry Sarantou, MD
Vera Shevzov, PhD
Constance Sisson
Rocky Sisson
Nichole Spell, FCRH '09
Dimitri Tsimoyianis
Margaret Yanney, Esq., LAW '93
Joni Zavitsanos
George P. Zimmar, PhD, PRNT
Council Members, Emeriti
Drake G. Behrakis
Susan Ashbrook Harvey, PhD
Gus Poulopoulos, FCRH '86
Msgr. Joseph G. Quinn, JD, FACF
James C. Skedros, PhD
Co-Directors
George E. Demacopoulos, PhD, Parent
Professor of Historical Theology
Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies
Aristotle Papanikolaou, PhD, FCRH '88
Professor of Theology
Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture
Associate Director
Nathaniel Wood, PhD, GSAS '11, GSAS '17
Director of Communications
Sergei Chapnin