Washington, D.C., October 3, 2006 — Georgetown University inaugurated, on September 27, 2006, the Eleni and Markos Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Chair in Hellenic Studies, as part of an unprecedented family initiative to promote Hellenic Studies at major American universities.

Those who attended to honor the family and this initiative included: Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who delivered remarks; Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte; Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); President Bushʼs recently-appointed Special Envoy for the Sudan and former USAID Administrator, Andrew Natsios; Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia, and Ambassador of Greece to the United States Alexandros Mallias, among others.

Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis family friend, former President Bill Clinton, who was out of the country, sent a letter that was read at the ceremony. Among other things, President Clinton noted that, “the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Chair for Hellenic Studies will no doubt help to preserve and enhance our understanding of a country whose glorious history and thought have had such profound influence in shaping the principles on which this country was founded.”

Markos Kounalakis, who spoke for the family at the inauguration ceremony said, “Democracy requires not only citizen vigilance, but a nurturing of the soul of the nationʼs capitol. Georgetown makes up a large part of the intellectual heart and soul of Washington, DC; a place that nourishes our current leaders and prepares future ones. It is an honor for Eleni and me to give Georgetown this gift so it can infuse Hellenism into this charge.”

The chair is the latest contribution by the Sacramento family toward preserving and expanding Hellenic studies. Other chairs endowed by the family are currently at Columbia University and Stanford University. A family donation to California State University, Sacramento also created a library of 70,000 written works reflecting ancient and modern Hellenic civilization.

The latest chair, named in their honor, provides Georgetownʼs government department with permanent faculty and research support for the study of Hellenism. Donations from Eleni and Markos, together with the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic and other key donors, will, according to Georgetown, support, “teaching and research that will emphasize both Greeceʼs importance as a cornerstone of civilization and its contemporary vitality.”

Together, Eleni and Markos lead AKT Development Corporation, one of Northern Californiaʼs largest land development companies, founded by Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakisʼs father, Angelo K. Tsakopoulos. Markos also publishes the respected journal of politics and policy, The Washington Monthly. They serve on the Georgetown College Board of Advisors and further strengthened their ties to the University through the matriculation of Eleniʼs sister, Chrysanthy (Fʼ08). With the endowment of this chair, the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakisʼs honor their familyʼs appreciation for education and the lasting influence that Greek civilization originated five thousand years ago.