Dear Fellow Board Members and THI Associates (Peter, Tina, Michael, Tatiana, Artemis, Maria, Xeni, Dean, Nick, John, Athena):

We celebrated two milestones at our Board meeting last Thursday. First, we commenced our year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of THI.  In addition to our London and New York Galas, as well as numerous New Leader gatherings and donor events, our celebrating will include two days in Athens this July filled with our annual Venture Fair, a street fair, our Global Summit, and a major donor banquet. Details will follow shortly.

Whether you were an inaugural Board Member or an Associate back in 2012, as many of you were, or have since then joined our “splendid journey,” to quote the poet C.P. Cavafy, it is inspiring to us all how we have in the past 10 years met the challenge of institutionalizing broad-based diaspora support for the charitable and economic development needs of the Greek people, our people.

So, we have much to celebrate. But at the same time our hard work will continue – which brings us to our second milestone.

Peter Poulos has been with THI since our beginning, and there is not enough ink in our pen to catalog all he has meant to our success. Peter, together with our other very dedicated and enthusiastic Associates, carried out our Board’s very ambitious plans, each year ever more challenging, flawlessly. He not only broadly expanded our relationships particularly in Greece but also our donor participation and our strong social media presence.  Most importantly, Peter, and all our Associates, have enhanced and protected our reputation as trusted, talented, and efficient stewards of our donors’ funds. After all, our reputation is our most precious asset. 

For all of this and more, Axios Peter. We know we speak for all the Board, Associates, and donors that it has been a great privilege taking the journey together, and we know we will see you on the many miles ahead.

While Peter is retiring as our Executive Director, it is our great fortune that he will maintain an all-important role as THI Global Ambassador along with Tatiana and Giannis Antetokounmpo.  And we are also so fortunate that Tina joined us 18 months ago and is positioned so well to assume the Executive Director role.  Most of you have either known Tina previously or met with her in the past couple months.  She shares the same passion for our missions that the rest of our Associates demonstrate every day. Welcome to the “splendid journey” Tina! You are already making a difference.

Enclosed is our press release that will be posted tomorrow. Again, thanks to all for all that you do. You have much to be proud of.

Our best,

George and Andrew