Thomas L. Demakes of Swampscott, MA, National Membership Chairman of Leadership 100, was elected to the Board of Trustees to fill the vacancy of George D. Behrakis, who was designated a life-time Chairman Emeritus joining his predecessor as Chairman, John A. Payiavlas, and the five life-time Founders, Andrew A. Athens, Arthur C. Anton, George K. Chimples, Peter M. Dion and Michael Jaharis (Payiavlas and Behrakis replaced two of the deceased founders, George P. Kokalis and Thomas A. Athens).

Demakes will organize a nationwide membership committee in order to recruit 50 new members in 2009. Leadership 100 recruited 64 new members in 2008 and the membership now stands at 822.

A member of Leadership 100 since 2000, he has served for eight years on the Hellenic College/Holy Cross Board of Trustees, for 10 years as a Director of the Agganis Foundation and for 15 years as a Director of both the Gerondelis Foundation and the Community Credit Union.

A graduate of the College of William and Mary, where he received a B.A. in Economics in 1965, he served in the US Army from 1965 to 1967 as a First Lieutenant at Ft. Lewis Washington, and in Vietnam with the Fourth Infantry Division, as well as with the 25th Infantry Division as a company commander of a supply and transportation company.

Demakes is CEO/owner of DBA Old Neighborhood Foods, the family meat packing business he joined in 1967, working for 10 years as a salesman and progressing through manufacturing and then into management. He is also involved in the real estate business in the North Shore area and is building both residential and commercial projects.

Active in community affairs, he has served as President of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn, MA for three years and is chairing fundraising for Girls Inc. in Lynn, to build a $10.1 million facility to expand their operations.

Married for 30 years, he and his wife, Marill, have three sons, Elias, Timothy and Andrew, who are members of the Leadership 100 Partners Program.