First Lady Of Leadership 100

L100 in Action for February and The Leader Spring 2009, in reporting that the Board of Trustees of Leadership 100 had elected Kassandra L. Romas of Short Hills, NJ as Secretary, the first woman to be named an officer of the organization, should also have noted that the longest serving woman on the Board of Trustees was Evanthea (“Eve”) N. Condakes of Swampscott, MA, not Evangeline Condakes of eternal memory, who was Eve’s sister-in-law. We regret the error and our apologies go to Eve, who we all know and love as the “First Lady of Leadership 100.” Eve served on the Leadership 100 Board from 1995 until 2009, the first woman appointed to the Board by Archbishop Iakovos of eternal memory and the first subsequently elected to the Board. For several years she was the only woman to serve on the Board.

Both publications correctly noted that this followed a series of firsts for the women of Leadership 100. Romas and Eugenia Hasiotis of Boston, MA were the first women elected to the Executive Committee of Leadership 100, also in 2009, and there are now five women serving on the Board of Trustees: Romas who was elected in 2005, Hasiotis, who was elected in 2004, Froso Beys of New York City, who was elected in 2002, Eula Carlos of Atlanta, GA who was elected in 2007 and Cathy Sakellaris of Milton, MA, who was elected in 2009.

A wife, mother, businesswoman and noted philanthropist, Evanthea (“Eve”) Condakes has been noted for her deep devotion to the Greek Orthodox Faith, her commitment to the Greek Orthodox Church and her inspired leadership beginning as a Sunday school teacher, a member of the local Philoptochos, President of Daughters of Penelope at the Annunciation Church in Brockton, and, most notably, as long-time National President of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos.

During her business career as a senior executive with Avon Products, the internationally known cosmetics company, she made her first trip to Turkey and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which began world travel with her husband, Leo, and a life-long commitment to the Patriarchate and international causes, which continues to this day in her work on behalf of a Greek-Turkish peace initiative sponsored by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Educated at Boston University and Marian College, where she received her degree and continues to serve as a trustee, she has been honored by the latter institution as a distinguished alumna for her dedicated service to underserved populations, particularly women, and for her commitment to social justice.

She has served as a Massachusetts Commissioner on the Status of Women and Director of the Massachusetts Visiting Nurses Association. Amongst the many acknowledgements for her dedicated service, she has received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.