Gregory C. Pappas to Join X PRIZE Advisory Council

The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute created to foster radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity, announced on May 28 that Gregory Pappas, L100 member and publisher of Greek America Magazine, has been invited to join the Foundation's Advisory Council. As an advisor, Pappas will consult with X PRIZE Foundation Chairman and CEO Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, a fellow Greek American, about the Foundation's focus areas: education, energy and environment, exploration, global entrepreneurship and life sciences. The Foundation has a goal of releasing ten new prizes over the next five years, with a combined prize purse amount of $300 million.

"It's an honor to have such a leader in the Greek American community serving on our Advisory Council," said Diamandis. "With his varied experiences in publishing and knowledge of the community, Greg will be able to provide valuable insight across the Foundation. As a Greek American myself, I have the utmost respect for everything Greg has done, and I look forward to working with him to increase the visibility of the Foundation."

Pappas is the founder of Cosmos Communications Group Inc., the company that publishes Greek America Magazine and handles a number of public affairs advisory-related services for clients in Greece and the United States as well as strategic corporate planning, media relations and event planning throughout the world.

In addition, Pappas serves as a Public Affairs Advisor to Leadership 100 Member John P. Calamos Sr., Chairman and CEO of Calamos Investments, a money management firm with over $45 billion in assets under management, and on the executive board of directors of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, which awards $250,000 annually to Greek American university students. He also serves on the Board of Chicago's Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center. Pappas supports a host of church and community organizations in his native Pittsburgh, as well as in his adopted city of Chicago.

"The X PRIZE Foundation is a global trendsetter in innovation," said Pappas. "The opportunity to create breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity' is a profound one, and I look forward to helping the Foundation identify and solve the grand challenges facing our world."