Leadership 100 Members Honored By American Hellenic Institute

AHI President Nick R. Larigakis, left, and AHI Foundation President Constantinos Galanis, far right, present Dennis Mehiel with the AHI Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award.

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) honored Dennis Mehiel and Dr. George Korkos, both longtime members of Leadership 100, at its 42nd Anniversary Hellenic Heritage Achievement and Public Service Awards Dinner, March 11, 2017, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., while the American Hellenic Institute Foundation honored Anne Michals, also a longtime member, at its 15th Annual Future of Hellenism in America Conference November 18-19, 2016 at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Dennis Mehiel received the AHI Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award in recognition of his business, philanthropic and civic achievements.  Mehiel is the Principal Shareholder and Chairman of U. S. Corrugated, Inc., which was, until a recent divestiture, the nation’s largest independent manufacturer of corrugated packaging. George Korkos, M.D., FACS, received the AHI Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award for his lifelong commitment and leadership in medicine and activism in the Greek American community.

In acceptance, Mehiel stated, “I laud the American Hellenic Institute as an important and effective platform through which we continue to remind our community of the core values our Hellenic heritage embraces: vision, entrepreneurship, hard work, perseverance, and a culture of support whereby those who have been fortunate enough to enjoy success in this wonderful country, provide the same opportunity to those who follow."

Dr. Korkos spoke of the values that drive all Hellenes “to tackle those things that improve lives and overcome darkness for all people: war, injustice, ignorance, bigotry and disease. These Hellenic values are what our civilization is all about and what spread throughout the world and are evident today.”

President of the Metropolis of New Jersey Philoptochos Anne Michals received AHI’s Hellenic Heritage and Public Service Award for the Promotion of Hellenism in America. In acceptance remarks, Michals spoke of the importance of philanthropy.  “I'm a great believer in the power of philanthropy, both as a healer and reminder that all things are possible through God’s Love,” she said.  “The most important work that I've ever done is through the Church, and in particular, as a member of Philoptochos.  Helping those in need is the greatest privilege and the single best way that anyone can express his or her understanding of Christ’s life and His message.”

AHI also honored other distinguished individuals at the 42nd Anniversary Awards Dinner, noting their important career achievements and contributions to the Greek American community or community at-large.  They included Van Coufoudakis, Ph.D., Professor and Academic Leader and Paul Glastris, Co-founder, Journalist, Editor, and former Senior Speechwriter for President Bill Clinton.

The honorees’ many accomplishments were celebrated throughout the evening, and highlighted in congratulatory letters submitted to AHI from His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Ambassador of Greece to the United States Haris Lalacos, and Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States Leonidas Pantelides.

The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.