Eleni Kounalakis
Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis (born March 3, 1966) is an American politician, businesswoman and former diplomat serving as the 50th lieutenant governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman elected to the office.
Eleni Kounalakis | |
---|---|
50th Lieutenant Governor of California | |
Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
Governor | Gavin Newsom |
Preceded by | Gavin Newsom |
United States Ambassador to Hungary | |
In office January 11, 2010 – July 20, 2013 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | April H. Foley |
Succeeded by | Colleen Bell |
Personal details | |
Born | Eleni Tsakopoulos March 3, 1966 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Angelo Tsakopoulos (father) George Tsakopoulos (uncle) |
Education | Dartmouth College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MBA) |
Website | ltg |
Kounalakis previously served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2010 to 2013. She was sworn into office on January 7, 2010, and presented her credentials to President László Sólyom on January 11, 2010. On April 24, 2017, Kounalakis announced her bid for the office of Lieutenant Governor of California in the 2018 election. She came in first place in the June 5, 2018 primary election;[1] she was elected on November 6, 2018.[2]
Career
Private career
Before accepting President Barack Obama's nomination to an ambassadorship,[3] Kounalakis was President of AKT Development Corporation, one of California's largest housing development firms, which was founded by her father.[4] Kounalakis earned her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and an Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.[5]
Kounalakis and her husband, print and broadcast journalist Markos Kounalakis, founded two university chairs in Hellenic studies, the Markos and Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis chair at Georgetown University,[6] held by the scholar of late Classical and early Hellenistic Greek literature, Dr. Alexander Sens, and the Tsakopoulos Kounalakis chair in honor of Constantine Mitsotakis at Stanford University, held by Josiah Ober. Both chairs focus on the understanding of the origins of Athenian democracy. They also established the Tsakopoulos Kounalakis lecture series at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to focus on democracy and international relations.[7]
Kounalakis served for nearly ten years as a Trustee of the World Council of Religions for Peace. In recognition for her work with the WCRP, she was awarded the medal of St. Paul, the Greek Orthodox Church of America’s highest honor.[8] San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed her to serve as a Trustee of the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appointed her to serve on the Port Commission Board.[9]
Political career
She served four times as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and as an at-large member of the California State Democratic Central Committee. She also served as a member of the First 5 California Commission, and the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism.[10] She served as a Trustee of Robert Redford's Sundance Preserve and on the Conservation Fund’s National Forum on Children and Nature. She is also a senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group.[11]
Angelo Tsakopoulos and Kounalakis provided uncoordinated financial support to Phil Angelides election via a nominally independent organization.[12]
On April 24, 2017, Kounalakis announced her bid for the office of Lieutenant Governor of California in the 2018 election. She came in first place on June 5, 2018 in the top-two statewide primary; Democratic State Senator Ed Hernandez placed second.[13] On November 6, Kounalakis was elected by a 56.6% to 43.3% margin against her opponent.[14] Kounalakis, along with then Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, took office on January 7, 2019.[15]
After her candidacy announcement, she visited all 58 counties in California during her campaign. Her grassroots campaign earned the recognition of Time magazine[16] for engaging hundreds of volunteers to text over 1 million voters before Election Day. On November 6, 2018, Kounalakis became the first female elected Lieutenant Governor of California in history; Mona Pasquil was appointed in an acting capacity in 2009 following the resignation of John Garamendi but was not elected to the post.[17]
Personal life
Kounalakis and her husband Markos married in 2000.[18] They have two teenage sons.[19] She is the daughter of Angelo Tsakopoulos, a Sacramento developer.[20] Kounalakis is of Greek descent and grew up a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.[21] In 2011, she received an Honorary Doctor of Law from the American College of Greece.[22]
See also
- John Sitilides, (The Western Policy Center)
References
- "Kounalakis, Hernandez finish top two in tight CA lieutenant governor race". June 6, 2018.
- "Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov.
- "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". White House.
- "Land Developer to U.S. Ambassador". Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- "Berkeley-Haas - The Magazine of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley". www.haas.berkeley.edu.
- "Georgetown University Receives $1.2 Million Gift for Hellenic Studies Chair". Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- "Southeast Europe Project Announces Scholars". Wilson Center.
The project features the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Lecture Series as a forum for world leaders and distinguished scholars who study, understand, and manifest democracy and reason as classical Hellenism's vital contributions to contemporary statecraft and society.
- "Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Receives Greek Orthodox Church of America's Highest Honor". PSEKA.
- Mayor Ed Lee's Port Commission picks sails through board committee, sfexaminer.com.
- "Appointed Members of the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- "Eleni Tsakopoulos, Albright Stonebridge Group".
- https://transition.fec.gov/law/litigation/keating_ac_brennan_amici.pdf
- Gregory, Madeleine; Cannestra, Sakura (June 6, 2018). "Eleni Kounalakis and Ed Hernandez advance to general election for lieutenant governor". The Daily Californian.
- says, Ken Palosi (November 7, 2018). "Eleni Kounalakis Wins California's Lieutenant Governor's Race".
- Skelton, George (November 12, 2018). "Eleni Kounalakis can carve out a meaningful role as lieutenant governor. It's in her genes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- "Why Politicians Are Texting You So Much — And It's Only the Beginning". Time.
- "2018 California General Election Results". Election Results.
- Brinkerhoff, Noel. "Ambassador to Hungary: Who is Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis?". AllGov. AllGov. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- "Meet Eleni". Eleni Kounalakis for California Lt. Governor.
- Luna, Taryn (June 3, 2018). "Candidate, her father have spent millions to elect her California's lieutenant governor". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
- "Say hello to Eleni Kounalakis". Capitol Weekly. November 27, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- "American College of Greece Commencement". DEREE.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eleni Kounalakis. |
- Official website of the California Lt. Governor
- Campaign website
Diplomatic posts | ||
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Preceded by April Foley |
United States Ambassador to Hungary 2010–2013 |
Succeeded by Colleen Bell |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Gavin Newsom |
Lieutenant Governor of California 2019–present |
Incumbent |