Two Eminent Greek-Americans in ND and PASOK Ballots

Two prominent members of the Greek-American community have been placed on the at-large election lists of the New Democracy (ND) and PASOK parties.

On April 24, it was announced that distinguished professor Dr. Theodore Kariotis of the University of Maryland will be on the PASOK list. The well respected professor was born in Athens and studied economics in Canada and the US. He’s been a resident of Washington DC for the last forty-odd years. He also teaches economic sciences at the University of Athens. He has also taught in great American universities, such as George Washington University, and has received two teaching awards from the University of Maryland; he is also an expert on the economic aspects of the Law of the Sea. In 1999, he traveled all across the world teaching at a sea university, “Semester at Sea.” He has represented the Government of Greece in the United Nations and at the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF. He had periodically given lectures to the Department of State on the political and economic relations of Greece.

The second eminent Greek-American that was chosen by a big Greek party is entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Sotirios Vahaviolos, who will appear on the ND ballot. Dr. Sotirios J. Vahaviolos, Ph.d Founded Mistras Group, Inc. in 1978 and has been its Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President since 1978. Dr. Vahaviolos served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Physical Acoustics Corporation, a subsidiary of Mistras Group, Inc., and founded it in 1978. Prior to joining Mistras, Dr. Vahaviolos worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories. During Dr. Vahaviolos’ career in NDT, he has been elected Fellow of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), where he served as its President from 1992-1993 and Chairman from 1993-1994. He is a member of Acoustic Emission Working Group (AEWG) and an honorary life member of the International Committee for Nondestructive Testing. Dr. Vahaviolos received a BS in Electrical Engineering and graduated first in his class from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also received a Master of Science (EE), Masters in Philosophy and a Ph.D.(EE) from Columbia University School of Engineering. Additionally, he was the recipient of ASNT’s Gold Medal in 2001 and AEWG’s Gold Medal in 2005.

A close look at the at-large lists of PASOK, ND, and the Democratic Alliance will reveal they are generally composed of distinguished men and women of science, literature, and other fields.