NEW YORK, NY –
Leadership 100 announced on February 27 the appointment of Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Fr. Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos as its new Executive Director. He will succeed Paulette Poulos, who has served as Executive Director since 2011 and as Development Director since 2005.
According to Chairman Michael N. Bapis, the Board of Trustees approved the appointment by consensus during its meeting on Friday afternoon. Fr. Papazafiropoulos will officially assume his new role on June 1, 2026.
“We are pleased with the choice of Father Panagiotis at this critical juncture for Leadership 100 and our Beloved Church. He brings deep experience, expertise, and energy to the role of Executive Director. We are indebted to our current Executive Director, Paulette Poulos, for recommending him and grateful that she will stay on in a new role for a transitional period to familiarize him with our operations,” said Bapis.
Father Panagiotis brings more than two decades of experience in ecclesiastical administration and the financial sector to his new role. He currently serves the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as Director of the Archbishop’s Office, where he oversees the day-to-day operations of the Office of the Archbishop. Before his ordination, he worked in consultative financial services where he delivered tailored insurance solutions to institutional clients and their families.
He has previously served as Archdiocesan District Assistant Chancellor and Interim Chancellor, where he managed clergy assignments, mediated conflicts, conducted sensitive investigations, and oversaw the administrative transition of the Chancellor’s Office after the Enthronement of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
During his ministry at the Archdiocese, he played a central role in organizing major events, including the 2021 Apostolic Visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States, the Centennial Clergy-Laity Congress in New York City, and the 2022 visit of Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria.
Earlier in his ministry, Father Panagiotis served as Youth Director of the Archdiocesan District, where he organized youth ministries across athletics, camping (Camp Saint Paul), and young adult programs. He merged the two basketball programs to one League (GOBL) that now has almost two thousand active players throughout the Archdiocesan District. Through strategic planning and operational streamlining, he strengthened inter-ministry collaboration and generated annual revenue surpluses.
Father Panagiotis is the Presiding Priest of St. Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church in New York, and he holds the ecclesiastical rank (offikion) of Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne. This esteemed rank, bestowed only by the Ecumenical Patriarch, is one of the then highest honors conferred upon married clergy.
Father Panagiotis holds a B.A. from New York University, a degree in Theology from the University of Athens, a Master of Arts from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, and a degree in Byzantine Music from the National Conservatory of Greece. He is married to Presvytera Christina, and together they are parents to Marianna, Demetrios and Vasilios.
