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APRIL 18, 2026
at 5:30 pm

OMNI Los Angeles Hotel * 251 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Honoring

Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48)

Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
and Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee

Pericles Award

Andreas Kyprianides

Honorary Consul General of Cyprus in Los Angeles,
co-founder of AHC and

Mrs. Mika Kyprianides

Lifetime Achievement Award

Master of Ceremonies

Robert Krantz

Robert Krantz

Actor, Director, Producer

Entertainment

parea

#Parea from Rooftop Sundays Live!

Sponsorship Packages
Reservations & Tickets
Spyros Lazaris

A Message from our Chairman

On behalf of the American Hellenic Council of California, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support, dedication, and belief in our mission. Since our founding in 1974, the AHC has worked tirelessly to promote peace, democracy, and human rights in southern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Aegean—with a special focus on Greece and Cyprus. Our mission remains steadfast: to inform U.S. policymakers on critical Hellenic issues and to advocate for policies that advance the interests of the Greek-American community. Thanks to your loyal involvement, the American Hellenic Council continues to serve as a vital voice in Washington, D.C., promoting legislation that defends Hellenism, encourages regional stability, and supports the democratic values we all cherish.

In celebration of our collective efforts and shared vision, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to our 2026 Annual American Hellenic Council Gala, taking place on April 18, 2026, at the OMNI Hotel in Los Angeles, California. This signature event brings together champions of Hellenism—community leaders, advocates, and friends—for an evening of unity and recognition.

Our Gala is made possible by the generosity of members like you. Your support empowers us to continue our political advocacy, public education, and community engagement. We are deeply thankful to all our donors who uphold our mission and contribute to our vision of a stronger, united Hellenic voice in America and abroad.  I look forward to seeing you at the Gala as we celebrate our heritage, honor our leaders, and renew our commitment to Hellenism.

Spiros Lazaris, President & Chairman of the Board of Directors American Hellenic Council

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Know the issues

Cyprus Peace Process

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Greek Sovereignty Violations

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Turkish Violations of Cyprus EZZ

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Genocide Recognition

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Religious Rights & Freedoms

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East-Med Partnership

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ANDREAS AND MIKA KYPRIANIDES

For the past fifty-two years, Andreas Kyprianides’ volunteerism and generosity have uniquely touched every aspect of life within and beyond our community through his exemplary and wide-ranging service — political, religious, and cultural. His wife, Mika, is also being honored for her successful professional career and for her steadfast support of his many endeavors in public service.

Born in the Cypriot village Khoulou, an agrarian village in Paphos, Andreas learned the skills of self-discipline, co-operation, and self-reliance at an early age. While attending the Nikolaideio Gymnasium (high school) in the city of Paphos, he shared a sparsely furnished rented room with two other boys. At the tender age of fifteen, in a basement, with his hand on a bible, he became a sworn member of EOKA (Ethniki Organosi Kyprion Agoniston — National Organization of Cypriot Freedom Fighters). He vowed to support the struggle, obey all orders, and maintain utmost secrecy, especially if apprehended. He took this oath so seriously that even his family was unaware of his induction.

On graduating from high school in Paphos with a perfect 20, an honor he shared with two other students, Andreas attended the Pedagogical Academy in Nicosia.. Upon earning his degree, Andreas returned to teach at the Dimitrion elementary school in Paphos next to the high school he’d attended — a plum appointment (most new teachers are sent to remote villages). While teaching for two years, Andreas also began giving back to the community, something he would continue to do for the balance of his life. He volunteered as secretary for the newly founded athletic club, Evagoras, eponymously named for Evagoras Pallikarides, the Paphian poet, athlete, and youngest freedom fighter hanged by the British. Andreas knew Evagoras Pallikarides very well. They were in high school at the same time, Andreas in the first grade and Pallikarides in the fifth. They also lived in the same neighborhood and saw each other every day.

He left teaching to work for the Cyprus daily, “AGON” in Nicosia. A political reporter, attending on occasion the press conferences of the legendary President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. He came to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and American Government from the Claremont Men’s College- now Claremont McKenna College- followed by a Master of Arts Degree in Political Theory and International Relations from Claremont Graduate School, with honors. He taught Political Philosophy and Classics at Pomona College while fulfilling the course requirements for a Ph.D. After advancing to candidacy, he left the doctoral program and, demonstrating great versatility and breadth of knowledge, established his numismatics and fine arts business.

Since 1982 he has faithfully executed his duties as the longest serving Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Cyprus, selflessly, without remuneration. For more than forty-two years, he has helped countless individuals with issues such as passport renewal, obtaining Cypriot citizenship, assisting Cypriot visitors with health issues, visa renewals, or whatever else they might need. Additionally, he is working hard to gather support for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem and to foster good relations between Cyprus and his adopted country, the United States. Over the years, he has lobbied members of Congress and made countless speeches to various organizations about the ongoing Turkish occupation of one-third of Cyprus and other Hellenic national causes. Apropos, he believes that the cause of Cyprus is relevant not only for Hellenes everywhere, but as an international problem of illegal invasion and occupation and violation of basic human rights and freedoms, should concern all fair-minded people who believe in freedom and justice..

This past August, Mr. Kyprianides was honored for his exceptional service (Medal of Exceptional Contribution) by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides. Moved by the recognition from his motherland, Andreas accepted the medal in memory of his parents and dedicated it to all people who are fighting for Cyprus and all Hellenism.

Andreas’ dedication to the fight for justice for Cyprus and recognition of the wider implications for Greece and the Greek territories that Turkey covets, led Andreas to help mobilize the community in the aftermath of the 1974 invasion. Andreas reached out to influential Hellenes to consolidate their advocacy efforts. He was one of the co-founders (and the only born in Cyprus) of the Save Cyprus Council of Southern California — precursor to the present-day American Hellenic Council, which remains vocal on relevant policy issues regarding Cyprus and Greece, always within the framework of American national interests. He served as secretary of the organization from 1976 through 1983. Under its auspices, he co-chaired the committee that organized the November 1974 visit of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, and chaired the committees that organized the visits of the second and third Presidents of Cyprus: Spyros Kyprianou and Giorgos Vassiliou.

Hoping to garner more support for Cyprus, he joined the exclusive community organization, AXIOS Foundation of Worthiness. Under its auspices he helped organize tributes to prominent Hellenes including George Christopher, Archbishop Iakovos, Alex Spanos, and John Brademas. As Chair of the Man of the Year Award Committee and Vice-President of AXIOS he organized the very successful annual tribute events honoring the esteemed Senator Paul Sarbanes (Maryland), Senator Paul Tsongas (Massachusetts), California State Senator Nick Petris, prominent Greek American businessman and philanthropist Angelo Tsakopoulos, and philhellene Marianne MacDonald (founder of the of the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae at the University of California at Irvine. The events took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, all with several hundred attendees.

Additionally, Andreas played a leading role in fundraising for the campaigns of prominent Greek Americans seeking public office, including Governor Michael Dukakis’ presidential campaign, (Congressman and Senator) Paul Tsongas, and Senator Paul Sarbanes, Art Agnos’ mayoral campaigns, and Phil Angelides’ campaigns for State Treasurer.

Andreas has served on The Diocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and he notably chaired the 15th anniversary banquet in honor of Bishop Anthony’s enthronement in 1994, attended by more than 500 people and which raised ninety thousand dollars for various projects of the Metropolis. The success of that event led the Metropolitan to later call upon Andreas to organize the first ever visit by an Ecumenical Patriarch (Bartholomew) to Los Angeles, in 1997.

Feeling the weight of the honor of a Greek Cypriot organizing His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit to Los Angeles, Andreas worked exclusively for several months to ensure the visit’s success. His efforts paid off as the visit was a resounding success. The Ecumenical Patriarch was welcomed at a reception at Los Angeles Airport by Mayor Riordan, city officials, religious leaders from all Eastern Orthodox, and other Christian and non-Christian denominations, priests, and community leaders. His packed three-day visit included a luncheon address to Los Angeles World Affairs Council at which he addressed 849 people at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, a Walk of Faith in Every Step through the Union-Pico district from Berendo middle school to St. Sophia Cathedral, an ecumenical service with other Christian leaders, and presiding over a Divine Liturgy for thousands at the Los Angeles Convention Center, followed by a youth rally at the same venue, and concluded with a banquet at the downtown Bonaventure hotel.. Also during this visit, His All Holiness, also known as the “Green Patriarch,” spoke for two hours at a Santa Barbara Symposium on Religion and the Environment where he was joined by U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, and Jean Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau, the marine scientist and environmental activist.

Andreas Kyprianides also left his imprint in the cultural realm, through his multi-decade tenure with the Hellenic University Club. Having joined the Board of Directors in 1973, he served as vice-President from 1981- 1984, and President from 1984 -1987, and Chair of the Speaker committee for more than twenty years. Among the numerous high-profile speakers he was instrumental in bringing were Eleni Kazantzakis with her adopted son (heir and executor to the Kazantzakis estate, a philologist who also served as under-Secretary to Archbishop Makarios), Patroclos Stavrou; Kimon Friar (poet and translator); authors Nicholas Gage, Harry Mark Petrakis, and Helen Papanikolas; and journalist and author Christopher Hitchens, perhaps best known to Hellenes for his book, The Trial of Kissinger. The aforementioned speakers attracted several hundred attendees to the dinner-lectures. During Andreas’ presidency and vice-presidency the club annually held six dinner-lectures attended by a minimum of 125 people at a sit-down dinner, a Christmas party, and a graduation party for university graduates of Hellenic descent each June. In many ways the eighties represented the HUC’s golden era.

Andreas was instrumental in the 1985 establishment of the Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Hellenism in Los Angeles, securing funding from the great Hellene and philanthropist, Angelo Tsakopoulos, and served as the Center’s Secretary and Treasurer. This was the first such center on the west coast, and was important as UCLA already had a center for Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies where students were indoctrinated into Turkey’s revisionist history.

The Center was founded in memory of the late son of internationally known professor of Byzantine History, Speros Vryonis.

Later, when Vryonis was appointed as director of the Onassis Center at NYU, Tsakopoulos significantly increased his funding and in 1989 relocated the 70,000 volume collection to Rancho Cordova, California with Dr. Christos Ioannides appointed as Director of the Center. From 1996 to 2002, Andreas Kyprianides served as Chairman of its Board of Directors. The Center held numerous conferences on Hellenism both in Sacramento and abroad. Ultimately, in 2002, the Vryonis Center moved to its permanent home as the Tsakopoulos Collection at Sacramento State University. It is one of the largest and most significant collections in the United States, containing more than 83,000 volumes, is well-funded, and has yielded a significant number of scholarly publications.

Andreas’ volunteerism also extended beyond our state’s borders. He served on the board of directors for the National Conference of Christians and Jews (now the National Conference for Community and Justice), and the Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage in Washington, D.C. In 1986, he was invested by Archbishop Iakovos as an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church, the highest honor awarded a layman in our Church, bestowing upon him the obligation to defend and promote the Orthodox faith and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

They say “Behind every great man is a great woman,” and Andreas is no exception. For this reason, the Hellenic American Council is also honoring his wife Mika, both for her professional career and her unflagging support of Andreas in all his public endeavors: his service as Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Cyprus, his activism on behalf of Cyprus and all Hellenism, and his service to the community. Andreas met his wife Mika (Michaelidou) at the Intersection Folk Dance club on Temple Street and married her in 1972. Born in Limassol, Cyprus, Mika arrived here with her mother and older sister, following her father’s unexpected death, in 1963 to live with her uncle from her father’s side and her grandmother, in Hollywood. Mika proved to be very resilient, and adapted well to her new circumstances. Following graduation from Hollywood High School, she earned her B.A. in commercial art and design from California State University. She carved out a niche for herself in publishing, and as Creative Director at East/West Network, oversaw all the creative content and design of a dozen monthly in-flight magazines, such as United, Delta, Pan Am, PSA, and more, where she was a recipient of several Maggie (magazine publishers) awards.

After leaving East/West Network, because of their relocation to New York, she established her own design business and for 12 years she created dozens of fashion, beauty, jewelry catalogs, books and advertising, for companies such as Bullock’s Wilshire, JCPenny, Sebastian International, Redken, the Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Hellenism brochures and collateral materials, Skinn Cosmetics book, Teleflora and many more… Afterwards, Telflora asked her to join their team as the Design Director of their award winning magazine, Flowers& and she was there for many years.

Later on, Mika went back to her own design business, where among many other projects, in 2008 she notably designed and produced (pro-bono) Saint Sophia’s 300-page coffee table book, 1908-2008 100th Anniversary of Greek Orthodox Community of Los Angeles and Southern California.

Andreas and Mika have a daughter, Alexia, who is married to Perry Poulopoulos, and three grandchildren, Dean, Andrew, and Julia.

Andreas has received numerous accolades and honors, among which was the privilege of bearing the torch in the 2004 Los Angeles Olympic torch relay. Bringing it to the Greek Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard before handing it to the next runner, held special significance for him. Andreas explained: “I felt I was running for three countries: Cyprus, the island of my birth; Greece, the motherland of all Hellenes, and the United States, my adopted country.’ He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Patriarch Athenagoras Humanitarian Award by the Greek Orthodox Diocese of San Francisco; the Theodore Saloutos Award by the American Hellenic Council; the Evagoras Pallikarides Award by the Pan-Paphian Association of America (a national organization); and the very prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor “as a result of his exceptional humanitarian efforts and outstanding contributions to our country.” The latter holds special meaning for him, as it is awarded to outstanding American citizens who have distinguished themselves in their specific ethnic groups. Its recipients include former American presidents, senators, congressmen and other prominent Americans. Lastly, as mentioned earlier, in August 2025 he was presented with the medal of Exceptional Contribution by the President of Cyprus for his forty-two years of service as Honorary Consul General to his native country.

Andreas’ multifaceted history lends credence to the high praise professor Speros Vryonis bestowed on him: “All of us, as individuals, as family, and community members, have been greatly enriched by our association with Andreas Kyprianides, and our conduct and life are very much affected by his strength of character, critical understanding and human compassion. Equally at home in both his ethnic and larger American society, he has been able to fuse the best features of both these societies.”

The American Hellenic Council takes great pleasure in honoring Andreas and Mika Kyprianides with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Honorary Consul Andreas Kyprianides and Mika Kyprianides, thank you for your unwavering love and support of humanity, Hellenism, and for the promotion and preservation of our Greek culture in America.

Robert Krantz is a Greek-Amer­ican (Krantz was shortened from Karountzos) who graduated from USC’s film school and has acted in movies (Back to the Future, Woman in Red), TV movies (Billionaire Boys Club, Onassis) and sit-coms (Who’s the Boss?, Silver Spoons, 21 Jump Street).

He has also sold his original screenplays to Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures.

Additionally, through his company Ellinas Multimedia, Krantz produced, wrote and starred in the award winning Do You Wanna Dance?, Christmas with the Karountzoses and Faith, Hope & Love with Krantz receiving nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Actor and winning for Best Director, from the International Christian Film Festival.

He has also written several best-selling books, Falling in Love with Sophia, Guide to the Divine Liturgy and Guide to Holy Week and produced The Saints video series.

Krantz recently starred in, wrote, directed, and produced his latest movie: A Marriage Made in Heaven, which was nominated for 7 International Christian Film Festival awards, with Krantz winning for Best Screenplay.

Krantz now lives in Aliso Viejo, California and attends St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church, in California, with his wife Tricia. They recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary, and have triplet sons, Chris, George, and Nicholas.

Rooftop Sundays Live was born in the heart of the pandemic—not just as a musical project, but as a lifeline. With the world in lockdown and isolation weighing heavy, we climbed up to the rooftops and conquered the backyards of Los Angeles determined to fight back with what we knew best: music, food, joy, and connection.

What started as intimate Facebook live streams with our friends and family quickly exploded into a global Greek phenomenon, gathering over 500,000 viewers from around the world! Together, we laughed, danced, and sang—turning our screens into the biggest parea the world had ever seen.

As life returns to its vibrant rhythm post-Covid, our parea is hitting the road—bringing that same magic, energy, and heart to private events through our beloved Laika, Rembetika and Entehna. Our core team—Petros Antoniadis, Alexis Cohen, Emmanouela Chiotaki and Eirini Nomikos—continues to lead the way, and we’re beyond thrilled to welcome two incredible new members to our family: Konstantinos Petrakis and Dimitri Petrakis, whose talent, spirit, and warmth have made them one with us!

Welcome, Welcome to our parea!