GREEK AMERICA FOUNDATION
PRESENTS
Friday, June 3, 2022
Celebrating 15 years of impact in philanthropy, culture and service in North America and Greece.
DEADLINE FOR TICKET SALES: MONDAY, MAY 23
GREEK SUMMER by Cacao Rocks
The Gabby Awards
Since launching this event in 2009, the Gabby Awards have become the nation’s most widely celebrated event in the Greek American community. Thousands of people from throughout the world have come together to celebrate Greek America’s Best and Brightest Stars and to honor the dynamic charitable and philanthropic efforts of the Greek America Foundation.
The Gabby Awards event is the main fundraiser for the Greek America Foundation, a charitable organization with a 5-star platinum rating by Guidestar, recognized internationally for its work in promoting Greek culture and heritage, its academic programs and its generosity in supporting vulnerable populations in Greece.
This year, we’re excited to celebrate GREEK SUMMER with a special theme designed by one of Greece’s most well-known artists, Cacao Rocks. Click here to read more about Cacao Rocks and his internationally acclaimed work.
Weekend Schedule
We look forward to welcoming friends and supporters of the Greek America Foundation from throughout the world to New York City!
For discounted hotel reservations at the Park Lane Hotel, directly next door to The Plaza, where our main event is taking place, please click here.
**The deadline to book rooms at the Park Lane Hotel is Friday, May 6, 2022.
For discounted hotel reservations at the Boro Hotel, located only a few blocks from Melrose Ballroom, where our after party is taking place, please click here.
During your stay in the Big Apple, visit any of the Souvlaki GR locations, conveniently located in Midtown and the Lower East Side, and mention you’re in town for the Gabby Awards. Owners Tina & Niko Plagos will offer you one complimentary glass of house (white or red) wine or a shot of mastiha.
Check back often as we will add new and exciting details, including discounted room rates at area hotels, Broadway packages, information about visiting Ellis Island and some great restaurant deals for Gabby Awards guests! Click here to read our latest announcements.
To receive regular updates and announcements about our weekend events directly to your inbox, subscribe to our email list.
The dress code is black tie for the Gabby Awards gala on Friday, June 3 at The Plaza Hotel; business casual for remaining events.
Thursday, June 2, 2022
7:00pm – 10:00pm
Welcome Dinner for Sponsors
*By invitation only / For sponsor-level donors
A special evening designed especially for our sponsors hosted by award-winning chef Mina Stone at her namesake restaurant inside one of the most famous museums in the world. Guests will dine on a special meal designed by Stone herself and will be treated to a spirited talk about her illustrious career. Joining the acclaimed chef will be the equally-acclaimed artist and vintner Alexandra Manousakis, whose namesake winery in Crete has won numerous awards. Alexandra will pair wines alongside Stone’s menu selections and share her story of how she ended up settling in Crete after growing up in Washington DC. This event also includes custom cocktail pairings by Skinos, Otto’s Athens Vermouth and Votanikon Gin, offered by award-winning mixologist Alexandros Kechagiadakis.
Mina’s NYC
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA PS1)
22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Friday, June 3, 2022
6:00pm – Midnight
Gabby Awards Dinner and Auction
Enjoy a signature dinner created exclusively for the Gabby Awards by the world-renowned chefs of The Plaza Hotel, together with a course designed by Mina Stone and dessert created by Antonis Selekos from Greece’s only two-Michelin starred restaurant, Funky Gourmet. During dinner we will present a star-studded program hosted by America’s favorite comedian Angelo Tsarouchas.
The historic Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel
Central Park South
768 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Friday, June 3, 2022
12:30am – 4:00am
Gabby Awards After Party featuring Anna Vissi
Take a journey into “Athens by Night,” via Astoria, New York– the Greekest neighborhood in North America, and the location of our Official After Party featuring Greece’s number one pop star, Anna Vissi and her complete orchestra from Greece.
Melrose Ballroom
3608 33rd St, Astoria, NY 11106
Saturday, June 4, 2022
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Brunch Honoring Greek America’s Forty Under 40 Classes of 2020 and 2022
Brunch at one of New York City’s famed Greek restaurants celebrating the winners of Greek America’s Forty Under 40 Classes of 2020 and 2022. Event is by invitation-only for award recipients and their guests.
Avra Madison
14 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
Saturday, June 4, 2022
12:00pm – 6:00pm
Summer Loading: A Greek Pop-Up Experience
Summer Loading… a Greek pop-up experience. Produced by Yia Mas and The Akia Shop, this experiential event will showcase Greek and Greek American brands, designers, chefs, musicians, and more. Summer Loading will transport you to Greek summer, even if just for the afternoon! Click here for more details.
14 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
Between 5th Ave and Madison Ave on the sidewalk
Saturday, June 4, 2022
7:30pm – 12:00am
Greek Summer Rooftop Celebration
A closing party celebrating Greek America’s Forty Under 40 with music by DJ Chad Mamba (direct from Athens) and dancing to welcome the start of Greek Summer. The event is proudly hosted by Athena Dion and sponsored by the Boro Hotel on their rooftop, with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. This event is FREE for Forty Under 40 honorees and one guest, as well as open to the public. To purchase tickets, click here.
Boro Hotel Rooftop
38-28 27th St, Long Island City, NY 11101
Sunday, June 5, 2022
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Greek Independence Day Parade
Although not affiliated with our events, we’re proud to share that the annual Greek Independence Day parade, the largest Greek parade in North America, will take place down Fifth Avenue. Extend your stay this weekend to enjoy this once-in-a lifetime experience and celebrate Greece for one more day!
Fifth Avenue
From 64th-79th St
New York City
HOST COMMITTEE
Patricia Kassis Lambrecht, Honorary Chair
Gregory C. Pappas
Manos Sifakis
Annika & Troy Geanopulos
Antonia & Chris Papavasiliou
Nick Spanos & Rodrigo Gormaz
Kyriakos & Roda Perperidis
Tina Livanos & Alexandros Makrygeorgos
Mr. Evan Michailidis Esq & Ms. Christina Hioureas-Michailidis Esq
Mr. & Mrs. Christopher A. Tsarnas
Athan and Iveta Stephanopoulos
Georgetown Cupcake
The Berman Family
Papadopoulos Group
KI Legal Team
Marathi Restaurant
2022 HONOREES
The Gabby Awards, since their inception, have been a celebration of Greek America’s Best and Brightest Stars. Past honorees have included some of North America’s most successful executives, creatives, athletes, artists, scientists and other leaders in their fields, all of whom have also expressed their desire to make the world around them a better place through their philanthropic activities. In keeping with the tradition of recognizing the very best and brightest, we’re proud to introduce our 2022 honorees, who will be present to receive their awards.
Niki Leondakis
CEO, CorePower Yoga
With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, building lifestyle brands and creating award winning work-place cultures that drive innovation and customer loyalty, Leondakis has consistently built and lead some of the most diverse employee and customer centric teams in the industry. Most recently as CEO at CorePower Yoga, the largest yoga studio chain in the United States with over 200 studios.
Prior to joining CorePower Yoga, Leondakis was President at The Wolff Company, a multifamily-focused real estate private equity firm. Prior to joining Wolff, Niki has been CEO of multiple companies including Equinox Fitness Clubs, Two Roads Hospitality and Commune Hotels & Resorts.
One of the leading women executives in hospitality, Leondakis joined Commune Hotels & Resorts in November 2012 as it’s CEO to lead the expansion for the its global growth including being named #9 on Travel and Leisure Magazine’s top 15 hotel brands in the world in 2016. Leondakis expanded the company’s Thompson Hotels and Joie de Vivre Hotel brands, as well as introduced the Singapore-based Alila Hotels & Resorts to the Commune portfolio. Previous to Commune, Leondakis led Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants as their President and Chief Operating Officer, where she started in 1993 and was a key member of the executive team that led the growth of the company from 15 hotels to 50. Under her leadership, Kimpton was named one of Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Leondakis also held various leadership roles with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company from 1985 – 1993. She began her hospitality career for Marriott Hotels in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Leondakis has had a longstanding passion for building work environments that bring out the best in its employees by celebrating differences with educational programs that breakdown barriers and foster appreciation for the richness and depth of perspective our unique heritages and cultures bring to our lives. Her goal of creating a workplace culture that facilitates personal and professional growth, instills pride, self leadership and ownership among employees has led to numerous awards and accolades including Commune Hotels & Resorts being recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work” by Crain’s New York and rankings on both the San Francisco Business Times’ “Best Place to Work” and Chicago Tribunes’ “Chicago’s Top Workplaces” lists. Individually, Leondakis has received numerous industry awards, including being cited in 2015 by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area’s Most Admired CEO’s. A recipient of the Leadership Excellence award by HR.com and LEAD2016, Leondakis has been named one of the "100 Most Influential Women" by the San Francisco Business Times repeatedly since 2002 and in 2016 she was honored as one of the top CEO’s in the Bay Area with their corporate “Trailblazer Award”.
She was also recognized as one of "30 Women Power Players" by Nation's Restaurant News and named one of the "Most Powerful Women in Travel" by Travel Agent Magazine. She was the recipient of the International Food Service Manufacturer's Association Silver Plate Award for Operator of the Year, the Fred Tibbits Hospitality Award for Lifetime Excellence, and Penn State's Hotel and Restaurant Society Hospitality Executive of the Year. Further, Leondakis' alma mater, the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Department of Hospitality and Tourism, awarded her its Stephen E. Elmont Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011, and in 2012 she was honored with Hospitality Design's Platinum Circle Award. In 2014 she was awarded the Horst Schulze Award for Excellence in Hospitality.
Tempering business with community stewardship, Leondakis has been dedicated to the advancement of women serving on the Board of Directors for Dress for Success Worldwide since 2004 and as Chair of the Board of Directors from 2009 – 2011. In 2006 Leondakis was a founding member of the San Francisco affiliate of Dress for Success, pulling together members of the community and local corporate sponsors that began the Bay Area presence for the global non-profit that promotes the economic advancement of women.
Leondakis has also served on Boards of Directors for the National Restaurant Association, Women’s Food service Forum, The Board of Trustees of the American College of Greece, and currently serves on the board of The Real Real, an online luxury consignment business that encourages consumers to purchase luxury products in a sustainable way.
A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Leondakis divides her time between Denver and Sonoma, California.
Amed Khan
Human Rights Advocate
Amed Khan has had an active career in both the public and private sectors, including a wealth of experience from political campaigns, government service and international relief work. Mr. Khan currently directs Paradigm Global Group, a private international investment firm with a focus on Commercial Real Estate, Energy and Technology.
He is the founder of Elpida Home, a public private initiative based in Thessaloniki, Greece that provides refugees the humane international protection they are entitled to. He also serves as Senior Advisor to the ClintonGiustra Enterprise Program, an innovative project of the William J. Clinton Foundation.
In August 2021, he began planning and implementing rescue operations of hundreds of people out of Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban. Amongst those rescued were female judges, parliamentarians and aid workers and their families who had been targeted by the Taliban for their ties to the United States. Thanks to Khan’s efforts, hundreds of people are now safe, in Greece, where they are awaiting the processing of their immigration papers to the United States and Canada.
Mr. Khan held several positions in the United States government including the Director of Operations for the G-7 Summit of Industrialized Nations in 1997. Between 1993 and 1995 Mr. Khan was Special Assistant to the Director of the United States Peace Corps, where he served as the Director’s personal representative on policy and administrative matters including liaison to the White House and coordinating the recruitment and selection of Peace Corps Country Directors.
Mr. Khan’s political experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Administration for the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Committee and Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Clinton/Gore ’96 where he managed planning for the Democratic National Convention and Presidential Debates as well as management roles in the 1992 Presidential Transition and the Clinton/Gore 1992 Presidential Campaign.
Mr. Khan worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Tanzania where was Chief Administrator/Logistician overseeing overall refugee camp administration and financial management.
Mr. Khan is the founder of the Zaka Khan Foundation and serves as its President. He is also on the International Advisory Council for the International Crisis Group, Board of Visitors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Political Science Department, and Advisor to the Carlos Slim Foundation.
Mr. Khan graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He lives in New York.
John Varvatos
Fashion Designer & Entrepreneur
Detroit born, music loving fashion designer John Varvatos, launched his namesake brand in 2000 after heading up design for both Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.
At Calvin Klein he was appointed head of menswear design and oversaw the launch of the men's collection and the cK brand. He also pioneered a type of men's undergarment called boxer briefs, a hybrid of boxer shorts and briefs. Made famous by a series of 1992 print ads featuring Mark Wahlberg, they have been called "one of the greatest apparel revolutions of the century." At Ralph Lauren, he was head of menswear design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands and created the Polo Jeans Company.
Since then he’s created a universe that expands way past fashion and has a steadfast and growing following. Throughout his career music has been a cornerstone of inspiration for his designs and ad campaigns which eventually led to a record label, John Varvatos Records, a book, John Varvatos: Rock in Fashion, and a docu-series PUNK.
He also uses his passion for music to help others, raising over $50 million producing benefit concerts for Stuart House, God's Love We Deliver, Why Hunger, VH1: Save the Music and the David Lynch Foundation.
Most recently, John launched OTD - On This Day, a multi-gender fashion brand of clothing, footwear, jewelry and accessories steeped in pop culture with flagship locations in Soho, NY, and Sunset Plaza, LA, as well as online. He’s slated to collaborate with some of the most well-known names in all genres.
Whether feeling empowered wearing John's clothes, embracing his retail experiences, following artists on his record label or enjoying Villa One, John’s tequila with partner Nick Jonas, there is a strong aspiration to be included in John’s world. Creating iconic products and experiences is deep in John’s DNA.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Comedian
Wknd Nation
Vocalist
Georgetown Cupcake
Singer / Songwriter
CHEF & RESTAURATEUR
Pastry Chef
Actor
President, NowThis News
Managing Vice President, National Association of Manufacturers
SUPPORT & ATTEND
The Gabby Awards event is the main fundraiser for the Greek America Foundation, a charitable organization with a 5-star platinum rating by Guidestar, recognized nationally for its work in promoting Greek culture and heritage, its academic programs and its generosity to supporting vulnerable populations in Greece.
Thank you for your consideration!
See our sponsorship levels below and use our convenient credit card check out forms. If you prefer to send a check, please download this form.
SILENT & LIVE AUCTIONS
Support the 2022 Gabby Awards and the Greek America Foundation by participating in our auctions! You don’t have to be in attendance to participate in the silent auction, which will go live two weeks before the big day, but you do need to be registered. We’re honored by the support of so many companies and individuals who are already on board to support our auctions.
Click here to see the list of beautiful items on our auction and to register.
PROGRAM BOOK
Interested in congratulating one of our honorees, or simply recognizing the Greek America Foundation’s great work? Consider taking out an advertisement in our program book which will be distributed that evening to all in attendance. Click here to download the advertisement form. Hurry! The deadline for ads is May 15, 2022.
OUR SPONSORS
OUR SPONSORS
Forty Under 40
We launched Greek America’s Forty Under 40 in 2010 as a way to recognize, honor and celebrate the brightest and most successful members of our community who excel not only professionally but also philanthropically.
Since their inauguration, the Forty Under 40 Awards have recognized 200 exceptional individuals coming from various walks of life and from throughout North America. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to celebrate the class of 2020 in-person.
But now, we’ve planned a joint celebration for the classes of 2020 and 2022 which will take place on Saturday, June 4. We’re excited to host our Forty Under 40 reception and Gabby Awards during the same weekend for the first time ever. This will also be the first-ever joint celebration of two classes.
