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APRIL 18, 2026

With our deepest gratitude, we thank our esteemed guests and generous supporters for making the evening truly unforgettable. The Gala was an extraordinary success, celebrating our distinguished honorees and uniting an exceptional gathering of leaders and supporters in a spirit of pride and shared purpose.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yiorgos Gerapetritis' letter to AHC

2026 Gala Photo Gallery

A video message from the President of the Republic of Cyprus, delivered on the occasion of our Annual Awards Gala 2026. His remarks highlight the enduring bonds between Cyprus, Greece, and the United States, and recognize the importance of our shared values and community.

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

Spyros Lazaris

A Message from our Chairman

Dear Friends and Esteemed Supporters,

On behalf of the American Hellenic Council of California, I am truly grateful for your ongoing support and commitment to the work we proudly carry forward together.  Since our founding in 1974, the American Hellenic Council has remained steadfast in advancing Hellenic causes, strengthening U.S.-Greece-Cyprus relations, and engaging policymakers on issues vital to our community. Through sustained advocacy and principled engagement, our collective efforts have contributed to increased Congressional awareness of Eastern Mediterranean affairs, stronger representation of Greek Americans in public service, and broader support for policies that promote regional stability and democratic values. For more than five decades, AHC has served as a respected voice in Washington, D.C., fostering constructive dialogue and informed policymaking on matters of Hellenic importance. With the continued partnership of supporters at home and abroad, we remain committed to promoting international cooperation, democratic governance, and a secure and stable Eastern Mediterranean region.

The past year has been one of meaningful progress and notable accomplishments for the American Hellenic Council.  Some of our continued efforts to educate and increase awareness of the Greek and Cyprus geopolitical issues during last year included:

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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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Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48)

Congressman Darrell Issa represents California’s 48th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the seniormost member of San Diego’s Congressional Delegation.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Issa enlisted in the U.S. Army as a senior in high school and gained an ROTC scholarship before earning a degree in business from Sienna Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. After graduation, Issa was commissioned as an Army officer and promoted to the rank of captain. He completed his active-duty military service in 1980 and turned his focus to the private sector.

A holder of 37 patents, Issa founded and served as CEO of California-based Directed Electronics Incorporated, the nation’s leading manufacturer of vehicle anti-theft and auto security devices. In 1994, Issa was named by Inc. Magazine as Entrepreneur of the Year for the San Diego region. Issa also served as a member of the board of governors of the Electronics Industry Association, director of the San Diego Economic Development Association and the Greater San Diego County Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association, a leading organization of more than 2,000 companies representing the most innovative and advanced leaders of the consumer technology industry.

In Congress, Issa is the Senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a member of the Space, Science, and Technology Committee. He is also the current Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet. From 2011 to 2015 Issa also served as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He previously served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Energy & Commerce Committee, the Small Business Committee, and the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

In October 2025, Congressman Issa introduced the Preventing Escalation and Advancing Caucasus Engagement (PEACE) Act, legislation aimed at deterring further aggression against Armenia and reinforcing a lasting peace framework with Azerbaijan. The initiative reflects his continued engagement on critical international security issues and his commitment to regional stability.

As a legislator and leader at California’s grassroots level, Issa has consistently championed limited government and advanced key legislation to promote transparency and hold government accountable to the people. He is the author of more than 100 legislative bills with dozens supported by bipartisan majorities of the Congress and signed by both Republican and Democrat presidents.

In recognition of his long standing support for Hellenic and Cypriot causes, Congressman Issa was honored with the Sarbanes Freedom Award by the International Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), which recognizes individuals whose efforts have contributed to the ongoing pursuit of freedom and the reunification of Cyprus.

California’s 48th Congressional District encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and part of southwestern Riverside County, including the communities of Alpine, Bonsall, Borrego Springs, Bostonia, Campo, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Lakeside, Murrieta, Poway, Ramona, Rancho San Diego, Santee, Temecula, Valley Center, Winter Gardens, the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line, and most of the San Diego-Mexico international border.

ANDREAS AND MIKA KYPRIANIDES

For the past fifty-two years, Andreas Kyprianides’ dedicated volunteerism and generosity have profoundly touched lives within and beyond our Hellenic communities through his exemplary and wide-ranging service — political, religious, and cultural. Andreas’ wife, Mika, is also being honored for her impressive professional career and for her steadfast partnership and support of her husband’s many public service endeavors.

Andreas Kyprianides was born in the Cypriot village of Houlou, an agrarian village in Paphos, Cyprus. Andreas learned the skills of self-discipline, co-operation, and self-reliance at an early age. His parents Christos and Iouliani were farmers and he and his younger siblings — sisters Irene and Chloe and late brother Phidias, at a very young age worked in the family’s fields and vineyards and tended to the animals.

An excellent student and athlete, Andreas enrolled at the Nikolaideio Gymnasium (High School) in the city of Paphos, where he shared a sparsely-furnished rented room with two other boys.

At the tender age of sixteen, in a basement with his hand on a bible, he became a sworn member of EOKA (Ethniki Organosi Kyprion Agoniston — The National Organization of Cypriot Freedom Fighters against the British rule. Andreas vowed to support the group’s struggle for union with Greece, obey all orders, and maintain utmost secrecy, especially if apprehended. He took his oath so seriously that even his family was unaware of his induction. His father was also a member of EOKA but neither knew of the other’s involvement. EOKA demanded absolute secrecy. Apropos, his father was arrested by the British and  detained at a concentration camp for about a year.

Andreas graduated from Paphos high school with a perfect grade of 20, an honor he shared with two other students. He then attended and graduated from the Pedagogical Academy (Teacher’s training college) in Nicosia. Most new educators were assigned to remote villages, but, 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. While teaching, Andreas also gave back to the community, as he would continue to do for the rest 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 Cypriot freedom fighter hanged by the British in 1957 at age 19. Though four years younger, Andreas knew Evagoras Pallikarides very well and had seen him almost every day for more than a year, having lived in the same neighborhood and gone to the same high school. He feels very honored for that great privilege.

After teaching  for two years, Andreas moved to Nicosia and worked as a journalist for the Cyprus daily “AGON.” As a political reporter he occasionally attended the press conferences of the legendary President of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios. After a year as a journalist, Andreas was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and came to Claremont Men’s College now Claremont McKenna College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and American Government with honors. He then received a Master of Arts Degree in Political Theory, Classics and International Relations from the Claremont Graduate School also with honors. He taught Political Philosophy and Classics at Pomona College while fulfilling the course requirement for a Ph.D. After advancing to candidacy, he left the doctoral program and demonstrating great versatility, he established his own business in Numismatics and Fine Arts.

Since 1983 Andreas 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 visas, passport renewal, obtaining Cypriot citizenship, assisting Cypriot visitors with health issues, and many other needs. Additionally, he has unceasingly worked 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, Andreas 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 concern. Illegal invasion and occupation of territory and violations 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 with the 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 for recognition of the wider implications for Greece and the Greek territories that Turkey covets, led him to help mobilize the community in the aftermath of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Andreas reached out to influential Hellenes to consolidate their advocacy efforts. He was one of the co-founders (and the only advocate born in Cyprus) of the Save Cyprus Council of Southern California — precursor to the present-day American Hellenic Council.  Andreas served as secretary of the Save Cyprus Council from 1976 through 1983 and 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. In 2026, the American Hellenic Council remains a strong voice on relevant policy issues regarding Cyprus and Greece, presented within the framework of American national interests.

Hoping to garner more support for Cyprus, Andreas 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, with audiences of several hundred in attendance.

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 part of the first ever visit by an Ecumenical Patriarch (Bartholomew) to Los Angeles, in 1997.

Feeling the weight of the honor of a Greek Cypriot involved in organizing His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit to Los Angeles, Andreas worked for several months to ensure the visit’s success. His efforts, together with the important efforts of the late Metropolitan Anthony and members of the local Greek Orthodox clergy, paid off as the visit was a resounding success. The Ecumenical Patriarch was welcomed at a reception at Los Angeles International Airport by Mayor Riordan, city officials, community leaders, and religious leaders from Eastern Orthodox, and other Christian and non-Christian denominations. 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 Saint Sophia Cathedral, an ecumenical service with other Christian leaders, 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.  He also was Chair of the Speakers’ Committee for more than twenty years, a golden era for the promotion of Hellenic Culture in California. Among the numerous high-profile speakers Andreas was instrumental bringing to the Club were Eleni Kazantzakis with her heir and executor to the Kazantzakis estate, Patroclos Stavrou, a philologist who also served as under-Secretary to Archbishop Makarios; 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 each 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.

Andreas was instrumental in the 1985 establishment of the Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Hellenism in Los Angeles, having secured funding from the great Hellene and philanthropist, Angelo Tsakopoulos. The Center was founded in memory of the late son of internationally known professor of Byzantine History, Speros Vryonis. Andreas served initially as the Center’s Secretary and Treasurer. This was the first such center on the West Coast, and was able to provide Southern Californian’s with a Hellenic perspective to historical events in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

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. 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 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 the Church, which bestowed upon Andreas the obligation to defend and promote the Orthodox faith and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The old meme, “Behind every great man is a great woman,” has been updated to “Alongside every great man or woman is a great partner.” The partnership of Andreas and Mika provided an outstanding example of beneficial collaboration. For that reason, the American Hellenic Council is also acknowledging and honoring Andreas’ wife Mika, both for her successful professional career, as well as her unflagging support of Andreas in his multiple good works… 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 had arrived in the US in 1963 after her father’s unexpected death. She, her mother, and her older sister lived in Hollywood with her grandmother and uncle. 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, Los Angeles. 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. Mika was a recipient of several Maggie (magazine publishers) Awards for her excellent productions.

When East/West Network relocated to New York, Mika established her own design business in Los Angeles, and, for over a decade, created dozens of fashion, beauty, jewelry catalogues, books, and advertising for companies such as Bullock’s Wilshire, JCPenney, Sebastian International, Redken, Skinn Cosmetics, Teleflora and many more. She also created brochures and collateral materials for the Speros Basil Vryonis Center for the Study of Hellenism. Afterwards, Teleflora asked her to join their team as the Design Director of their award winning magazine, Flowers&. She served at Teleflora for many years, but, at the same time, she continued to freelance and produce design projects for her committed and loyal clients.

After Teleflora she devoted herself to her business, and among many other new projects, she notably designed and produced (pro-bono) in 2008 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’s outstanding partnership included welcoming and raising their daughter Alexia, who is married to Perry Poulopoulos, and is the mother of Mika’s and Andreas’ three grandchildren, Dean, Andrew, and Julia.

Andreas Kyprianides has received numerous well-deserved accolades and honors, among which was the privilege of bearing the torch in the 2004 Los Angeles Olympic torch relay. Bringing the torch to the Greek Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard and 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.’

Andreas’ numerous awards, include 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 well-known 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.”