Board Members
Our Team
Board Members
EKO’s president - Education Specialist and Entrepreneur
Kitty Panourgia is a social scientist and female entrepreneur, with studies in the field of educational and cultural planning and organisation in the context of regional development. She holds an M.Ed from the University of Manchester-UK, and a PhD from the University of Geneva-CH. She works as a consultant and evaluator mainly for central and local government bodies in Greece (i.e. Ministry of Education, of Labour, of Health etc.). Furthermore, she is an expert in event management, being involved in international scientific conferences mainly in the field of Intelligent Systems. As an educational expert she plans and organizes educational/cultural trips for different target groups, such as schoolkids, youngsters, families, civil society organisations, etc. For many years she has held and still holds important positions in different Bodies, Organisations and Associations such as the Women’s Organisation of Managers and Entrepreneurs, and general secretary of University of Manchester Alumni Association in Greece. In addition, she holds the honorary title of a European Ambassador of female entrepreneurship, in the context of which she has worked as a mentor in Greece, Europe and elsewhere to encourage different target groups to get involved in Entrepreneurship.
Base
Athens
Vice President
Stivi Siozopoulou is a dynamic professional who firmly believes in the values of female entrepreneurship. She has devoted herself to consistently promoting the role of women in society and the economy. Her first business activity involved importing and distributing raw materials for confectionery. After completing her studies in Public Relations and Marketing, her affection for children and family matters led her to studying psychology and specialising in Educational Psychology. She then founded the nursery station “Alexandros” in Thessaloniki, where she still keeps the position of the managing director until today. Stivi is an active columnist and is actively involved in public discourse in the fields of education, family and pregnancy prevention, female entrepreneurship and environment. She currently holds the position of the Vice Chairman at the THEAGENIO Hospital for Cancer disease and is a member of the Board of the organisation Daughters of Penelope in Thessaloniki. Stivi is the Vice Chairman of EKO. In the past, she has been a Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce in Thessaloniki, as well as a member of the Board of the Centre for Female Issues Ergani.
Base
Athens
General Secretary
Eleni Zeppou is a law graduate of the Kapodistrian University of Athens, a member of the Athens Bar and a practicing lawyer in Athens since 1989 After having worked in several renowned Athenian corporate law firms and in the legal departments of large technical companies, she has established her own law firm in Athens city center in which she currently works with associates. In 2002, she was elected Municipal Councilor of Psychiko, a big suburb of Northern Athens. In 2006, she was nominated candidate for the Mayor of Psychiko. Since then she has been a Municipal Councilor of Filothei-Psychiko Municipality. Eleni is a founding and active member of the Environmental Protection Associations of Psychiko and Ampelokipoi (two major municipalities of the Greater Region of Athens). Apart from being the General Secretary of E.K.O, she presides the board of two other important organizations: She is Vice-President of the Association of f the Soroptimistic Association of Sozopolis, Greece (International Women’s volunteering organization) and President of the Soroptimistic Group of Psychiko.
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Athens
Treasurer
Laura Arsenis is a fusion of the USA and Europe. Her upbringing was American, based on the values of hard work, equality and community service. As a student of social sciences, she was a civil rights activist. She worked as a teacher and social worker in Harlem, New York before moving to Europe to start a consulting business. Designing and implementing projects funded by the European Commission and the United Nations awarded her invaluable experience and skill sets in programme management and evaluation, vocational training strategies, gender mainstreaming measures, entrepreneurship promotion and business mentoring. She managed projects in multicultural settings in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Laura is a member of the European Network of Business Mentors, the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group and the European Evaluation Society, a member of the Institute for the Development of Women Managers and Entrepreneurs of the Hellenic Management Association, a Board Member of Directors of the Hellenic Association of Management Consulting Firms (SESMA) and concurrently a member of the Executive Committee of the European Federation of Management Consultancies Associations FEACO).
Base
Athens
Members
Project Manager & HR responsible
Natalia Kakourou holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management (Athens University of Economics and Business. Regarding her extended education, she has been certified in adult education, creative writing, and teaching English as a foreign language. She has worked in the field of Conference organisation and Events Management for 5 years. Currently, she works in EKO as a project manager with duties including the coordination of KA1 mobilities, the monitoring of some large-scale projects (KA2, ACF), and the development of a range of intellectual outputs. She is also in charge of exploring new venues for enriching EKO’s team with interns and volunteers, training new members, and managing the organisation’s team dynamics.
Base
Athens
Researcher & Project Manager
Konstantina Traka works as a youth worker and project manager in EKO. She has graduated from the Law School of the Democritus University of Thrace. She has a special interest in the promotion of human rights and in the development and work of civil society institutions. Part of her experience is the result of her work as a volunteer in Russia in the context of a long-term ESC program. Since her return to Greece, she has been actively involved in the planning, organisation, and implementation of Erasmus+ projects in both KA1 and KA2 projects. She believes that non-formal education is the best way to empower youth and vulnerable groups and hopes that her work will contribute to creating a better future for European citizens and beyond.
Base
Athens
Project Manager & Event Coordinator
Emmanuela Iosifidou is an assistant project manager with studies in Law at Democritus University of Thrace. Emmanuela has volunteered extensively, including a 6-month ESC program in Russia and has attended several training courses in project management implementation and specialises in facilitating non-formal education activities. She has experience in EKO as a youth worker and gained skills in facilitating non-formal education. Her half-Ethiopian origin allows her to have an important network with Ethiopians in Greece.
Base
Athens
Project Manager
Caroline Abdelshohada is a project manager with a strong background in human rights and youth empowerment. With five years of experience in research and project management, she has focused her work on civil society Organisations and youth engagement. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cairo University, she began her career as a researcher and youth worker for an Egyptian Organisation, where she contributed to projects centred on human rights advocacy. In addition to her work in civil society, Caroline has extensive experience in media coordination. During her three-year tenure at the Egyptian State Ministry of Information, she managed youth empowerment initiatives aimed at raising awareness of critical social issues, including illegal migration, unemployment, and fake news.
Base
Athens
Youth Worker & Social Media Expert
Natalia Georgoulopoulou is a communications professional driven by social inclusion, cooperation & collective action. She holds an MBA from Université Grenoble Alpes and a Bachelor’s degree from Panteion University of Athens, with an academic background rooted in social sciences, strategy, and communication. At EKO, she manages the social media accounts to promote EKO’s values & actions and supports the organisation of European projects and initiatives that contribute to a more inclusive society.
Base
Athens
Youth Worker & Researcher
Danai Skalistiri Piki is a youth worker and researcher with wide international experience across European and global environmental and social contexts. She holds a joint master’s degree in Sustainable Territorial Development and Climate Change from the University of Padova (Italy) and the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), as well as a BSc in Economics with a minor in Psychology from the University of Southampton (UK). She is committed to environmental sustainability, eco-friendly solutions, degrowth, and informal learning, and that’s her main role as a researcher at EKO’s team, to bring and implement sustainable initiatives.
Base
Athens
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