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OUR TEAM

Meet the people behind Ecogenia.

OUR FOUNDERS

“Igniting a cultural shift in Greece whereby social service is seen as a career prospect and an opportunity to retain young talent in the country, all the while driving sustainable development.”

Erika
Spagakou

co-founder

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about erika
"Working together to create opportunities for young Greeks to find meaningful work in Greece while also prioritising sustainable development."

Lia
Papazoglou

co-founder

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about lia

OUR TEAM

As the part-time Program Coordinator for our education work, Eleni brings her expertise as a special education teacher into her program development and management role with Ecogenia. Eleni has been advising Ecogeina’s strategic offering in the education space since 2021, including developing curriculum and managing cohort teams on the ground..

Eleni
Antoniadou

Education Program Coordinator
(Seasonal)

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As the Program Coordinator for our work in the Olympus-Dion region, Vasilis leads Ecogenia’s disaster management, namely wildfire risk-reduction, and trail management work. As a certified mountain guide and as a local from Litochoro, Vasilis brings a lifetime’s worth of experience from Mt. Olympus specifically.

Vasilis
Diamantopoulos

Program Coordinator

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A Greek-American from San Francisco, Melina's background is in international affairs, human rights, and social impact. Since receiving her M.A. in International Public Management from SciencesPo Paris School of International Affairs, she has worked for UNDP, UNICEF, and a social impact consulting firm. Melina has been a part of non-profits in the U.S., Greece, and France, focusing on a variety of issues, but all towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Barnard College of Columbia University. 
 
Melina is inspired by Ecogenia's mission and vision, and excited to be a part of a global team of incredible people committed to being a part of building a better future for Greece.

Melina
Dunham

Development Manager

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As Ecogenia’s Development and Communications Coordinator, Konstantinos works in the cross-over between fundraising, outreach and community building with our youth audience. His work ranges from supporting grant management to facilitating trainings and events and building Ecogenia’s social media engagement.

Konstantinos
Karalariotis

Development & Communications Coordinator

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As Ecogenia’s Communications expert partner, Angelos brings a wealth of sector knowledge and experience to help shape Ecogenia’s brand and storytelling, and drive engagement among our various audiences.

Angelos
Orfanidis

Communications Partner

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Stefanos has been involved with Ecogenia since the very beginning, advising the co-founders during the critical organizational development phase. As the Programs Manager, he wears many hats, with a focus on supporting the coordination of service projects and providing operational/admin support.

Stefanos
Papadosifos

Program Manager

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Ecogenia is the 1st climate corps in Greece to mobilize youth in critical climate action. The organization empowers youth by providing them with skills-based training and paid opportunities to serve their country’s environment, while reinforcing local communities by leveraging human and other resources to build climate resilience on the ground.

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Erika Spagakou

Co-founder

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Erika Spagakou is the Co-founder and Communication & Advocacy Director of Ecogenia. She graduated with a BA in Political Science & Public Administration from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens majoring in European and International Affairs, and holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University College London. 

A dedicated sustainability advocate with over 15 years of experience in energy, female and youth empowerment and social innovation, Erika has a track record working in the public sector at the national, regional and international level. She has lived and worked in Greece, the UK, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates, contributing to the mission of organizations like the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the European Commission (DG Environment), Zayed Sustainability Prize, NEOM Green Hydrogen Company, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and the Greek Ministries of Culture & Sports, Tourism and Education. 

Driven by her commitment to social impact, Erika co-founded Ecogenia in 2020 with a goal to mobilize Greek youth in climate action through a paid civic service term. Leveraging her experience in governance, policy and stakeholder engagement, Erika is responsible for Ecogenia’s advocacy and policy strategy, managing critical relationships with the communities the organization works in, as well as national stakeholders that are key to creating the enabling environment for civic service to scale nation-wide. 

Through her work, Erika aspires to ignite a movement whereby civic service acts as a vehicle to retain and develop Greece’s young talent, creating the climate-minded workforce that will catalyze the country’s green transition.

Lia Papazoglou

Co-founder

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Lia Papazoglou is the Co-founder and Program Director of Ecogenia currently residing and working in Litochoro, Greece. She graduated with a BA in International Affairs and Environmental Studies from Wagner College in New York City. She served as an AmeriCorps member twice. She was first a member of the inaugural NYC Civic Corps working to build capacity in low-income communities through revitalization projects, adult and childhood education, and financial literacy with New York Cares. Then, Lia served as a Development Fellow at GRID Alternatives focusing on renewable energy access, education, and workforce development projects. After nearly 10 years in the social impact and renewable energy space, she received her MSc in Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey in the U.K., graduating with distinction. Lia now also serves as the Climate Programs Director for the Business Council on Climate Change in San Francisco, working to incubate and scale climate solutions in the Bay Area and beyond. She has been working in the nonprofit and social impact sectors for over 12 years, with expertise in programme design, development, and management. She has a demonstrated passion for civic engagement and its intersection with sustainability. Lia also brings her 20 years of experience working with youth. This includes managing youth-based volunteer projects, writing curriculum and trainings for youth and volunteers working with youth, and overseeing extra-curricular youth development in various capacities.