2023 YAL Chicago Speakers
Meet and sign up for our awesome speakers below!
Keynote Speaker: Deacon Michael Hyatt
Topic: Mind Your Mindset: How to Your Thinking Shapes Your Behavior and Determines Your Success at Work and in Life
Bio: Dn. Michael is a convert to Orthodoxy. He has served at St. Ignatius in Franklin, TN, since his ordination to the diaconate in 1987. He serves as the Executive Chair of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theology Seminary.
In his professional life, Dn. Michael is the Founder and Chairman of Full Focus, a coaching company dedicated to helping high achievers win at work and succeed in life. Before that, he spent more than thirty years in the world of book publishing, most recently as the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.
He is also the author of several New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling books, including Your Best Year Ever, Free to Focus, and Mind Your Mindset. He has been married for over 40 years to his wife Gail, has five daughters, and has ten grandchildren.
Learn more about Deacon Michael and Full focus here.
Workshop Speaker: Abbess Aemiliane
Topic: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” - John 8:32
Description: What’s freedom? What are the universal unfreedoms? What is truth? How do we know? What are thoughts? What is spiritual life?
Bio: Abbess Aemiliane, of the Sacred Monastery of St. Nina, in Union Bridge, MD, is a native Kansan. While doing her doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she encountered Orthodoxy and monasticism in the person of her Spiritual Father, Elder Dionysios, when he was invited to speak, celebrate and hear confessions at Holy Cross/Hellenic College, by the ever-memorable Archbishop +Iakovos, and sent by his Elder, Archimandrite Aemilianos of blessed memory, during Great Lent of 1982. The day after her graduation from Harvard she left for Greece to be baptized and became a nun. She was the first of the original Sisters of the Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Thebes, Greece, with its founding Abbess, Eldress Diodora. In 2012, the Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia, ILYA II -- who had been inviting Archimandrite Dionysios to visit Georgia and collaborate with him since 1995, when the Elder was Abbot of Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem -- established the Sacred Monastery of Saint Nina under the omophorion of Metropolitan Dimitri of Batumi, then ruling Hierarch of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America, with Nun Aemiliane as Abbess.
Want to learn more/donate to Saint Nina's? Click here!
Father Dimitri and Presbytera Danielle Burikas
Topic: Healthy Relationships the Orthodox Way: How to Foster Healthy Relationships Through Trust, Communication and Vulnerability
Bio: Fr. Dimitri serves as the associate pastor at Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral located in Merrillville, IN. Pres Danielle is a teacher and has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels. Back in the day, Father Dimitri used to be an internationally ranked Fifa (XBOX) player! Now, the couple enjoys spending time with their kids Panagioti, almost six years old, and Haralambos, four months old.
Workshop Speaker: Father Ciprian Sas
Topic: Sculpting a Relationship with God, Others, and Self
Description: Are your relationships with God, with others, and with the self where they should be? How would you rate or describe your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state right now – productively healthy or seductively unhealthy? Is your personal health or unhealth helping you nourish meaningful, long-lasting relationships, or is it getting in the way? And why are relationships so important anyway? Come and see how these topics are so beautifully intertwined during our quest to enter into and remain in communion with our creator.
Bio: Rev. Dr. Ciprian Sas has been a priest for 20 years and has been serving Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee, WI since September 2019. In addition to his theology degree, Fr. Ciprian holds a Masters in International Business and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. He has served on the Metropolis Council and numerous Metropolis committees. Prior to his ordination, he gathered extensive experience in academia – instruction, assessment, administration, research & publications. Fr. Ciprian lived in 4 different countries (Romania, Sweden, Canada and the US) and studied 5 different languages. He and Pre. Dr. Magdalena Sas have 3 children: Elijah, Emma & Isaiah.
Workshop Speaker: Dr. Danielle Xanthos
Topic: “i CaN’t EvEn,” and the Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.
Description: A workshop on the cultivation of psychological and spiritual vitality.
Bio: Dr. Danielle is a steward of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul in Hempstead, NY and works as a Psychologist at Northport VA Medical Center in Long Island. Within the Orthodox community, Danielle is an IOCC Frontliner, AoB Peace of Mind Facilitator, a chantor, and is the coordinator for her parish's young adult ministry. She has also served in the camping/orthodox program ministries as Crossroad staff from 2012-2016, and as an Ionian Village Staff member in 2011! Dr. Xanthos is a passionate philanthropist and continues to be involved with IOCC, OCAMPR, and the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science.
Workshop Speaker: Dr. John Fotopoulos
Topic: Living Scripture and Our Path to Wellness
Description: A practical view on the role of scripture, reading, and application to our daily lives.
Bio: Dr. Fotopoulos currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies & Theology at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. He holds a PhD in New Testament Studies from Loyola University Chicago as well as a Masters of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He currently is a steward at St. George in Schererville, IN, and Dr. Fotopoulos remains involved in the Orthodox community as a staff member at Fanari Camp, Lighthouse Camp, teaches high school Sunday school, and is an Archon of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle.
Workshop Speaker: Paul Karos
Topic: The Role of Boundaries in Cultivating the Garden of Our Soul
Description: Come and learn how we look at the topic of boundaries from an Orthodox Christian perspective, and why they are important in life.
Bio: Mr. Karos has had a successful 35 + year career on Wall Street. He ran hedge fund portfolios for 13 years at his own firm Aplos Advisors, Whitebox Advisors, and Millennium Partners. He was President of Piper Jaffray’s Investment Banking and Equities Division where he led the firm to become a national investment banking player. Earlier in his career, he was Managing Director of CS First Boston, where he was named the number one-ranked airline analyst in the world for five straight years. For many years he has been involved in a variety of ministries in the Orthodox Church. He has been the Retreat Leader for several men’s, youth, young adult and family camp retreats across the country. He was a bible study leader for the Minnesota Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry Team. He conducts pre-marital counseling with and on behalf of priests as a trained Prepare and Enrich counselor. As of June 2018, Mr. Karos founded Matrona Ministries, a lay Orthodox Christian ministry which performs coaching one-on-one, parish retreats, and Orthodox Christian life assessments. Mr. Karos, along with Professor Harry Boosalis, host a podcast on Ancient Faith named ‘Person to Person’. Mr. Karos earned his Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Theology through the University of Balamand, Lebanon and a BS of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. He gives numerous motivational presentations to business and school groups as well. Mr. Karos is married to his wife, Cindy and has three children. He has been legally blind since his teen years, and is now 99% blind.
Sunday Panelists
Panelist: Maria Kroll
Maria has been an educator her entire life and currently works as a Principal at Grade 8 Orthodox Christian School. Maria has a wide occupational background that includes teaching Sunday School, directing Vacation Church School, and previously serving as a youth director. Maria remains very involved within the Metropolis and attends both St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church and St. John the Baptist.
Maria is an avid philanthropist and has dedicated her time to Family Synaxis, Project Mexico, and the Metropolis of Chicago service initiatives. Maria is a devoted mom to seven children! She feels strongly about offering the gifts that God grants each of us back to the Church. She says that “God, in His mercy, has multiplied gifts in ways that could never be planned”.
Panelist: Dr. George Bovis MD
In his spare time, you can find Dr. Bovis volunteering with the Panhellenic Scholarship Foundation, the Greek American Rehabilitation Center and the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation. He also enjoys motion pictures, golfing, and is an avid skier!
Panelist: Dr. Thomas Bournias, MD
Dr. Bournias serves as the Director of the Northwestern Ophthalmic Institute and is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. As a steward of Holy Taxiarhai and Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church, Dr. Bournias is involved in the community in a multitude of ways. He serves as a board member for the Parish Council at St. Haralambos (and has been for 24 years!), the Saint Iakovos Retreat Center, as well as the Medical Alumni Association Board for the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Additionally, he is a member of the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society.
Speaking to the young adults in Chicago is a full circle moment for Dr. Bournias because he met his wife through the Young Adult League in 1993!