The Hellenic Federation of New Jersey will honor Archon George A. Tsougarakis, Esq. with the Alexander the Great Lifetime Achievement Award. This prestigious and respected award will be conferred upon Archon Tsougarakis at the Foundation’s Thirteenth Annual Awards Gala, which will be held on Sunday, June 7, 2026 at The Graycliff Manor, 122 Moonachie Avenue, Moonachie, New Jersey 07074.
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, stated: “The Hellenic Foundation of New Jersey could not have found a more worthy recipient of its Alexander the Great Lifetime Achievement Award than Archon George A. Tsougarakis. For many years now, Archon George has demonstrated in numerous capacities his devotion to our Ecumenical Patriarchate and our Church as a whole. His selfless labors on behalf of our Church are worthy of the admiration of all Greek Orthodox Christians everywhere and indeed, all people of good will. Axios!”
Archon George A. Tsougarakis serves as General Counsel of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, where he advises the Archbishop, the Holy Eparchial Synod, and the Archdiocese as a whole, including its Metropolises and parishes, on matters of law, governance, and compliance. In this role, he helps to guide the Church through complex legal, organizational, and pastoral challenges, while safeguarding its institutions for future generations.
Archon Tsougarakis has long been active in the Greek Orthodox community and in organizations that promote Hellenic culture and heritage. He is a longtime parish council member, including two terms as President, at his home parish of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey, where he has also served as director and teacher at the Sunday School, and as a member of the Greek School Board of Education and AHEPA.
Archon Tsougarakis represented — on a pro bono basis — the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and several related entities in a number of matters, including the fight for the rightful return of priceless ecclesiastical manuscripts that were stolen from a monastery in northern Greece. In 2020, he left private practice, and now serves as the full-time General Counsel to the Archdiocese. In 2023, The Hellenic Medical Society honored him as Hellene of the Year.
George A. Tsougarakis was invested as an Archon in 2011 and conferred with the offikion Dikaiophylax. He is a Regional Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Metropolis of New Jersey, Northern New Jersey region, and a Friend of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation.
Cocktails will be served at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. Please R.S.V.P. to Event Coordinator : Despina Axiotakis (201) 981-5764 desaxio@gmail.com or Despina Kolokithas (201)725-8217 dkpatra1@yahoo.com.
