In early May 2020, Gulf Coast Diplomacy held its third Small World Café. The speaker for the event was Greece’s own Spyros KOUVELIS who visited Northwest Florida in 2009 on one of our organization’s first projects. KOUVELIS was delighted to “return” to the community and was not shy in pointing out his Certificate of Honorary Citizenship with the City of Pensacola hanging in his background.
KOUVELIS has worked at the United Nations, has served as the Shadow Minister of Environment Energy, and Planning in Greece, and is currently working on green energy initiatives. He shared details on his work and reconnected with locals during his Small World Café which included a variety of attendees, some even from overseas.
During the meeting, KOUVELIS also shared his experiences and expectations of the COVID-19 situation. He discussed the environmental impact that stay-at-home orders have had on the planet and is looking forward to seeing how communities will change due to this information.
When KOUVELIS traveled to Pensacola in 2009, he did so as an International Visitor Leadership Program participant. His national project was facilitated by the Meridian International Center and we thank them and the U.S. Department of State for making our initial connection with KOUVELIS possible.
