Summer Leadership Institute
In Partnership with Hellenic College Holy Cross | Aug 10 - 13, 2023 | Brookline, MA Click here to register.Come, learn what it means to be an Orthodox leader in OCF, the Church, and the world.
Summer Leadership Institute is a four-day program designed to prepare and empower faithful, Christ-centered young leaders. Christ calls each of us to be active members of His body, the Church.
Are you answering the call?
SLI is a place to discover and discern your vocation as an Orthodox Christian. Don’t hesitate. Join us this summer.

The Details:
Dates: Aug 10 – 13, 2023
Cost: $400
Location: Hellenic College Holy Cross | Brookline, MA
Registration covers meals, lodging, and program costs. Participants will provide their own travel expenses.
Are you an incoming chapter president? There may be scholarship money available for you! Email Peter Mansour at peter@ocf.net.
The Sessions:

Servant Leadership Keynote
Tim Tassopoulos
Tim is President and Chief Operating Officer at Chick-fil-A. Tim began his career at Chick-fil-A in 1977 as a restaurant team member and joined the home office staff as a business consultant in 1983.
Tim graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1981 with a BA in history and political science and received his MBA from Georgetown University in 1983.
Tim attends Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church where he teaches Sunday School to high school students. Tim is native of Atlanta; is married to Maria and has two sons, Luke and Nicholas.

Obedience to Our Responsibilities
Fr. George Parsenios, PhD
Fr. George is Professor of New Testament. Before working at Holy Cross, he taught for almost two decades at Princeton Theological Seminary as Professor of New Testament. He also taught for many years as an adjunct Professor at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and at the St. Athanasius Theological College in the University of Melbourne (Australia).
His teaching and research explore the interaction of early Christianity with classical literature, as well as the interpretation of the New Testament in the early church. He is the author of three books and several articles on New Testament themes, with a specialization in the Gospel and Letters of John.
Prior to coming to Holy Cross, Fr. George served in a part time capacity as the pastor of the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He and his wife, Presbytera Maureen (also a Holy Cross graduate), have three children.

Gratitude as the Foundation of Giving
Donna Levas
Donna began working for OCF in November 2011. Serving as the Operations Manager until February 2013, Donna learned the ins and outs of OCF. In the spring of 2013, Donna was charged with taking on the National Program efforts for Orthodox Christian Fellowship – facilitating the Real Break and College Conference programs. In late 2019, Donna’s focus was shifted to Advancement, where she now works to share the exciting ways OCF offers opportunities for college students to encounter Jesus Christ.
Donna holds a Master of Professional Studies in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Manhattanville College and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Hellenic College. She and her family live in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Nine Ways to Lead (and Fail): Discover Your Enneagram Type & What It Means for You as a Leader
Christina Andresen
Christina is the Director of Ministries for OCF. She has been on staff with OCF since 2011, and prior to that, she served as both the local chapter president at Texas A&M and as a regional student leader for the South region. She holds a Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and her BA from Texas A&M University in English Literature and Philosophy with a minor in dance. Christina now lives in Dallas with her husband and their three lovely, spectacular kids.

Nine Ways to Lead (and Fail): Leaving Behind Your Number for Wholeness and Health
Christian Gonalez
Christian is the Director of Ministry for the Orthodox Youth Ministry (OYM). He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds multiple degrees from Wheaton College, Azusa Pacific University, and Luther Seminary. Well known for his work developing training materials like “Effective Christian Ministry” and podcasts like “We Are Orthodoxy” and “Pop Culture Coffee Hour,” he is passionate about upbuilding of the Church as the Family of God: a household that forms young people into the likeness of Christ.

Technology & Humanity: Who Are We Becoming?
Fr. Stephen Freeman
Fr. Stephen is an archpriest in the Orthodox Church in America and is the former pastor of St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge, TN. He was educated at Furman University, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and Duke University. He is author of the popular blog, Glory to God for All Things, and of the weekly podcast, Glory to God, on Ancient Faith Radio. His work has been widely translated and published in Europe and Russia.
His publications include: Everywhere Present and Face to Face: Knowing God beyond Our Shame.

Pan-Orthodox Collaboration in American Orthodox History
Matthew Namee, JD
Matthew is the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer Orthodox Ministry Services. He has a broad background as a nonprofit and tax attorney with extensive experience representing Orthodox nonprofit organizations. In addition to practicing law, he served as Chief Investment Officer for Black Saber Capital and Grant Coordinator for the Virginia H. Farah Foundation.
Matthew founded the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas and is editor of the website OrthodoxHistory.org. As a young man, he was the research assistant to Bill James, the father of sabermetric analysis and an executive with the Boston Red Sox. Matthew earned a B.A. in History from Wichita State University and a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Peacemaking in a Divided World
Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, PhD
Fr. Sergius is assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and serves as director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. In addition to teaching homiletics and preaching, he also teaches courses in apologetics, faith and science, and Christian education. Fr. Sergius is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America and is attached to Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, CT. He is an accomplished liturgical musician and has contributed to a number of “Archangel Voices” recordings. He currently lives in New Haven, CT with his wife and three children. He loves gardening, hiking, biking, and reading biographies and fiction.
Fr. Sergius holds degrees from Drew University, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Hear what past participants have to say about their experience!
“My relational skills were strengthened incredibly! […] Additionally, those topics that our speakers had were great subjects to keep in mind when interacting with our chapter. For instance, the dichotomy between faith and culture was a topic, and this is something that I valued during SLI, especially in bringing it back to my chapter and those I interact with!”
“SLI encouraged me, a new Orthodox Christian, that even though I’m not cradle or an expert, I can still make a difference.”
“The biggest skill I learned at SLI was active listening and the importance of silence in active listening. Prior to SLI, as a leader I had a hard time both listening and speaking in a group setting, as I would often hear things in one ear and out the other. However, the listening and silence activities we did at SLI were very helpful in developing my ability to find techniques to both listen, understand, and respond to others.”


Summer Leadership Institute is offered in partnership with
Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
and through the generosity of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society.