2024-2025 Fanari Camping Ministries Leadership Team
Camp Director - Maria Pentaris
Maria is a certified high school special education teacher at Neuqua Valley High School. She attends Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church in Westchester, IL where she has been an active member. Maria started her camp experience as a camper and over the years has been a counselor, theater staff member, ran evening activities, and was the staff director, and the assistant director. Maria is excited to now be taking on the role of the Director of Fanari Camping Ministries. Maria has a love for working with the youth of our church and helping them grow closer to Christ. She hopes to have a small impact on everyone she interacts with at camp so they can be forever changed for having been a part of the Fanari Camp Experience. Maria has been a lifelong die-hard fan of the New Kids on the Block and the Chicago Cubs. When she is not preparing and planning for camp she can be found spending quality time with family and friends.
Spiritual Director - Fr. Kosmas Kallis
Born in Livonia, Michigan, Fr. Kosmas was shaped by the Church. He served as an altar boy in his home parish and participated in GOYA, Summer Camp and the CrossRoad Institute. He earned a BA in Religious Studies from Hellenic College in 2012 and an MDiv (with High Distinction) from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2014. Soon after graduation, Fr. Kosmas joined the Saints Peter and Paul parish as a full-time youth director, a position he held until 2018. He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in October of 2015 and to the Holy Priesthood in March of 2016. In January of 2019, Fr. Kosmas was appointed Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries of the Chicago Metropolis. Currently, Fr. Kosmas is serving at St. Andrew of Chicago. Fr. Kosmas is married to Anna Kallis, and they have a son named Jonah, and a daughter named Mara.
Operations Director - Chrysanthe Agos
Chrysanthe has been involved with Fanari Camp since 2007 as a camper, and hasn't missed a summer since she was able to come back as a counselor. In the years of the transition from camper to counselor, she also attended Ionian Village where she was able to create a closer bond with her faith, in preparation of her first summer as a Fanari counselor. She attends St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL where she also teaches Greek dance at Solon Greek School and is the director of the Sunday School. When not participating in youth and young adult ministries, Chrysanthe is a 2nd Grade teacher having her BA in Elementary Education (K-9).
She enjoys traveling, getting lost in a good book, and selling swag at the camp store! She's excited to see everyone once again this summer!
Staff Director - Julia Economy
Julia is excited for another year as the Female Staff Director! She attends Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview, IL. At SSPP, she served as the GOYA president for several years and was a part of the GOAL basketball team. Currently, Julia will graduate with her Doctorate of Pharmacy Degree from Purdue University in May 2024. She is involved in Orthodox Christian Fellowship at Purdue, where she has been able to connect with other Orthodox Christians and have a sense of community. When she’s not studying hard, Julia likes to get competitive by playing basketball, badminton and board games.
Being on the leadership team for the past three summers, Julia has added many things to her Fanari resumé: co-writer and performer of the “Rules of Fanari” rap, 10-time spirit winner (10-1 record), breakfast waffle connoisseur, and dance/spirit machine. Her goal this summer is to be a mentor that excites and brings the staff and campers deeper into their faith… and add more accomplishments to her Fanari resumé. It’s no coincidence that Julia won the spirit award many times – she brings some serious hyped energy to her cabin and she looks forward to spreading her infectious spirit to the staff this summer. Julia cannot wait to create more amazing memories with staff, campers, and clergy this summer. Let’s “have fun and party” at Fanari 2024!
Staff Director - Gray Kafkes
Gray has been involved with Fanari Camp since 2015 and is ecstatic to be back for another summer! Gray earned his bachelors degree in Music Education with a minor in losing his voice at football games, as a member of the marching band, in 2019.
He is now a music teacher in Miami, Florida, but he grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago. Gray got involved in Fanari after his experience as a camper at Ionian Village in 2014 and fell in love with youth ministry. He is looking forward to another amazing summer at Fanari Camp!
Programming Team - Grant Smith
Grant originally entered the Fanari community in 2013 as a camper and has been dedicated to giving back the spirit of camaraderie and faithfulness that was so impactful to him in the past. After three consecutive years serving as a camp counselor, Grant is now stepping into our Programming Team. He has always been a proud member of the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Elgin, Illinois, where he has led a Greek dance troupe and has organized parts of the parish’s Vacation Bible School in the summer.
Grant is developing his career in music composition and is always ready to express his affinity towards it. Even non-verbally, he can regularly be seen dancing to some tune or tapping away to keep a tempo. Grant is yet again eager to put forth another year of service to the camp!
Social Media Director - Connie Koustenis
Connie is a high school math teacher in the off-season where she uses her math skills to count the days until Fanari Camp begins! Connie’s home parish is Holy Apostles in Westchester, IL, and she has attended Fanari in previous years as a camper, counselor and staff director. She is now elated this year to be able to use her talents to keep the Fanari Camp community connected through social media.
Connie is married to James (whom she met at Ionian Village and was also a Fanari Camp counselor!) and has a son named Teddy.
5Week Girls Counselor - Aspa Drikos
Having experienced Fanari as a camper, Aspa is very excited to be a part of the Fanari Leadership Staff this year! This is her first year serving as a counselor, but from 2016 to 2023, she attended as a camper, finishing out with Lighthouse this past summer. Aspa grew up going to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Palos Heights, IL, and has been actively involved in GOYA, Sunday School, and the church’s choir throughout the years.
Currently, she is a freshman at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. At school, Aspa is majoring in International Studies, minoring in Spanish, and is a member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, with hopes of finding a career in diplomacy. She is also working with the administration to open up a new chapter of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). Growing up in a faithful community rooted in the principles of kindness, compassion, service, and love inspires her to continue striving for growth, both within and outside of the church.
In her free time, Aspa enjoys a multitude of things, including working out at the gym, hiking, and when the weather is nice, running. She also enjoys spending time with her four siblings, the rest of her family and friends, and will talk to you about books and music for hours. Overall, Aspa is very much looking forward to spending her summer at Fanari, and hopes that she’ll be able to share the light that she was always shown when she was at camp.
5Week Girls Counselor - Evanthia Fotopoulos
5Week Girls Counselor - Maria Kolimbiris
5Week Guys Counselor - Nick Koutsiouris
5Week Girls Counselor - Eleni Kurtis
Eleni is super excited to be at Fanari for 5 weeks as part of the Leadership Team this coming summer! Though this is her first time on the counselor side of camp, it is certainly not her first time with Fanari since she has been a camper since 2017! Her home parish is St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church in South Bend, IN, but she is currently attending St. Alexis’ in Lafayette, IN.
Currently, Eleni is a freshman studying marketing at Purdue University and is very active in the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) chapter as well as the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC). In her free time, she enjoys going on spontaneous adventures, listening to music, and of course, getting a nice cup of coffee with friends. This summer, Eleni hopes to bring the same light to her campers as her staff brought to her throughout her Fanari, Lighthouse, and CrossRoad experiences.
5Week Guys Counselor - James Nicholas
James is extremely excited to be a 5W counselor for the first time. James has experienced Fanari camp for 7 years and Lighthouse camp for 1 year and cannot wait to translate his experience into counseling at Fanari camp. He has dedicated time to his home Parish, Holy Apostles, by serving in Altar since middle school, being a member of GOYA, and by participating in the dynasty of the HA basketball team. With his free time, James enjoys playing basketball, working out, and getting some Victory Royales on Fortnite.
This summer, James will have finished his freshman year at College of Dupage, where he plans on majoring in Accounting. With this in mind, he cannot wait to be apart of the Fanari family and aims to create new relationships and to be like the great counselors he had as a camper.
5Week Guys Counselor - Louis Nicholas
Louis cannot wait to be a 5W counselor for his first year of counseling. Louis has been involved in Fanari for seven years now as a camper and he looks forward to bringing his energy and compassion to Fanari! He has been a member of GOYA since he was young, was part of a Holy Apostles Dynasty Basketball Team, and has served in the altar since middle school. Now, he studies the the College of DuPage, where he will look to get his associate’s in Science on a Pre-Physical Therapy Track. He plans on majoring in Exercise Science and pursuing a career as a physical therapist.
Louis has also attended Lighthouse Camp in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and has fostered new friendships and connections through his experiences at camp. He looks to recreate this and have tons of fun this summer at Fanari!