ST. PHOTIOS GREEK ORTHODOX NATIONAL SHRINE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2005- St. Augustine, Florida
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO
ST. PHOTIOS GREEK ORTHODOX NATIONAL SHRINE
On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios of America and the Board of Trustees of St. Photios Greek Orthodox
National Shrine, Executive Director Very Reverend Nicholas T. Graff has
appointed Polexeni Maouris Hillier as Associate Director of this national
institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
A native of
Kingston
,
New York
, Polexeni (well known as Polly), has been associated with the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese for decades. A graduate
of
Hellenic
College
, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in 1979.
Upon her graduation, she joined the faculty at the
William
Spyropoulos
Day School
at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in
Flushing
,
NY
assisting with community youth programs. She
also volunteered her services to
St.
Basil
Academy
, tutoring students throughout the 1980’s.
Mrs. Hillier joined the staff of the
Mental Health Association in
Ulster
County
while pursuing her Masters Degree in Professional Studies.
Working in the community mental health programs, Polly eventually was
appointed Program Director of Adult Services.
During her tenure, she was responsible for implementing the first
ever-integrated delivery system of community mental health services for the
New York
State
Office of Mental Health.
Further studies allowed her to train in
psychiatric rehabilitation through
Boston
University
’s
Sargent
College
of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She
has served as an evaluator on the Board of Registry for the International
Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services as well as serving on the
boards of the Special Olympics, Alzheimer’s Association and the parish council
of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston, NY.
Most recently, Polly and her husband Allan
have traveled extensively, calling
New Zealand
home for the past two years. “I
am excited about this opportunity offered to me to once again serve the Holy
Archdiocese of
America
. I remember visiting the Shrine in
1992 and being overwhelmed by privilege…privilege to stand where the first
Greek Pioneers, our forefathers, stepped upon the American continent.”
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine
in St. Augustine, Florida is a living memorial to the first Greek settlers on
the American continent and to all the Greek Orthodox pioneers whose love of
freedom and desire for a better life for themselves and their children brought
them to the New World.
Please
contact Polly Hillier at 904-829-8205 or phillier@stphotios.com
for additional information.