Our people

Effie is leading the non-profit organization New Agriculture New Generation since its inception in 2018.

In the last 5 years, New Agriculture New Generation has supported 30,000+ professionals and 120+ small, family-owned agrifood SMEs and startups, contributing to the establishment of new farmers’ groups and the development of numerous agri-food products. It has created an extensive network of partners and supporters, maintaining a strategic partnership with Rutgers University, USA. 

The organization creates value for the Greek economy with a x3.6 leverage effect, promoting sustainable agriculture and food processing as a career of choice for the younger generation. Its programs enhance climate action, food security, rural development and gender equality, actively contributing to 11 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.

Under Effie’s leadership, New Agriculture New Generation has received national and international recognition and distinctions: it was acknowledged as European Best Practice by DG Agri, European Commission; was congratulated by the Prime Minister at the 86th TIF; participated in 3M Impact Global program; participated at the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2023 of the United Nations, invited by the Hungarian Government. Today, New Agriculture New generation is expanding its activities in the Mediterranean with an upcoming collaboration with the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on sustainable aquaculture.

Effie was recognized for her work as an NGO leader in Kathimerini’s “Women Leaders” publication. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Smart Agro Hub Competence Center, as well as member in several industry think tanks, such as the Agrotechnology Committee of the Greek-American Chamber of Commerce, the AgriBusiness Committee of the Greek-German Chamber of Commerce; the Agricultural Development Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce Women, Hellas; and the “Greek Nutrition 2.0” Committee of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food. She frequently contributes with opinion articles on capacity building, women entrepreneurship and empowerment in the agri-food sector.

She is an experienced marketing strategy professional with a proven track record of successfully delivering complex international projects in SE Europe. Among others, she led landmark projects of national importance, such as Destination Greece’s brand and marketing strategy, the largest communication consultancy project ever initiated in the country, and Greece’s Wine Sector’s first ever international branding & strategic marketing plan. 

She holds an Integrated Master in Chemical Engineering (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), a Master in Cultural Management (City University of London) and a Professional PGDip in Marketing (Chartered Institute of Marketing of London). She is a trainer, certified business coach, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing London, mentor in several entrepreneurship programs, a professional flutist and a volunteer with Make-A-Wish-Greece.

Ilias possesses more than 30 years of professional experience mainly as a senior financial and administrative officer / director in private sector companies of the financial services and banking sector, in construction and management of real estate assets, in institutional real estate fund management, as well as in the oil and gas exploration & production sector. This professional experience and knowhow, is broken up in ten professional (10) years in the US and twenty (20) years in Greece and SE Europe.  

Furthermore, Ilias has acted as an independent corporate and financial consultant for various companies primarily active in the real estate development sector, as well as for investment consortia through the process of the privatization plan of key sectors of the Greek economy. Through his wide, long-time and multi-faceted professional experience, he has actively managed more than € 400 million in investment funds (equity) and more than € 1 billion in total asset value.   

Ilias holds an Economics degree (B.A.) from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), (1983) and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management (1985), Phoenix, Arizona, both in the US. His degrees are fully recognized by the Greek appropriate authorities and he is a member of the Economic Chamber of Commerce of Greece. His is fluent in English and also speaks fair French and Romanian. He has participated in many professional seminars, continuing education programs and conferences in Greece and abroad.  

Email: ilias@generationag.org

Tel: +30 210 6917986

Gerasimos has over 10 years of experience in the private sector, working in accounting firms and organized accounting departments of major companies. During these years he managed to develop professionally, having taken on various responsibilities of financial management as Assistant Accountant, HR Assistant and Finance Assistant.

He is a graduate of the Department of Economics of the University of Peloponnese, a member of the Economic Chamber of Greece and holds a professional license of Accountant-Taxpayer B class.

Email: finance@generationag.org
Tel: +30 210 6917986

Mona has vast experience in Operations and Project/Program Management, with a particular focus in non-governmental/non-profit organizations (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-UNHCR, International Organization for Migration-IOM, European Asylum Support Office-EASO and others). Having a legal professional and educational background with a specialization in Public International Law, as well as experience in the International Relations sector as a research affiliate in academic/research institutes, she is specialized in project/program management, legal counselling, support of international protection applicants, humanitarian professionals’ training and prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence.

She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Public International Law, EU Law and International Law of Human Rights from the Democritus University of Thrace, and a Master of Business Administration (ΜΒΑ) from the European University of Cyprus. She has specialized professional education on Project Management, on Social Exclusion from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and on Creative Writing from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, while having participated in numerous international conferences related to International and European law and Human Rights. She has lived and worked in Greece, France and Germany, she works with full professional proficiency in English, French and German and, whenever she is not working, she plays music and listens to it, she reads and travels.

Email: mona@generationag.org

Tel: +30 2310 471 292

George holds a BA from the Department of Audiovisual Arts at the Ionian University and a MSc from Edinburgh Napier University in Event and Festival Management.

His experience in the field of event coordination comes both from his graduate years, when as a volunteer he participated in cultural events of Ionian University and Thessaloniki International Film Festival and his long-term work in the field of event organization in Scotland (Adjust Productions & Fringe Festival) and Greece (Thessaloniki International Film Festival & Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center).

Email: george@generationag.org 

Tel: +30 2310 471 292

Sotiris is a communications professional with many years of experience in the field of corporate communications and advertising.

He has worked on a wide range of promotional and communication projects for a significant number of businesses and organizations in many different sectors. He has also been involved in the communication of European programs for grants regarding entrepreneurship. His multi-level experience provides him with a broad range of knowledge, both in terms of the strategic nature of communication and the practical side of its implementation.

Sotiris holds a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing (for non-profit organizations) and a postgraduate degree in International Relations and Business Administration from the University of St Andrews. He has also attended numerous seminars in the fields of creative and visual communication, branding, and digital marketing.

Sotiris teaches communication at a private college and in specialized workshops. He has been awarded the first prize by the Greek Screenwriters' Union for the creation of an original screenplay for a short film on the theme of  the Greek Revolution of 1821.

Email: sotiris@generationag.org
Τel: +30 210 6917986

Panagiotis holds a Bachelor's degree from the Department of Cultural Technology and Communication at the University of the Aegean and a Master's degree in Marketing Management from the University of Derby. 

He has worked for several years in communication and digital marketing, collaborating with major companies in Greece and abroad. Additionally, he has attended numerous seminars on branding, digital marketing, tourism marketing e.t.c. 

Email: panagiotis@generationag.org
T: +30 210 6917986

Archonto has been working in the Non-Profit Sector since 2014 and thus she has acquired significant knowledge of the Philanthropic Ecosystem in Greece. During these years she has worked with organizations (HIGGS, Caritas Athens, Emfasis etc.) active in the fields of education, capacity building, youth, and social vulnerability and has gained experience in planning, implementing and monitoring programs and projects, as well as in fundraising and team management.

Prior to joining our team, she has offered guidance to more than 60 Non-Profit Organizations on strategic planning, project management, proposal writing, and on running crowdfunding campaigns. In addition, she has collaborated with various experts of the Third Sector and representatives of the largest Charitable Foundations, Corporations and Embassies in Greece and abroad.

She has also volunteered for several Non-Profit Organizations, while in 2015 she was among ten winners of the "World of Difference" program of the Vodafone Foundation.

She holds a BSc in International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus and a MSc in International Development at the University of Edinburgh.

Email: archonto@generationag.org

Tel: +30 210 6917986

Dorothea is a graduate of the Department of Economics at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in Business Administration. She has attended seminars on 'Entrepreneurship Training' and 'Business Modeling'. After a seven-month internship at the organization, she joined the Fundraising Department of New Agriculture New Generation as a Community Building Associate.

Email: dorothea@generationag.org

Tel: +30 2310 471 292

Dimitris holds a PhD degree in Agronomy from Agricultural University of Athens, with a specialization in Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture. His doctoral research was funded by the EU and the Greek Ministry of Education.

In 2009 he co-founded “AEIPHORIA-Green Solutions” where he delivered projects in Urban Farming and Landscape design. From 2011 to 2014 he worked in the European Parliament in Brussels as a contract staff.

Prior to that he worked for the Greek Ministry of Agriculture. He was one of the main authors of the Study of the Impacts of Climate Change on Greek Agriculture of the National Climate Change Impacts Study Committee (Bank of Greece).

He also participated in several studies for private (Agricultural Bank of Greece) and public sector (Government of Cyprus, Regions of Central Greece, South Aegean and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace).

In the field of vocational training he worked for the National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance-EOPPEP) as a national expert for evaluation and classification of the National Qualifications Framework.

Email: dimitris@generationag.org
Tel: +30 210 6917986

Kalliopi holds a BSc in Agricultural Biotechnology from the Agricultural University of Athens and a short term Master’s degree in Precision Agriculture from the Hellenic Open University.

She has experience in smart farming systems, as a coordinator and supervisor of smart irrigation projects. She has also worked in the field of organic products certification.

Email: kalliopi@generationag.org

Tel: +30 210 6917986

Michalis works as a Capacity Building Manager for the Agrifood Leadership program of the Organization New Agriculture New Generation. He has worked as an agricultural consultant, undertaking the preparation and monitoring of files for rural development programs and the preparation of CAP declarations. He is a member of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece and a certified agricultural advisor of ELGO-DIMITRA.

Email: michalis@generationag.org

Τel: +30 2310 471 292

Domna holds an Integrated Master degree from the department of Natural Resources Management & Agricultural Engineering with specialization in water resources management from the Agricultural University of Athens.

She has studied Evaluation of techniques for reclamation degraded areas under Mediterranean conditions at CEAM foundation.

She has experience in management of public and private environmental projects.

She holds an international certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust organization about the wines.

Email: domna@generationag.org

Τel: +30 2310 471 292

Stavros holds a Bachelor’s degree from the department of Economics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Master’s degree from the University of Macedonia in Business Administration. He has been certified as an Alternative and Sustainable Tourism Consultant of the American Farm School in Thessaloniki and has participated in training seminars covering the topics of Digital Marketing and Exports.

He has work experience as a Marketing and Sales Consultant, cooperated with major food companies in Greece supporting them in research and development of new products, reorganization of sales departments, export development and marketing strategies. He has voluntarily participated in the Marketing Laboratory of the University of Macedonia (MarLab) and has also participated as a volunteer entrepreneurship mentor in Junior Achievement Greece (SEN/JA), where he supported groups of students who participated in entrepreneurship competitions.

Email: stavros@generationag.org

Tel: +30 2310 471 292

Akis is a graduate of the Department of Agricultural Technologists at the University of Western Macedonia, specialized in the quality control of agricultural products and foods. After completing his internship in the organization New Agriculture New Generation, he joined the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department as Entrepreneurship Development Associate.

Email: akis@generationag.org

Tel: +30 2310 471 292

Dr. Robert M. Goodman, a plant biologist and virologist by training, is an expert on soil microorganisms and plant disease. Since 2005, he has served as Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Rutgers University, leading both the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

He studied at the Johns Hopkins University and then transferred to Cornell University, where he earned a B.S. degree in Plant Sciences in 1967. After two years of civilian service, he completed a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at Cornell University in 1973. He was awarded a NATO postdoctoral fellowship by the National Science Foundation for study in molecular virology at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, England. In 1974, he was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and later promoted to Associate Professor in 1978 and Professor in 1981.

 In 1982, Goodman was named Vice President, and thereafter Executive Vice President, for Research and Development at Calgene, Inc., an early plant biotechnology company and one of the pioneers in the genetic engineering of crop species, notably pesticide resistance and the use of anti-sense RNA to modify crop traits. 

 From 1991 to 2005, he was a professor of plant pathology and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his laboratory carried out pioneering work on the diversity of soil microorganisms refractory to cultivation and co-developed the approach for microbial biology studies now widely called metagenomics.

 He is widely published in scientific journals such as Science, Nature, Virology, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on topics including soil metagenomics, the discovery of the geminiviruses, and characterization of unexpected Archeal and Eubacterial clades in soil. 

 Goodman has served in several senior leadership positions, including the Board of Trustees of the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), founder and chair of the McKnight Foundation’s Collaborative Crop Research Program, and chair of the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources section of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). 

 He is an elected Fellow of the AAAS and of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Dr. Lia Papathomas earned her MSW studying Labor Issues and her PhD in Cognitive Development at Columbia University. Dr. Papathomas’ research focuses on development of epistemological understanding and critical thinking, and includes projects at Columbia University, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Institute for the Study of Child Development at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She is an alumna of Rutgers University, having graduated with a BA in Psychology. Dr. Papathomas has extensive professional experience in program evaluation, labor force development and higher education administration.

Dr. Salome Papaspyrou Rao is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is currently involved in the organization “New Agriculture New Generation”, as well as coordinating the “One Nutrition” initiative at the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, at Rutgers University. Her Ph.D. thesis research was in the area of adipocyte metabolism, specifically on the hormonal regulation of lipoprotein lipase and leptin by human adipocytes. Upon completion of her doctorate, Papaspyrou Rao was involved as co-director of the New Jersey Obesity Group, coordinating research in the area of obesity between Rutgers and other research institutes in the New Jersey and New York area. Furthermore, she coordinated numerous conferences in the area of basic research in Obesity as well as in the field of community nutrition. More recent research has been on the relationship between weight loss and taste preferences in the Sensory Evaluation/Nutrition Laboratory at the Department of Food Science, Rutgers University. Papaspyrou-Rao obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of California at Berkeley in Nutrition and Food Technology and her Master’s degree at Cornell University in Food Science, with a minor in Biochemistry. Dr. Rao also holds the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) certification.

Dr. MUKUND V. KARWE is a Professor of Food Engineering and the Dean of International Programs at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences of Rutgers University, New Jersey. Dr. Karwe has a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Rutgers University. Over the last three decades Dr. Karwe has published over 120 research articles and book chapters on topics such as Food Extrusion, Microwave Baking, Fortification of Foods with Omega-3 fatty acids, High Pressure Food Processing, Effect of Processing on Nutraceuticals in Foods, Cold Plasma Processing, and Flow of Food in Human GI tract. His research has been supported by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, U.S. Food Industry, and the U.S. Army.

Dr. Karwe has given keynote addresses and research seminars in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Kuwait, S. Korea, Turkey, and the UK.  Dr. Karwe is a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST), a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) USA, and a recipient of several Teaching Excellence awards at Rutgers and at national level in the U.S.

Laura Lawson is Professor of Landscape Architecture and Dean of Academic Programs in the School for Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an MLA and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research includes historical and contemporary community open space, with particular focus on urban agriculture and the changing roles of parks in low-income communities. She is currently working on a collaborative project, Cultivating Justice, to develop a website that explores African American values and experiences in rural and urban agriculture. She is author of City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005) and co-author of Design as Democracy: Techniques for Collective Creativity (Washington DC: Island Press, 2017), Greening Cities, Growing Communities: Urban Community Gardens in Seattle (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2009), as well as of numerous publications in academic journals, edited books, and popular media. At Rutgers, Professor Lawson teaches courses focused on social and cultural issues in design and planning.