Born and raised in Hammond, Indiana, James S. Gavrilos graduated as Valedictorian from Hellenic College where he received his B.A. in Pre-Theology in 1986. In 1989, James received his Master of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he again graduated as Valedictorian. After nearly 17 years in Parish Ministry, James transitioned to the Non-Profit world serving as Director of Development for The Haven, a foster home for boys in Boca Raton. During his three years as C.E.O. of Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches, James oversaw the agency’s first accreditation, and created the world’s only “mobile” Biz-Town. In 2010, James accepted the position of Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands (BHH). In the next seven years, he oversaw that agency’s explosive growth, during which time BHH added a medical and dental clinic and built a job training center, all while earning seven consecutive Four Star Ratings from Charity Navigator, along with two consecutive years with a perfect score of 100, on Charity Navigators new rating scale. In July of 2017, James accepted a new role as President/C.E.O. of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. Serving the needs of nearly 200,000 students in the nation’s 11th largest school district, the Education Foundation raises funds and awards grants to teachers to support classroom excellence and innovation. Since James’ arrival, The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County has tripled its impact and received two consecutive Four-Star Ratings from Charity Navigator. This year, the Ed Foundation’s Red Apple Supplies distributed over $1,400,000 in school supplies to students in Title 1 Schools!
A Rotarian for over 13 years, James is a Paul Harris Fellow. Knighted by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in 2011, “Sir” James Gavrilos was also selected to attend the prestigious Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management at Harvard Business School in 2015.
James is the proud father of four children: Major Alexios “Ultra” Gavrilos, USAF, and Constantine, an attorney in Chicago…Anastasia, a Graduate Student, and Evangelia, a Junior, both of whom attend the University of Florida. James is an avid golfer and sings Barbershop Quartet with the Coastmen of West Palm Beach. But his two passions (outside of work and family) are opera and Arsenal Soccer (of the English Premier League). He is hoping to combine his interests by writing an opera about Arsenal Soccer. Given Arsenal’s recent history…it will be a tragedy.
