Peter Poulos

2009 SAN FRANCISCO GALA HONOREE

Peter Poulos is a native New Yorker who was fortunate to have spent 18 years of his life living and working in San Francisco. Before arriving in San Francisco, Mr. Poulos received his B.A. from George Washington University in international relations and went on to work for the prestigious lobbying firm of Manatos & Manatos in Washington, D.C. After that he worked for Cynthia Friedman & Associates as a fundraiser for both the Kerrey for Senate and Simon for Senate campaigns.

Mr. Poulos arrived in San Francisco in 1989 and began working as a political fundraiser. He worked for Kevin F. Shelley, former supervisor and secretary of state, and the late lieutenant governor, Leo T. McCarthy. He is most proud of his volunteer political fundraising work for former Mayor Art Agnos.

In 1993, Mr. Poulos opened Poulos Brothers, a fundraising and event-planning firm. In the span of 14 years, Poulos Brothers worked with over 100 nonprofit organizations and political candidates. Mr. Poulos began working with amfAR in 1997 and continued to do so until he left San Francisco in 2006. He has raised millions of dollars for the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as breast cancer research, civil rights, homelessness, and the environment.

Mr. Poulos is a second generation American and an active member of the Greek-American community. He continues to serve on the board of the Center for Modern Greek Studies at San Francisco State University, the capital campaign committee for the Annunciation Cathedral of San Francisco, and the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival. He is a member of Leadership 100, the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, and serves as a founding member of both Net Impact Athens and Hellenic Roots.

Mr. Poulos now lives in Athens, Greece, with his dog Spyros and in Bridgehampton, New York, with his partner, Mark Caligiuri.